The tradition of making homemade preparations for the winter by canning fruits and vegetables remains popular in many families. It allows you not only to enjoy the gifts of summer in winter, but also to save your family budget. In order to preserve summer in a jar, it is important to carry out two processes correctly: sterilization of glass jars and pasteurization of preparations.
How to sterilize jars for preparations?
Sterilization is the heat treatment of jars, which kills microbes. There are several ways to do this.
Traditional - steaming cans. Let's try to figure out how to sterilize steamed jars. Place a wire rack over a pan of boiling water. The jars, cleanly washed with baking soda or in mustard solution, are placed with their necks down on a wire rack. The pans are covered with a splash guard when frying. There are special pan covers for sterilizing one or more jars. Steam, penetrating inside the jar, kills all harmful microbes. Half-liter and liter jars are sterilized for 5-8 minutes, 3-liter jars for up to 15 minutes.
Instead of a pan, if you intend to cover 3-6 pcs. half-liter or liter jars, it is better to use a kettle. The jars can simply be placed on the spout of the kettle or placed on top of the electric kettle.
A well-sterilized jar becomes transparent and dry. They are removed from the grill and placed on a towel. Place washed vegetables or fruits in warm jars and add marinade and syrup according to the recipe. Cover with lids and simmer for 10 minutes. The main disadvantage of this method is that the steam in the kitchen can be humid and hot, and it takes a lot of time to prepare the jars.
The next method is Sterilizing glass jars in the oven. It is simpler and more convenient. Place the washed jars on the oven rack. Turn on the oven at 140 degrees and keep them at this temperature for 5-7 minutes. Then the oven is turned off, but the jars are not removed, but allowed to cool to 60-80 degrees along with the oven. The jars should not be placed tightly to each other; they cannot be placed on a sheet, otherwise they will burst. Sterilization occurs due to moisture in the jars and heating.
Dry method. One of the most ancient, but few people know about it. The question of how to prepare jars for blanks, saving gas or electricity, can be solved easily and simply with its help. Banks are washed in advance at any convenient time. Turn over onto clean cotton. the canvas, and when the water drains from them, and this is quite quickly, they are placed on a clean towel in the sunniest place of the loggia or a windowsill with their necks down. The ultraviolet rays of the sun will heat the air in the jar and kill all bacteria. Before putting preserved food into jars, they are simply rinsed with boiling water from a kettle to warm up the glass.
How to sterilize jars in the microwave? This is a very effective way to sterilize jars, it is the fastest and most comfortable. But be prepared to pay more for electricity than usual. The jars must not only be washed thoroughly, but also 
inspect for chips and cracks. This, of course, should always be done, but here with special attention. Empty jars cannot be placed; 1-2 cm of water is left in them. If you need dry jars, be sure to place a glass of water nearby. Heating time – 2 minutes. If you are placing several cans, increase the time to 3 minutes. Large jars are placed on their sides with a small amount of water. You can also pasteurize the products in the microwave. To do this, place vegetables in jars, pour half of the brine, cover with a plastic lid and leave for 2-3 minutes. Then top up with boiling pouring and cover with metal lids. Turn the jars upside down and leave until completely cool.
Summer will remind you of itself when you put its gifts on the dining table, opening a jar of your preserves in winter.
How to sterilize empty jars in the oven, microwave, over steam, or in a pan of boiling water? The cleanliness of jars for preparations is the most important thing. Sterilization is needed to rid dishes of microorganisms that cause fermentation. We pickle and preserve for the winter everything we grow in the garden. It is impossible to do without sterilizing jars. And it doesn’t matter how you do it, in the oven or in another way. Sterile jars will reliably store our harvest. There are many sterilization methods. How to do it right? How long to sterilize jars for preparations in the oven? You can do this in different ways. I will introduce you to different methods of sterilization.
Summer is a troublesome time for gardeners, not only because there is a lot of work on the site, but also because you want to preserve the harvest for the winter, please yourself and your loved ones with delicious, crispy cucumbers, aromatic jam, refreshing vitamin juice or compote.
First of all, let's talk about how and what is the best way to wash jars and lids. I will share my experience.
How and with what to wash glass jars and lids
I carefully inspect all the jars that need to be sterilized. No cracks, chips - everything must be intact.
If you are using a container with threads, it is advisable to check before filling it with jam to see if the lid will “hugg” the jar tightly and will not leak.
After all, this is how we do it. We store jars with threads, but their lids usually fail immediately after use. We have to buy new ones for canning. It happens that jars with threads, especially if they are imported, have a smaller neck diameter than the lids. How to check if they fit together?
To do this, fill a glass container with water, or cold water, and wipe the outer surface dry. The lid should also be dry. Close the jar with a lid as tightly as possible. Then shake it several times over the table. If the lid does not fit tightly to the neck, you will notice drops of water on the surface of the table. You can run a dry hand along the outer edge of the lid, where it should be adjacent to the neck, to check for leaks.
