Forum Thermomix
Questions Doubts and Requests => Questions? Technical Issues? The Survival Guide => Topic started by: Shazzy on May 04, 2011, 02:29:36 am
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Hi I am just wondering if I could have some advice please about sterilizing jars and bottles. I realise that there are many different ways to do this but is there some ways more effective or easier than others? My sister and I tried Jam on the weekend and washed the jars and then poured boiling water in them. We then filled them with the hot jam and turned them upside down. 4 of the jars made a sucking type sound but the other 2 didnt - are they supposed to???? Also I am wondering about making sauces and syrups and how to store those. I usually buy them in a plastic aqueeze bottle but if I am making my own I am wondering how people store them (Ie brownie or coffee syrup) so that they can easily be poured. I realise that this is probably a fairly basic question - but I have never done this before as sterilizing jars has always put me off!!!!!! Thanks for any help. Sharyn
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I like to wash and rinse my jars before putting them into a low oven to dry and sterilise them.
The sucking sound is the vacuum being created as the jars cool. When you open them, they'll pop just like store bought jarred products.
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I scrub mine in hot soapy water and then rinse with boiling water. I put them upside down on an oven tray and put them in the oven (at around 140 degrees) until they are completely dry (about 20 minutes).
I would use your batch of jam up in the next couple of months as I don't think your jars would have been sterile and mould could be a problem.
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Shazzy, I use my old soy sauce etc bottles for storing syrups or sauces as they aren't too big. There are some more ways to sterilize jars here (http://britishfood.about.com/od/glossary/ht/sterilizingjars.htm). I use the microwave or dishwasher method.
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Hi Sharyn ;) *wave*
I use bpa free decor brand squeeze bottles from bigw for brownie milk syrup, wash in soapy water then poor slightly cooled boiled kettle water in it and then store it in the fridge.
I buy jars and lids in bulk for my jam, lemon butter, stock and sauces. I was the jars and lids in soapy water rinse and heat in the o en at 150 for 10-20 mins, then when in the jar tip upside down for 10 mins.
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Thanks everyone - Looks like we will be eating lots of plum jam over the next month! Thanks for all your tips and advice.
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Quick question.... when you turn your jars upside down to create a seal, is it normal for some of the contents to spill out? I have tried this method twice now (Beetroot Relish and Plum Jam) and on both occasions I've had some of the relish/jam spill out onto the bench. Any ideas why this happens?
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It hasn't happened to me Vieve, are you sure the lids were threaded on correctly? What did you do, remove the lid, clean things up then try again?
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I am pretty sure the lids were threaded on correctly JD. The first time I used a cheap KMart jar so wasn't that surprised when it happened but this time i was using Bormioli Rocco Quattro Stagioni preserving jars.
I just left the jars upside down for 15 minutes and did the cleaning up afterwards. Hopefully they have all sealed properly.
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When this has happened to me Vieve, the lid has not been on properly. It has stopped sometimes when I have tightened it a bit more, or I have removed the lid, cleaned it and around the thread on the jar and screwed it on again and that has usually worked. I have not used the jars you have but I have found the lids on the jars I use need to be put on fairly tight. Hope this helps :)
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I haven't had it happen to me yet, though I did have one jar crack the other day
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OK, sounds like I am doing something wrong when putting on the lids of my jars ???
I am wondering if it is because the jars were really hot (taken straight from the oven after sterilisation) and hence the metal lid is not making contact correctly. Maybe next time I will cool the jars a bit before I pour in the relish/jam. Do you think this could be the problem? I need to make another batch of something to test it out.
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I thought the jars had to be pretty hot when you pour the mixture in, maybe it's got something to do with the lid being hot. I'm guessing here :D
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I thought they needed to be hot too JD. Oh well, I guess I'll see what happens next time.
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This lid sealing has been a grey area for me as well. I'll be interested to read what happens with your next batch. I have always put the lid on immediately after filling the jars and everything is generally way too hot to handle and am never confident that I have a good seal.
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Some lids just don't fit the same once they are opened. It is not easy handling a jar full of. Hot jam.
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I always thought you had to put the lid on immediately the jam was poured into the bottle, but am I right in thinking that you can wait up to 15 minutes without any adverse effects?
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I've never successfully bottled anything either. Not sure what I do wrong but it's always very hit and miss, I've stopped turning them upside down as they always seem to leak - I'm obviously not tightening the jars properly.
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Marina, the reason you put the lids on immediately is to sterilize the lids with the steam from the jam. If you don't do this, you have to let the jam cool completely, before you put the lids on. Otherwise the moisture on the lid can turn to jam moldy.
