# Canners: Do you sterilize jars?



## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Even when you pressure can or hot water bath for over 10 minutes?


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

Yes, I just feel safer that way.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

I would/do. Why take an extra risk?


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## siletz (Aug 23, 2011)

No, I don't because it will get done in the canner. I do make sure, though,that I don't have sudden temperature changes from pouring hot stuff into cold jars. Usually, my jars are out in the pantry, so I bring them in and wash them to get them clean and warm, then fill them and process. But, if it makes you feel better to sterilize them first, you're not hurting anything either.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Well the government says that you should, and you know how many times they are right.

All my grandma ever did was wash the jars first. No one ever got sick from her canning.


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

I always heat the jars in water, dishwasher or oven, 180 degrees for at least 10 min or more.
Page 10 of the Ball blue book recommends the same as do most.
As someone said above "why take the chance" after doing all that work.

BB


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I do the dishwasher thing first.

Since I have at least one canner with boiling water (for the hot bath step), I give the cans a run through that water just before filling them.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

YES. Cleanliness be next ta Godliness. Skip steps an ya might get ta meet him!


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

catsraven said:


> Yes, I just feel safer that way.





CulexPipiens said:


> I would/do. Why take an extra risk?





bunkerbob said:


> I always heat the jars in water, dishwasher or oven, 180 degrees for at least 10 min or more.
> Page 10 of the Ball blue book recommends the same as do most.
> As someone said above "why take the chance" after doing all that work


Where is the extra safety or risk in not?

That is exactly why I will not recommend a blue book to people. It's out dated as far as I am concerned.

I have heard it compared to wiping before you poop. It just don't make sense. I couldn't agree more.

If you don't get the jar sterilized when you process the jar with the food in it you will be in some real trouble later on.



cnsper said:


> Well the government says that you should, and you know how many times they are right.


Where does the Gov't say that?


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Somewhere in their canning guidelines. I can't remember where it is. If a glass jar is clean and dry there is nothing for bacteria to grow on. You have more on your hands than what is on the jars.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

Heating the jars is not the same as sterilizing the jars. 

I don't sterilize but I do preheat the jars and they are washed before use.

The heating lowers the amount of thermal shock that the jar undergoes if you're putting in food that is near boiling in that it reduces the temperature delta between food and jar.

The sterilization of the jars occurs during the canning process.


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## siletz (Aug 23, 2011)

Canning jars do not need to be sterilized prior to canning if you are going to process them for more than 10 minutes in your canner, as the sterilizing will be done there. This is not cutting corners, or endangering your family. If you pre-sterilize your jars, it is just completing the step twice. This is from the National Center for Home Food Preservation website:

"Jars do not need to be sterilized before canning if they will be filled with food and processed in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes or more or if they will be processed in a pressure canner. Jars that will be processed in a boiling water bath canner for less than 10 minutes, once filled, need to be sterilized first by boiling them in hot water for 10 minutes before they're filled."

Their site has a lot of good up-to-date info about home canning: http://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I do caterin, so food safety be important ta me. So I sterilize my jars cause I don't wanna take a chance on somebody gettin sick. Lets see, takes maybe 10 extra minutes?

Worth the little bit a time ta be sure I got good food when I need it.


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

Oh yes I sterilize every jar and all the food inside the jar also
by putting them in the pressure canner at 240 degrees!
Now if some germ can live through that I will know because
the little dimple will pop up.
And if the geermy folk want it bad enough to live through 240 
degrees they can have it.
I DO NOT WILL NOT can in hot water it is just to cheap and easy
to use a pressure pot.
My grandma had wax for jelly jar lids until the day she saw 
a pressure pot and then the wax made nice candles.
IF that is all I have then that's what I will use.
Now question for you folks who still can in hot water instead of steam.
Can you name a little bug folk that can survive boiling water?
Anybody ever go to yellow stone park?
Botu something or other can survive 212 degrees.
Yep yep!


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

siletz said:


> No, I don't because it will get done in the canner. I do make sure, though,that I don't have sudden temperature changes from pouring hot stuff into cold jars. Usually, my jars are out in the pantry, so I bring them in and wash them to get them clean and warm, then fill them and process. But, if it makes you feel better to sterilize them first, you're not hurting anything either.


Same here.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I dont sterilize jars before canning. 

I do sterilize jars(and lids) I use for preserves since I dont further process them after the jars are filled and lidded.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Davarm said:


> I dont sterilize jars before canning.
> 
> I do sterilize jars(and lids) I use for preserves since I dont further process them after the jars are filled and lidded.


Same here. Water bath canning is a whole lot different than pressure canning.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Pressure canning; No

BWB; Yes


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> I do caterin, so food safety be important ta me. So I sterilize my jars cause I don't wanna take a chance on somebody gettin sick. Lets see, takes maybe 10 extra minutes?
> 
> Worth the little bit a time ta be sure I got good food when I need it.


It's like wiping before you poop. You ain't gettin it any cleaner. LOL

10 seconds, 10 minutes, 10 hours. It's pointless.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Country Living said:


> Same here. Water bath canning is a whole lot different than pressure canning.