Don’t be lazy, check all the jars for compatibility with the lids.
Have you checked? Everything is fine? Great!
First, I fill all containers intended for canning with water. I fill it to the top, up to the neck. Regular tap water, cold or warm. They will stand like this for 2-3 hours. What is this for? And in order for all the dried solid invisible particles of dirt to get wet - this will make it easier to wash them off.
I wash them the old fashioned way, using baking soda powder. I don't use any other detergents. The smallest particles of soda are better than any abrasive cleaner at removing dirt from the walls of glass jars. In addition, soda is easily washed off, does not leave any odor, and does not remain on the surface of the glass.
One more detail. I always use a new sponge to wash jars. There should be no fat or food residues from dirty dishes on the sponge.
I don't fill the lids with water. Just wash them thoroughly with warm water and soap or dish soap to remove the factory grease.
By the way, if you are using old, previously used lids that have retained the smells of previous preserves, after washing, fill them with water, add the juice of half a lemon or a little vinegar, and let sit for 15-20 minutes. The smell will disappear. After this, they can be sterilized.
How to sterilize jars in a gas oven
I honestly admit that sterilizing empty cans in a gas oven is my favorite and most reliable way to prepare for the process of preparing for the winter. I almost exclusively use it.
It is, in my opinion, the simplest, most accessible and safest method. You can sterilize several jars at once.
The washed jars - I don’t dry them - I put them inside a cold gas oven with their necks down. What is this for? Our water is hard. If I place them with their necks up, then, as the water evaporates, it will leave whitish traces of hardness salts at the bottom. Naturally, there is no harm, but purely aesthetically I don’t like it.
I try to place the jars inside the oven so that they do not touch each other. It’s hard for me to explain why, but in practice it sometimes happened to me that, placed close to each other, they burst when heated.
At what temperature should jars be sterilized in the oven? How long should jars be kept in the oven? First, I turn on the oven and set the regulator flag to minimum, and after a while I increase the temperature to 150-180°C. I usually look at the oven door. After turning it on, it fogs up. But as soon as the glass of the door becomes transparent, I note the time. At least 5-10 minutes should pass after this. After this, I turn off the gas oven and open the door slightly so that the jars begin to cool. After such calcination, they are very hot, pouring marinade or compote into them right away is dangerous - they will burst.
I take them out of the oven, using oven mitts to avoid getting burned.
How to determine whether you can add marinade or compote? Very simple. I try with a wet finger, like an iron - it will hiss, which means it’s too early to pour - the jar may burst - let it cool a little. If it doesn’t hiss, it means it’s time.
What is good about this method of sterilization? Good for its simplicity. There are a lot of recipes that advise pouring boiling marinade into jars of vegetables or fruits several times. Then drain it. Then boil it again. And fill it again. The oven sterilization method allows you to pour the marinade once.
But I put vegetables or fruits inside a hot sterilized jar, also hot. This is important! To do this, I blanch them. For example, I put cucumbers or tomatoes, spices (dill, horseradish, carrots, all sorts of leaves) in a colander, dip them several times (it takes 5-20 seconds) into boiling water - I have it boiling in another pan. The larger the vegetables or fruits, the longer it takes for them to warm up well. And small ones (dill, spices, garlic, cherry tomatoes, etc.) just blanch for 2-5 seconds. I then place the hot vegetables and spices into heated containers. If the recipe calls for it, I add vinegar and citric acid. I pour boiling marinade up to the neck so that there is as little room for air in the jar as possible. I put the boiled lid on top - roll it up with a manual seaming machine or screw it on. To be extra sure that nothing will explode, I wrap it in a blanket until the morning.
Nothing explodes!
How to make empty jars sterile in the microwave
I mastered this method not so long ago. All thanks to my friend who invited me to her dacha. Her harvest was good. She was engaged in canning right at the dacha. She doesn’t have a gas or electric oven at her dacha. Microwave only.
Of course, I heard that you can sterilize this way, but I haven’t tried this method in practice yet.
It turned out that everything is very simple.
The most important thing with any sterilization method is cleanliness.
Pour a little water into clean jars - 1-2 cm high from the bottom. We put them inside the microwave. We choose 700-800 watts for the microwave oven. Sterilization time is 2-3 minutes.
What happens? The water inside the jars boils and they are sterilized with steam.
If jars with a capacity of 500-700 ml are placed inside the microwave while standing, then a 3-liter jar should be placed lying down, also after pouring a little water. The oven power and sterilization time are the same.
How to sterilize jars in a pan of boiling water
Take a pan and place a napkin or small towel on the bottom. Place jars with lids there. If there are several of them, then place a napkin between them so that they do not touch each other. Fill with water so that it covers everything - jars, lids. Place on the fire, bring to a boil, boil for 5-10 minutes. Jars and lids are ready. They are sterilized.
How to Steam Sterilize Jars for Canning
This is my friend's favorite way to sterilize. No matter how much I convinced her that, for example, using an oven would make it faster and more convenient, it was all in vain. Well, to each his own. However, this method has every right to exist.
