Sterilizing Canning Jars

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Jack Straw

Jack Straw

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Would a wipe down with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol kill of any mold and unwanted baddies?

I figure I have enough lying around for pipe cleaning that I might as well find another use for it...
 
It's antibacterial at that concentration, so it should work to some extent--just remember to wear rubber/nitrile gloves when you sterilize and jar, or all the good sterilizing does will be offset by the bacteria on your digits.

I personally use a bleach solution and gloves, and I've been tempted to add a facemask. It may be overkill, but you're cold-canning and dry-storing a product with very limited abilities to fight off bacteria on its own. 25¢ of protection and looking a little goofy is worth it to preserve years of enjoyment.
 
Guys I hate to burst your bubble but bacteria is essential for aging. Ken
Pacem en Puffing! :tongue:
 
Since we are on topic, do you vaccum seal or just screw on the the rings and pack them in the cellar?
My Wife has a Food Saver and they make a vaccum accessory to seal mason jars..................well?
 
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that air is needed for aging, so the vacuum thingie might not be a good idea. If you are just looking to preserve and keep it "where it is", it might be pretty good.
 
It seems like Ken and Crookshanks have a good point; some air and bacteria are probably desirable for aging.

However, if you DO want to sterilize your jars when you're done using them or for any other reason, nothing beats the All American 921 Pressure Cooker and Canner. This bad boy is the Cadillac of pressure cookers; all hand cast aluminum with a gasket free, metal on metal seal. You can crank this hot rod up and sterilize/pressurize almost anything with no fear of blowing up your kitchen :bom: They're pretty pricey to buy new, but they last a million years, so if you can find one at a garage sale or on Ebay it's not so bad. I bought one for my science projects, but I find that I actually use it to can stuff from the garden every fall, and it is much more safe, reliable and consistent than the Wal Mart store variety.

Oh, and, this is probably obvious, but if you were to vacuum seal the jars, that doesn't actually remove the air from the jar, it just makes an air tight seal. So no outside air gets in. I'm not sure how that would affect aging; at that point you're basically cutting off gas exchange, but still retaining air in the jar. Nonetheless, it seems like it would be overkill. Most folks seem to recommend simply putting it in a jar with the lid on :)
 
After a thorough washing, I pop mine in the microwave for a minute while they are damp. Microwave should pretty much kill any surface bacteria that may be present in the water, then I give them a wipe with a clean paper towel.
 
jabuhrer":nvnf8ir7 said:
...

Oh, and, this is probably obvious, but if you were to vacuum seal the jars, that doesn't actually remove the air from the jar, it just makes an air tight seal. So no outside air gets in. I'm not sure how that would affect aging; at that point you're basically cutting off gas exchange, but still retaining air in the jar. Nonetheless, it seems like it would be overkill. Most folks seem to recommend simply putting it in a jar with the lid on :)
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I don't know about the kitchen mason jar the gent here is refering to, nor how it works, but I think that in the Tobacco factories they remove air in creating the vacuum sealed tins. this is from the Mac Baren site on their process.

First, 100 g of tobacco is weighed and placed in the bottom of the tin. The paper roundel is then folded over to protect the tobacco and finally the lid is put on. All the way round the inside edge of the lid is a rubber membrane and when we complete the packing process by extracting about 40% of the air out of the tin, the membrane ensures that the vacuum created remains inside the tin. Consequently the moisture level in the tobacco does not change for a long time – decades, in fact. The tobacco does not lose its moisture until the tin is opened or the rubber membrane begins to degrade (after many years). So as well as looking attractive, a tin offers the major advantage that unopened it keeps the tobacco fresh for many years.
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This makes for interesting talk, but, I think it is getting off topic due to my ramblings. Perhaps I'll start a thread on this topic to compliment this one. Come on over there too gents!
 
By all means keep it here, it's all related.

I just read an extensive article containing mostly posts by G.L. Pease from a message board, centering around aging. I think he mentioned that when vacuum sealing tins they don't want all the air out, but enough vacuum to help keep the lid of the tin secure.

Here's the page:

http://www.nocturne.org/jason/aging/index.php

Now is that a great resource or what!

As far as cleaning the jars, because I don't have a dishwasher I think I will just boil them the old fashioned way. My dad always said, better safe than sorry!
 
You're absolutely right Crookshanks. My comment didn't come out very clear, sorry. I meant that the process does not remove all of the air from the jar. Thanks for pointing that out. Your post from the Mac Baren site and JS's comment are exactly what I was getting at.

Thanks :)
 
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