UncleJoe said:


> Pressure canning; No
> 
> BWB; Yes


How so and why?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Hey ifin ya don't wanna don't. I be a safety guy an fer what little it takes I do it.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Hey ifin ya don't wanna don't. I be a safety guy an fer what little it takes I do it.


Why?

Do you sterilize your jar funnel?

Spoon?


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Ask those that make the booze. Good and bad is determined by what's clean.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

UncleJoe said:


> Pressure canning; No
> 
> BWB; Yes





PackerBacker said:


> How so and why?


I wrote up a response to this and as I proof read it, it didn't make sense to me. :scratch So I had to start over.

I use the PC for meat and low acid veggies. I learned from experience that the BWB will not work for corn soup. It lasted about 2 weeks and the lids began to pop. So i decided that if the temp rises to 240 in the PC and everything bad is killed, why bother sterilizing? I've been doing it that way since I got the canner. That was 4 years ago. I still sterilized the jars in another pot for BWB when I did high acid foods which don't provide a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria.

So now, because of this thread, I'm asking *myself;* Why?

If the bacteria can't live in the acid, what's the point of sterilizing first? 



PackerBacker said:


> Why?
> 
> Do you sterilize your jar funnel?
> 
> Spoon?


And there is another good point. My funnel and ladle are both plastic and I've never given a thought to dipping them in boiling water to sterilize them.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

PackerBacker said:


> Why?
> 
> Do you sterilize your jar funnel?
> 
> Spoon?


Actually, yes!


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## Dixie (Sep 20, 2010)

PackerBacker said:


> Why?
> 
> Do you sterilize your jar funnel?
> 
> Spoon?


*
Ummmm...absolutely! *


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

ZoomZoom said:


> Ask those that make the booze. Good and bad is determined by what's clean.


We aren't canning booze.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> I wrote up a response to this and as I proof read it, it didn't make sense to me. :scratch So I had to start over.
> 
> I use the PC for meat and low acid veggies. I learned from experience that the BWB will not work for corn soup. It lasted about 2 weeks and the lids began to pop. So i decided that if the temp rises to 240 in the PC and everything bad is killed, why bother sterilizing? I've been doing it that way since I got the canner. That was 4 years ago. I still sterilized the jars in another pot for BWB when I did high acid foods which don't provide a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria.
> 
> ...


There isn't any.

Unless you are into wasting time, energy and effort.

And there is another good point. My funnel and ladle are both plastic and I've never given a thought to dipping them in boiling water to sterilize them.  

Because it's pointless.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

I just clean really well. 

If I'm HWB, I run jars in the super hot, santi cycle in the dishwasher. I have put my jars in the oven as well.

But to be "sterile" it wouldn't be possible unless.....you sterilize everything you process with, and wear sterile gloves and not touch a dang thing (yes, my surgery days are coming out in that concept)


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

PB - you do it your way, we'll do it ours. Don't tell us we're wrong because we don't do it your way.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

ZoomZoom said:


> PB - you do it your way, we'll do it ours. Don't tell us we're wrong because we don't do it your way.


You obviously can do whatever you want.

I don't beleive I told anyone anything they do is wrong. Pointless, but not wrong. 

However I would like to see yall spend your precious time, energy and effort on something useful and productive.

I am also interested in hearing ones reasoning and thoughts in why you think you need to "wipe before you poop". 

Simply stating "it only take 10 minutes" is silly IMO. I actually thought you had to sterilize too until I gave up on my "my way is the only way" and listened to the explanation of why it isn't necessary and thought out the whole process and realized that it is indeed a waste of time.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Guess will just leave it at yall do it yer way an I'll do it my way.

Ta me a bit of extra safety is never wasted time. I 'd rather "waste" a bit of time an energy an know my food is gonna be as safe an useable as possible. Nothin like openin up somethin ta find yer gonna through it out.

Folks here an around the world have different ways a doin the same thins. When ya start stompin on toes yer gonna get a reaction. Why we've always said, if ya don't wanna do it don't. Just don't tell me I can't.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

when I pressure can I just make sure the jars are clean. so no. 

when I water bath..even over 10 minutes : yes makes me feel better even though it is overkill.

I havent killed myself yet so I guess im doing it right...


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## mtexplorer (Dec 14, 2012)

My mother was telling me over the Christmas holiday that she used to can chicken in an old washing machine tub with a fire built below, just hot water bathed. The didn't have a pressure caner back then. I am soooooooooooooooo lucky to still be alive. 

M


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Guess will just leave it at yall do it yer way an I'll do it my way.
> 
> Ta me a bit of extra safety is never wasted time. I 'd rather "waste" a bit of time an energy an know my food is gonna be as safe an useable as possible. Nothin like openin up somethin ta find yer gonna through it out.
> 
> Folks here an around the world have different ways a doin the same thins. When ya start stompin on toes yer gonna get a reaction. Why we've always said, if ya don't wanna do it don't. Just don't tell me I can't.


But where is the extra "safety" ya keep claiming?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I'm tired a arguin, figure it out yerself!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

This thread is turning into a cat fight.

Everyone has made their point. Folks can make their own decision.


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