The dishwasher method for sterilizing your jars is good if you have a high-temperature setting on your machine or a steam dishwasher. Fill your dishwasher with clean cold jars and run a minimum or rinse wash to time the ending with when your jam, preserve, or pickle will be ready.
To sterilize empty jars, put them right side up on the rack in a boiling-water canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes at elevations of less than 1,000 ft.
I prefer to use the oven sterilization method (as opposed to the hot water method) which is as follows: Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Wash each canning jar or mason jar and lid with hot soapy water then rinse but don't dry them. Place each clean jar on a baking tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Don't Sterilize Jars in the Microwave, Either
You may see posts online about sterilizing jars in the microwave, but we deeply caution against it. Microwave wattage varies greatly from model to model, making this method impossible to regulate.
PREPARING JARS Glass jars and lids do not need to be sterilized before use if your foodstuffs will be processed more than 10 minutes in a boiling water bath or pressure canner. If jar-processing time is 10 minutes or less, jars must be sterilized before filling.
Dirty jars not correctly cleaned will infect the food inside and spoil quickly. Sterilizing is a quick and easy process so therefore should never be omitted. Here are simple ways to achieve proper sterilization and make all your efforts at jam-making, bottling, and canning a success.
Today's CANNING TIP: To seal without having to boil jars, heat your oven to 200 degrees then place your sealed jars in for 1 hour...after that, turn oven off and leave in oven overnight. This has always worked great 👍 Beckie Reau good idea.
Yes, newer mason jars have a microwave-safe symbol on them. It is important to keep in mind that glass mason jars are non-reactive but still become very hot to the touch. For this reason, it's best not to package anything that requires long periods of microwave heating in mason jars.
When using microwaves to sterilize the instruments, the instruments are placed in a shielded and pressurized atmosphere produced by the vaporized sterilant. The pressurized atmosphere prevents arcing and aids in sterilizing the instruments in conjunction with the microwaves.
Another thing to note, if your dishwasher won't do a clean and sanitize cycle, just pre-wash the jars and rings ahead of time. For those lids, just set them in hot water for about 10 minutes before using them to seal the jars.
Here's the official word from quality assurance team at Ball and Kerr: "We do not recommend baking in any size or shape of Ball or Kerr canning jars. The glass used for Ball and Kerr canning jars is not tempered for oven use and is not meant to be used in baking projects.
Using a Microwave
This is ideal for regular glass jars but not for jars with metal lids and Kilner-style ones. All you have to do is clean your jars and then rinse them. Make sure that they are not dry when you put them in your microwave. Microwave them for 30-45 seconds based on your jars' size.
If you see scales or film from hard water left on your jars, then remove this by soaking jars for several hours in a solution containing 1 cup of vinegar (5% acidity) per gallon of water. In order to actually sterilize jars, they need to be submerged in (covered by) boiling water for 10 minutes.
New jars are not sterile. Before use they should be checked for breakage or manufacturing defects, and then washed. In fact, jars should always be checked and washed right before use (even if they were previously stored away clean).
Wash your gloved hands thoroughly. Carefully, without splashing, add enough hot water to the pot to completely cover the jars with at least 1 inch of water above the containers. Place a lid on the pot and heat the water to boiling. Boil for 30 minutes to make sure the food and containers are detoxified.
Microwave ovens are great time savers for busy families and individuals. The obviously popular microwave is a great tool for cooking at meal-time or when reheating left-overs for a quick, easy meal or snack. It is important to remember that microwaves don't kill bacteria unless the food is heated long enough.
Never put your baby feeding equipment directly into the microwave to sterilize it; it won't effectively sterilize the bottles or nipples and will likely damage them. You should also ensure you never microwave metal items inside a microwave sterilizer.
Mason jars can tolerate heat up to approximately 392°F (200°C) under gradual heating conditions but are prone to thermal shock with sudden temperature changes. Newer mason jars made from tempered glass are generally microwave-safe, but precautions should be taken to avoid sudden temperature changes.
Check the bottom of the container for a symbol. Microwave safe is usually a microwave with some wavy lines on it.
Jars should not be used in the microwave or oven.
Inversion Canning
Once secured, the jar is inverted (flipped upside down) and left to cool for several minutes before placed right side up. The thought behind the method is the hot food will sterilize the seal while creating a vacuum by allowing air to escape.
Make sure jars are sterilized in the dishwasher or immersed in boiling water for 10 minutes, and lids are cleaned and placed in simmering water at least a few minutes (You can use your water bath canning pot to sterilize your jars, and keep the water hot for canning once your salsa is ready).
Reprocessing unsealed jars
If necessary, change the jar, add a new, properly prepared lid, and reprocess within 24 hours using the same processing time. Headspace in unsealed jars may be adjusted to 1-½ inches and jars could be frozen instead of reprocessed.