Sanitizing/sterilizing jars

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kittywillow

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Not sure if this is acceptable or not, please let me know as I have only been canning for a few years and have always used this. (makes sense to me.)

After washing my jars, I place them in my water-bath canner in the rack. and fill them up as if I were "processing them" minus the jar lids of course. I let this come to a boil as I am prepping my recipe. (I also have another pot with a bit of water on heat, to top off my canner as needed). As I get ready to fill each jar I remove the jar and pour the boiling water into my extra pot, then fill the jars with whatever I'm canning. Then once all jars are filled I process as I normally would, but if by some chance all of my jars aren't filled I leave the other jars that are filled with water in the canner.

I figure this process kills 3 birds with 1 stone:
1.boils my water
2.sanitize jars
3.makes sure the water is at the right level when done.

I recently was talking to my aunt about how I do this, and she says it's not safe, that I need to put them in the oven.

How am I supposed to do it?
 
I've never used the oven method. I clean my jars and run them through a hot water cycle in the dishwasher, then dip them in the boiling water of the canner, drain and fill.

Since they are hot, same temperature as cooking tomatoes for instance, there is no temperature shock to the jar when filling, or when putting in the canner of boiling water.

When I looked up the oven method for sterilizing jars, it says to preheat to 225 degrees F and to use the jars right out of the oven. That could work too. It would help with saving counter space.

One of the drawbacks for me, in canning in the summer, when it is so hot out, and humid here, the heat and humidity of boiling water plus boiling tomatoes, heats up the room, making it miserable in the house. Turning on the oven seems like adding insult to injury, more heat.
 
I agree with blissful - both methods are safe and will work. Adding oven heat just makes the process less comfortable, and it uses more energy unnecessarily.

I got an Instant Pot multicooker last year and have been sterilizing my jars in that, using the pressure-cook setting for 15 minutes.
 
I agree. I use the dishwasher and boiling bath canner. Have not used the oven method.
 
Not sure if this is acceptable or not, please let me know as I have only been canning for a few years and have always used this. (makes sense to me.)

After washing my jars, I place them in my water-bath canner in the rack. and fill them up as if I were "processing them" minus the jar lids of course. I let this come to a boil as I am prepping my recipe. (I also have another pot with a bit of water on heat, to top off my canner as needed). As I get ready to fill each jar I remove the jar and pour the boiling water into my extra pot, then fill the jars with whatever I'm canning. Then once all jars are filled I process as I normally would, but if by some chance all of my jars aren't filled I leave the other jars that are filled with water in the canner.

I figure this process kills 3 birds with 1 stone:
1.boils my water
2.sanitize jars
3.makes sure the water is at the right level when done.

I recently was talking to my aunt about how I do this, and she says it's not safe, that I need to put them in the oven.

How am I supposed to do it?
As far as I can see your method is as good as any. After all, surgical instruments in hospitals were boiled in water to sterilise them prior to the arrival of autoclaves and those of us who had our tonsils and appendixes (appendices?) removed way back then didn't get gangrene.

I don't can but do make jam, marmalade and chutney. I give my jars a hot wash, either by hand or in the dishwasher and rinse them then I pop them into a low oven to dry (which also makes sure of the sterilisation). However, I don't think it's as important to have dry jars for canning as it is for jam, etc. I expect "you pays your money and you takes your chance".

Perhaps your aunt was harking back to a time when she had a coal/wood/oil range which was hot all the time.
 
*LIKE* that you used the word 'Harking'. I haven't heard that word since the Christmas Carol: Hark The Herald Angels Sing....
 
Ball says not to use jars in the oven--they are not made to take the dry heat. There is no need to 'sterilize' jars if you are doing pressure canning--just washing will do it. If you are water bath canning for 15 minutes or more, same thing.

There is a Facebook page called Safe Canning By the Book, run by master canners. It is a great place for good research based information. They do follow the USDA rules and have little tolerance for straying from them. But, you will be sure you are getting good info.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation is another place that has all the rules and procedure for correct canning, freezing and drying. National Center for Home Food Preservation
 
1. I love the thought of using a dishwasher to sanitize
Problem: Don't really have one. My dishwasher is my 2 hands! lol :LOL:
2. The oven sounds easy enough to me.
Problem: I have a really old gas stove. The temp numbers on my knob are all warn off. (I cook everything at 400 degrees -or there abouts-....knob straight up and down.
3. Canner method- now that I know it's ok, I'll just continue to do it that way! lol
Thank you all.
 
The oven sounds easy enough to me.
Problem: I have a really old gas stove. The temp numbers on my knob are all warn off. (I cook everything at 400 degrees -or there abouts-....knob straight up and down.

You could get an oven thermometer, test a few settings, figure out what temp corresponds to which setting and mark locations on the dial with nail polish.

Or just cook everything at 400. It probably works well enough ;)
 
I have used the oven to sanitize jars at 225 and just lay them in there, I have even laid them on their side in there and let them sit for 10 minutes or longer. Its out of the way and easy. My grandmother used to do it that way too. The lids I just place in a pan of boiling water. But that's all before I started pressure canning. Supposedly if canning low acid foods, supposed to pressure can anyway so to reach 240 deg.
 
Living in Georgia you avoid the oven as much as possible in the summer. I do mine in the canner, but I do it on my side burner of my grill on the deck. I then can in my pressure cooker which does not take as much heat.
 
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