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So, if the jam is cool, do you still get a good seal? I always boil my lids as well and put them on straight out of the boiling water.
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Thanks for all your help ladies.
I've been doing a bit more research and it looks like the problem was definitely my inability to screw the lid on tightly enough :-[
I think one of my issues was that I had the oven too hot when sterilising the jars - in fact, both times the jam/relish mixture boiled up when I poured it into the hot jars. The extremely hot jars therefore made it even more difficult to screw the lid on tightly enough.
Anyway, I made a batch of sweet chilli sauce today and sterilised the jars at a lower temperature (it was about 150ºC from memory although I've read somewhere that it works at 100ºC too). I also turned the oven off about 5 minutes before the sauce was ready but left the jars in the oven until I was ready for them. Anyway, success! When I turned the preserving jar upside down, no spillage :) I only had one jar to test as the rest of the sauce went into bottles rather than jars.
Thanks again.
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Glad you worked it out Vieve.
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Thanks for that Vieve - Just about to put some jars into the oven now . . I'll heed your advice!!! :)
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Goodluck Goldfish. I am still very much in the 'trial and error' stage but this worked for me this time. Fingers crossed it will work for you too.
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You may have hit on my problem as well - I think my jars have been too hot - my jams, etc. always boil at the sides when I put them in, so, cooler oven from now on and keep my fingers crossed.
Thanks everyone for ideas and suggestions.
Just as a matter of interest ... if I am not sure whether I have got a successful seal or not, if I wait until everything cools then test it by opening the jar, can I get another successful seal if I use a new lid, or is that it, all over - eat the contents as quickly as I can?
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i freeze my jam ;D
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That sounds like a lot less hassle, Uni!
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If you open the lid after the seal, you can't do it again (in my experiences anyway)....I try to feel the top of the ltd to see if it feels like it has been sucked in compared to one that it's not sterile. I've also been known to open one as a test to hear the pop sound if I'm making a few and use that one first.
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I don't usually have the jars all that hot, if they are clean and dry I put them in the oven to warm them then pour in the hot jam till about 1/2 inch from top then I put the lid on and screw on very tightly. Tip the jar upside down on a wooden board or newspaper leave about 1/2 hour then I turn them up the right way. Usually you will then hear the lids make a little noise as the centre is sucked down. (They don't do this straight away) Leave until cold. To see if they are sealed, press in the centre if the lid does not go down it has sealed (you will be able to feel that it is indented) if the centre moves up and down it has not sealed. Like Jamberie I would use that one first. Hope that makes sense
Marie
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Perfect explanation, Marie - thanks!! :D
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I don't usually have the jars all that hot, if they are clean and dry I put them in the oven to warm them then pour in the hot jam till about 1/2 inch from top then I put the lid on and screw on very tightly. Tip the jar upside down on a wooden board or newspaper leave about 1/2 hour then I turn them up the right way. Usually you will then hear the lids make a little noise as the centre is sucked down. (They don't do this straight away) Leave until cold. To see if they are sealed, press in the centre if the lid does not go down it has sealed (you will be able to feel that it is indented) if the centre moves up and down it has not sealed. Like Jamberie I would use that one first. Hope that makes sense
Marie
This is pretty close to what I do, except I only turn them on their lid for 10 mins. I also sterilize the jars with the lids on in the Microwave. I put 1 cm of water into the jars, put the lid on, not tight, and microwave for 2 mins on high. ( 3 jars, 6 mins). empty water out and let the jars cool a bit. It is best to have the jars warm, so they don't crack when the boiling jan goes in.
I have been doing this process for years.
I probably lose 1 in 100 jars . It is best to use jars with the small rubber ring in the lid, like Dolmio jars
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I actually heard the sweet chilli sauce jar "pop" today after I turned it back up the right way: it was probably 20 - 30 minutes afterwards so you are right Marie, it doesn't happen straight away.
I've also just checked the Plum Jam jars I made yesterday and they all appear to have sealed correctly. At least, the centre of their lids does not go 'up and down' like an unsealed jar. I am giving them away as part of christmas hampers so I might just mention to the recipients that it is probably best for them to use it sooner rather than later just to be on the safe side.
Now that I have started making my own jam and seen how easy it is I am keen to try more .... the possibilities are endless.
Chookie, you said you also put the lids in the microwave when sterilising the jars. Are they metal lids? I didn't think you could put metal in the microwave without disastrous results (some of which I have experienced before!)
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V, this is the most common question I am asked about this process. No, the metal lids don't react at all. No sparks or arking. I usually do 4 or 5 jars at a time. I also bottle fruit using this method. I have posted a long description here some where. With the bottled fruit, I don't add any sugar.
