Wychwood Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) Some months ago I canned some Chilli with meat. All went well (or so I thought). Last night I took a jar out of storage for supper but the seal had released, no trouble, I'll get another one, well this one had also released. By released I mean there was little resistance when I took the lid off. The contents had started to go a funny colour but as yet had not 'gone off'. I have one final jar from this batch that seems to be fine. Has anyone any idea why I could have suffered this problem and should I err on the side of caution and bin the last jar too? Edited November 26, 2014 by Wychwood Quote Link to comment
Twilight Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I think it is the fault of the lids... are they the lids that should not be boiled or should they be . Sometime, just when who knows, there was a change in the rubber. I am sure you do check your jars for any chips. But I will say that ever so often I go through and check all my lids on all of my canned good... I do NOT like to lose my canning!! Quote Link to comment
Wychwood Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 I saw this thing whether to heat the lids or not as well and yes they are Ball lids. Believe it or not it is actually cheaper for me to buy Ball canning lids from USA and have them shipped over than buy the English brand Kilner lids. Also I have had some dubious quality Kilner lids, quality control is not their forte! Jars are checked as are the lids before each session. Like you, I hate to lose my canning too. It is a vital part of my food cupboard and diet. Quote Link to comment
WormGuy Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Chili is hard for me to can. I have too many jars that don't seal and I have to reprocess them. It is usually my fault by either not having the correct headspace or not getting the rims oft the jars clean. My take is if the jar is sealed tightly then it is safe to use, but if the lid comes off too easily, I would toss it. John Quote Link to comment
Twilight Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Yes John you are right about that more so due to the tomatoes. Checking jars every two weeks is not too often and I do not always get it done within that time frame. I have lost more this year than ever before... And thorough check of jars, lids, contents, leads me to thinks it has been the lids 90% of the time. Quote Link to comment
Canned Nerd Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 A good way to end up with weakened seals is to "tip" the jars when removing from the canner, a common habit in order to drain off the trapped water on top. Tipping will bring the contents in contact with the rim and lid before a full seal is achieved. If there is oil in the solution from something like ground beef there is even more chance of seal contamination. Consider boiling meat in water to reduce excess oil. Quote Link to comment
Mt_Rider Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) A point I'd never heard before, CanningNerd! MtRider Note to self: Wipe canning water off lids....NO TILT! Edited November 26, 2014 by Mt_Rider Quote Link to comment
Canned Nerd Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 You probably don't even need to wipe since it will evaporate in seconds coming out of a pressure canner. And of course wait 10-15 minutes before removing the unpressurized canner lid so the jars/lids are not so hyper when exposed to normal air. Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Haven't had too many failures, but I'm thinking like the rest...not enough head space, not wiping the jar rims clean, and tipping jars when you remove them from your canner. The newer lids are NOT gummed like the older ones (see BexarPrepper) and are not only not supposed to be boiled but also "dent" very easily when handling which includes when they're placed on the jars then vacuum sealed & placed on store shelves. BexarPrepper says to totally discard the ones that are on your new jars and pressed down with rings because they've been damaged. I have started my change over to Tattler lids, even though more expensive they're re-useable. I purchased a few extra lids to allow for failure until I learn the new way. Right now I'm not canning so I've got the time to stock up on the Tattler's. I have A LOT of the Mennonite lids and their gummed surface is so much wider than Ball etc., so I'm confident that is why I haven't had but one or two sealing failures. I've not used Ball or Kerr and don't intend to. Quote Link to comment
Twilight Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 No tipping on my part......nor do I wipe tops until 24-36 hours later then the jars are are washed and the rings removed. Quote Link to comment
Wychwood Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 I think it may have been insufficient headspace. And yes, I've made a note to self also about tipping jars! Thanks for the replies. Quote Link to comment
Virginia Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Did you have beans in the chili. Over the years, I have lost more jars of beans than anything else. Don't know if it is the gases or swelling or what. Many years ago, I had lots of seal loss from the Kerr brand only-not Ball not Golden Harvest. Wrote to Kerr and they wanted to give me a lesson in canning. Didn't buy Kerr for a while, even though I knew they and Ball were made by the same company. Seems like sometimes there is no explaining it. I do agree that if a jar is sealed enough that I cannot pop it off with hand, it should be fine. Quote Link to comment
ArmyOfFive4God Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 A point I'd never heard before, CanningNerd! Me neither! That's gonna be a hard habit to break! Quote Link to comment
Canned Nerd Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 If anyone is curious about the 'not tilting' issue I'm sure it is mentioned somewhere on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website, which is where most of my knowledge comes from. In fact I opened their 'So Easy To Preserve' book and there it was on page 31 at the top of the page, very first sentence. But I totally agree it is a hard habit to break even in knowing. Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I've read it in a book, on line and here. But I still have to catch myself from doing it. I see that water and think, "Just a little tip and I can get rid of it". Yep, by the time the jars have cooled that little bit of water has evaporated. After it's all said and done, I remove the bands, wash the jars with soapy water and then dry them. But that one little half-teaspoon of water on the top of the lid makes me want to tip it off. Every.Time. Quote Link to comment
ScrubbieLady Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Don't tilt the jars, just straight out of the canner and set to cool. In my case, after 24 hours, I take the rings off and wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse, dry and store. By the time the jars have set 24 hours, I have a little spot where the water evaporated. I would much rather see a little bit of water on the lid than lose the contents because the jars didn't seal right. I have to take my jars a few feet to set them down, so I take the jar out of the canner and hold the canner lid under it over to where I set them down. No drips on the floors. Quote Link to comment
Daelith Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I'm going to have to watch the jar tipping myself. Especially the items I water bath. Quote Link to comment
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