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Glass jar with lid

Storage & food preparation · Jar

Glass jar with lid

A glass jar with a screw or clip lid for storing, pickling, preserving and shaking dressings.

Useful to have · No power needed · 91 recipes

Photo: Unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons (public-domain)

What it is

A wide-mouthed glass container with a metal screw lid, two-part canning lid or clip-top glass lid with a rubber seal. Glass does not absorb smells, can be sterilised and shows the contents. Canning jars are made to handle heat processing; reused food jars are fine for fridge storage.

What it’s for: Storing dry goods and leftovers and making pickles, jams and preserves.

How to use it

  1. Wash in hot soapy water; sterilise for preserves in a hot oven or boiling water.
  2. Fill while jars are warm for hot jam or pickles, leaving a small headspace.
  3. Seal tightly and label with the date.
  4. Refrigerate after opening as the recipe says.

Good to know

Tasks
making pickles and jams, storing dry goods, shaking dressings, overnight oats, storing sauces and stocks, small-batch fermenting
Cooking methods
Fermented, Marinated / cured, No-cook
Materials
glass, metal lid, rubber seal
Care and cleaning
Wash and dry thoroughly. Replace rusty lids and perished rubber seals. Avoid sudden temperature changes.
Limitations
Breakable and heavy; reused lids may not seal for long-term preserving.

Safety

  • Sterilise jars and use tested recipes for preserves.
  • Discard preserves with bulging lids, off smells or mould.
  • Do not fill cold glass with boiling liquid.

If you don’t have one

Equipment guide

How it works: A glass jar with a tight lid keeps air, moisture and contaminants out. For home preserving, heat-processing drives out air and, as it cools, a vacuum pulls the lid down to seal.

MaterialGoodWatch out
GlassNon-reactive, does not absorb smells or stains, lets you see the contents, easy to sterilise.Breakable; clear glass lets light degrade light-sensitive foods such as spices and oils.
Metal lug lidReusable for most storage.Seal wears; can rust.
Two-piece canning lidDesigned for heat processing and a vacuum seal.The flat lid is meant for single use when canning.
Screw-top jar
Storage, pickles, jams.
Two-piece preserving jar
Canning and water-bath processing.
Clip-top (swing-top) jar
Rubber seal; dry goods and some preserves.

Buying guidance

Starting out: A set of 250–500 ml screw-top jars with new lids.

  • Size suited to the batch
  • Lids that seal
  • Wide mouth for filling
  • Heat-resistant glass if you hot-fill

No brands or prices — check current reviews before buying.

Techniques:ClarificationFermentationPicklingDrying

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Recipes that use it

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