Lid sealing question

[nochangeforyou]

Last night I made salsa and canned it (water bath). After taking all of the jars out, the lids all appeared to be sealed well, so I left them on the counter to cool. About 2 hours later I came back, and 6 out of the 8 jars felt unsealed (you could press the lid up and down). They were still fairly warm, so I placed them in the fridge. Now this morning when I went to grab a few of them, the 6 that felt unsealed the night before feel sealed. The lids do not budge.

I am new to canning, so I am a little confused. Are these jars actually sealed? I don't really understand why that happened.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking [emoji2]

Sometimes the lids seal and "ping" right away and sometimes they take a little longer. It sounds like they sealed as they cooled in the fridge. If you're concerned, you can reprocess them. If you do that, be sure to use new lids. The sealing compound is only good for one use.

 

[nochangeforyou]

Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking [emoji2]

Sometimes the lids seal and "ping" right away and sometimes they take a little longer. It sounds like they sealed as they cooled in the fridge. If you're concerned, you can reprocess them. If you do that, be sure to use new lids. The sealing compound is only good for one use.

Okay, that makes sense! Thank you, I was very confused.

 

[GotGarlic]

Okay, that makes sense! Thank you, I was very confused.

You're welcome. If you don't mind a suggestion, I started canning after I discovered this site years ago: http://www.foodinjars.com

The author has written three books on canning and other types of preserving and has great information on what to do and what to expect.

A couple other good sites are:
- http://nchfp.uga.edu
- http://www.freshpreserving.com

 

[nochangeforyou]

You're welcome. If you don't mind a suggestion, I started canning after I discovered this site years ago: Food in Jars - A blog dedicated to canning, preserving, and pantry staples made from scratch.

The author has written three books on canning and other types of preserving and has great information on what to do and what to expect.

A couple other good sites are:
- National Center for Home Food Preservation
- Fresh Preserving Store | Shop Ball® Mason Jars & Home Canning

Thank you! Those all have a ton of useful information.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Next time, don't touch the lids or jars for 12 hours. Just put them on the counter on a dry towel as you take them out of the canner, and leave them alone to let the rubber on the lid cool.

 

[blissful]

Next time, don't touch the lids or jars for 12 hours. Just put them on the counter on a dry towel as you take them out of the canner, and leave them alone to let the rubber on the lid cool.

I agree with sparrowgrass, for my canning. If the lids seal at room temperature, without touching them, then they are sealed. If they seal due to the temperature difference by putting them in the refrigerator, they are not sealed enough for storage.

Because I have curious people in my house, my husband and son, they have been known to touch the tops the sealing items, which messes with a good seal or a not good seal, so I cover them (the jars and not the husband and son) with a towel too, so they don't know I'm waiting for a seal. The next morning, I check visually, and a marble also is a good indicator, if the marble rolls to the middle of the lid, they are sealed, and if they aren't sealed the marble hesitates half way between the middle and sides.