Bottled fruit recipe from Chookie's blog (http://achookwoman.blogspot.com.au/search?q=bottled+fruit)
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Thanks Chookie, I'll do a search to find your thread as i am interested in bottled fruit without sugar.
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Ha Ha, thanks Judy.
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I use the microwave method like achookwoman has described but can I give you one word of warning? I'm sure you're not as stupid as me, but about a month ago I was lucky to not have had a bad scalding. I'd microwaved one jar and think I might have screwed the lid on too tight. When the two mins was up I opened the door and heard a hissing sound which I 'knew' was the steam. Stupidly I then undid the lid and the build up of pressure made the water and lid 'explode' over my face. It was lucky I had a tea towel which shielded me from most of the scalding hot water. Just be very careful. It is a great and east sterilising method but be aware to NOT screw the lid on too much to stop the steam escaping. If you hear a hissing sound leave it a while before unscrewing the lid.
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Very good advice B.
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I have made a few batches of tenina's strawberry vanilla jam and with my first batch I used some recycled jars and they sealed nicely, creating a vacuum. This time I used some jars that I had bought, and I sterilized them and put the jam in while it and the jars were hot, but I haven't been able to create a vacuum, even though I've tried heating both the jam and the jar up again. I think they might just be dodgy jars. I was wondering though - since the jars are still sterile, will the jam keep for a while? I wanted to give it as gifts but am hesitant to if it's not going to have a long shelf life. I've also made some salted caramel sauce and would hate to have to eat it all myself ;-P
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Hi I have made several lots of jam since having TMX. Never done the vacuum thing just dunk jars in boiling water for five mins then dry in oven must have had luck on my side as none of my jam has gone off.
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Rostess, that is simply awful. Did these jars have that small white ring in the lid ? I really don't know about the keeping potential of these 2 products. I think the sauce would be OK but would be inclined to bring the jam to the boil again and rebottle in jars that will seal.
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Has anyone tried using these? I thought I could use them with the jars to get a good seal. (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/13/u9ume6y4.jpg)
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The transparent covers work well just by themselves but I think they might rip if you screwed a lid on top. They might be strong enough, though - could be worth giving it a go some time.
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I have used those covers by themselves, in fact they were the only covers we had for jam years ago. The jam used to keep very well, and if a bit of mould was on the top of the jam dare I say it, we took that off plus a little bit below it and ate the jam. I am not suggesting anyone else do that though ;D I agree with Cuilidh that they may tear if used under the screw lids especially if used dry. My mother use to use vinegar to dampened them with.
Marie
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Emmett I could have wrote that post done all that, I use the microwave method but I just put the lids in boiling water and put a piece of glad wrap under the lid, I'm only making small amounts so it isn't on the shelf too long.
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I normally just wash my jars hot soapy water and add hot contents whilst jars still hot- put lids on and they vacuum themselves in. Is this enough?
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I normally just wash my jars hot soapy water and add hot contents whilst jars still hot- put lids on and they vacuum themselves in. Is this enough?
That's what I normally do too, but for some reason my lids wouldn't create a vacuum.
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I am getting into preserving this chrissy and this is what I am doing
putting the jam jars and lids in a water canner to sterilise - I am using a big stock pot with a pasta boiler - could use a cake rack - need to have perferations as jars have to be off the bottom. Bring to the boli and boli for 5-10 mins. I do this wile I am makign the jam. Get them out with tongs and put them on a clean tea towl to dry.
I make the jam etc (I don't overcook it - I bring it to a rolling boil at Varoma temp for 1 min then let cool for 5-8 while stitting Reverse soft so that the fruit will settle nicely) then I pop the jam in the jars, put the lids on tight and put them in the water bath with water covering by 3 cm. I bring to the boil and boil for 15-20 mins then bring them out and leave them to dry on a tea towl (not anythign cold or they will crack) then store them.
This seems to be what we are meant to do nowdays from the research I have done. This way for eg I can make lemon curd and it shoudl keep for 3-4 months without opening - once opened it needs to go in the fridge.
These links are good:
water canning method http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/using_bw_canners.html
lemon curd http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/factsheets/lemon_curd.pdf
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That looks to be a really informative site Zebraa, thanks for the link.
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yeah, I have bookmarked the site - it looks fabulous!
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pop the jam in the jars, put the lids on tight and put them in the water bath with water covering by 3 cm. I bring to the boil and boil for 15-20 mins then bring them out and leave them to dry on a tea towl (not anythign cold or they will crack) then store them.
This is what I do but I wrap the jars in tea towels before they go in the water bath and then leave the jars to cool in the water bath for an hour or so to avoid cracking and burns.