# Ah what a mess.....



## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

Canned quarts yesterday. used my double All-American. No problem until I opened it. Blah!!!! A jar broke around the very bottom. What a mess. 

On top of the canning that I have to get done today..double canner with 19 pints of ham scraps for our Pyree girls I have got to get all those nasty jars scrubbed. :brickwall: :gaah:


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

exploded jars is a pain, so is cleaning the as cast interior of the canner


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

We've all been there, for me it's usually some choice words, and then the clean up.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Yup, that sucks. It sure do make a wicked mess.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

As a rookie with only 6-10 canning session under my belt this has not happened to me (yet). Although I know my Mom has had it happened. What causes this? A flaw or weakness in the jar?


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Usually it's a weakness in the jar, It may even be a jar that you have used before with no problems and then the flaw get's to a point that the jar breaks. That's why it's always good to inspect your jars before using them each time.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Any glass will build up internal stress with repeated heating and cooling. That is why glass blowers will anneal their work. Certain glass, like that used in canning jars, is less susceptible than others but none is immune. A month or two ago I was moving a glass from the dishwasher to the cupboard. A big chunk fell out of the glass when I set it down. This fracture was caused by years of stress buildup.

If you don't put a spacer under each layer of canning jars then a vacuum can form in the concave bottom of the jar and crack the jar. If a jar lid is too tight or for another reason pressure builds inside the jar then is is possible to break the jar through over pressure, I think this is rare. I have heard of this but I have never seen it, or if I have I blamed it on old stressed glass.

I jared up a load of refried beans a few years back. I overfilled the jars. I figured that with all the previous cooking that I would not have as much expansion as I did. I was wrong. What a mess.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Grandma was canning carrots one year and she had let the jars cool after pressure cooking. I was standing in front of her and apparently she did not let them cool enough as she was retightening the lids and the jar exploded. I did not get touched as she had a towel around the jar. The towel and most of the jar and carrots ended up in the sink about 4 feet away. She got cut above the eye by a piece of glass that required stitches. The kitchen was covered in carrots. What a mess. 

In over ten years of watching her can, that was the first and only time I have seen that happen. Lesson learned... let them cool over night before tightening the rings.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Bad jar, over fillin, er a lid a bit to tight. It happens. Just makes a nasty mess an yer out that yummy food.


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

better in the canner than having it splash everywhere while carrying it .... that's why you never use mayo or pickle jars - you up the possibility of breakage by 500%


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

IlliniWarrior said:


> better in the canner than having it splash everywhere while carrying it .... that's why you never use mayo or pickle jars - you up the possibility of breakage by 500%


We used a lot of mayo jars when I was a kid, but I think we may have broken them all over the years or at least I hope we have........


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