heat preseving kilner jars

[biggezzerr]

hi,am a new member,having problems heat sealing kilner jars with marmalade,jam etc in. i am boiling them in pan of water,but there is always condensation forming on the inside of the glass lid,and the lids aren't vacuum sealing!!any advice,information,much appreciated,thanks

[akesingland]

Hi Biggezzerr

It may just be condensation from within, the will be water in the marmalade. Are you using new O rings you should replace them each time?

Cheers
Adam

[Patricia Thornton]

Welcome Biggezzer.

Is there a particular reason for using kilner jars for your jam/marmalade rather than conventional jam jars? I only ask because they are rather expensive and I only use them for bottling fruit. Also, are your jars screw-top or spring clips? Certainly, with the screw-top type, condensation cannot escape and it is not be a problem with fruit but I always test for a seal when completely cold.

[biggezzerr]

hi,as an example,i made some marmalade a cpl of days ago,nd put the hot mixture into hot sterlized brand new small kilner jars,clamped them shut.condensation straight away.the same after heat process. so after this i reopened,reboiled,allowed to cool,put in hot kilner jars, heat processed,allowed to cool slightly,wiped condensation from lids,then clamped shut.they are sealed ,with no condensation,but i am still concerned as the books say to put the mixture in hot,and into hot jars,then heat process,i.e boil covered , but this always results in condensation,which i know shortens the lifespan dramatically.any more input?

[Patricia Thornton]

Hello Biggezzerr. I have thought a lot about your original query but am still having difficulty in understanding the need to sterilise marmalade. I've now looked through all the books I have on the subject, but not one suggests this is a necessary process and so the question of condensation doesn't arise.

However, the only thought/question I have come up with is, are you filling the jars full enough?

[porker]

I have put jam in Kilner jars for no other reason than they were handy. I too get some condensation, but the seals hold and the condensation disappears once all is cool. I don't take a lot of care about having everything 'hot' as it leaves it hard to handle, the jars would have been heated in the AGA but allowed to cool enough to handle, and have had no problems with any sort of spoilage etc.

Regards,

[beardedwonder5]

There are jars, and jars. The best imho for vacuum are the French ones with the wire clips and thick rubber rings. However for non-critical (i.e., high sugar) contents you can reuse, once, lids (obviuosly of the coeect size) with flowed in gaskets. One proviso: do not reuse any lid for any critical contents if the lid has been removed with a mechanical device. They can get distorted.

Condensation is probably caused by premature tightening of the lid. What at first looks like air probably has a high water vapour (steam) content. It can't get out. So it just sits there and cools down. The lid is cooler than the rest of the glass. So when the dewpoint is reached the water vapour condenses on the inside of the lid.

[Mike D]

I use a number of different jars for jam making. The traditional 'kilner' jar is a screw top, not a wire hinge with spring clip (this type can be bought cheaply at Ikea, see here http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40065867 ) and I found only useful for storing spices etc, as the seal isn't very predictable for jams & pickles.

I did get some traditional Kilner type, with the metal screw top from a kitchen shop locally, however, they were German made fruit preserving jars made by Leifheit.... 'Frucht & Fun' is embossed on the glass. Here they are http://www.the-emporium.co.uk/productdetail.php?productid=205784 I got these as the OH says they look better on the dresser in the kitchen than various shapes and sizes of jam jars. (She works for a housebuilder and thinks we are in a show house )

Generally I just use clean jam jars and leave them in the bottom oven on the Rayburn to get warm, then take them out to let them cool enough to handle and then put the jam, pickle etc in and screw the clean lid on. Never had a problem. I think the trick is not to over complicate things.