I also use it when I can a jar or two. This method is convenient for small quantities of preservation. But that's my opinion.
Dishes for steam sterilization can be different - a ladle, a teapot, a coffee pot, a saucepan - use what is more convenient for you.
The kettle is very convenient, but the design of the kettle should include a freely lowering handle. Modern teapots most often have handles that are firmly attached - not a single jar will fit under them.
I use a double boiler. One with petals that fits freely inside a saucepan of any diameter.
I pour some water into the bottom of the pan, put a steamer in it, straighten the petals, and place the jar upside down. After boiling, I keep it over steam for no more than 5-7 minutes. I take it off, making sure to wear oven mittens - otherwise you can scald your hands.
I put it on a table or stool with dry newspaper or a towel laid out. You cannot place it on a wet or damp surface - the can will burst. When it has cooled slightly, I put in there fruits, vegetables, scalded with boiling water, or those foods (they must be hot) that I want to preserve for the winter.
Sterilization of jars with glass lids and metal clamps with blanks
I have several of these jars, but to be honest, I don't really like canning anything in them. A lot of fuss, it seems to me. My jars have metal clips that don't come off, so I'm afraid to put them in the oven. Suddenly the glass will burst where it comes into contact with the metal.
I usually prepare juice or fruit puree this way. In order for such a jar to close well, it is important to fill it with canned products up to the mark, not higher.
Rubber gaskets are included with the jars. I wash them and boil them for 1-2 minutes - no more.
I fill clean, dry containers with juice or puree to the mark, put rubber gaskets on the lids, and close the clamp. And then everything must be sterilized.
I put a cloth napkin on the bottom of the pan so that the jar does not come into contact with the metal bottom. I put it, one or two or three - it depends on the width of the pan, the volume of the jar. If there are several of them, then I also place a napkin between them. Then I fill the pan with cold water. The water level should be above the lids. The jars must be completely covered. Choose a tall pan for sterilization.
During boiling water (sterilization), a pressure above atmospheric pressure is created inside the jars; it seems to squeeze air through the cracks between the jar and the lid. You will notice this by air bubbles rising to the surface of the water. The increased air pressure inside prevents water from penetrating under the lid.
Sterilization time depends on the volume of the jars. For 0.5 liter jars this is 15-20 minutes after the water boils.
Then I leave the jars to cool. When they cool, the pressure inside becomes lower than atmospheric pressure - the lid suctions. All. The jar is sterilized along with its contents.
We looked at several ways - how to sterilize jars in the microwave, oven, steam, or in a saucepan. If you know other ways, please share. Our comment form allows you to upload a photo.
If you never miss the harvesting season and strive to close as many jars as possible with crispy cucumbers, rosy tomatoes and savory salads for the winter, then the problem of sterilizing jars will not seem far-fetched to you.
Be sure to try rolling up garlic arrows or eggplants.
Hard work can be in vain if a destructive microbe gets into your home canned food. Such preparations will quickly become unfit for food and will be indicated by a loud explosion and the “flying up” of the lid.
Let's consider the most effective ways to sterilize utensils for jam, preserves and other preparations for the winter. Including those that came to us along with modern household appliances.
Preparing jars. First of all, be sure to wash the jars with baking soda in warm water. If the glass has cracks, chips or other defects, we no longer use it.
Steam sterilization on a kettle or saucepan
This method is most likely familiar to you from your grandmothers. It's simple - a kettle or pan is boiling on the stove, and a glass jar rises above it. Boiling water releases steam, which kills microbes living on the walls of the cookware.
To prevent the jar from falling into the vessel, a special nozzle with a hole or a grid is installed instead of a lid.
To speed up the process, you can buy a large stand with 2-4 holes for necks, place it on the appropriate pan and begin sterilization.
Usually 5 minutes is enough for processing, but some recipes require a longer steam “bath”.
Boiling in water
If the household has a wide basin, then you can place as many cans in it as possible, pour water into the basin and place the entire structure on the stove.
Boiling water will heat the glass container and destroy microorganisms remaining after washing. To prevent the jars from touching the walls of each other during steam processing, you can put plastic lids or fabric napkins between them, and to protect the bottom from high temperatures, lay a thick towel down.
Sterilization of dishes in the oven (oven)
Sterilizing jars in the oven is much easier than steaming. The main advantage is the ability to sterilize a large number of small jars in one go.
To prepare the jars, they are washed, placed wet in a cold oven, bottom up, then gradually preheat the oven to 160 degrees and continue the process until the walls are dry.
Remove the stele only with dry oven mitts (water may cause them to burst).
Sterilizing glass jars in the microwave
The microwave is another assistant for preparing dishes for preparations. To get sterile jars, you need to pour a little clean water into each of them, put it in the oven and turn on the device in microwave mode at full power.
Soon the water will begin to boil intensely, the high temperature of the steam will destroy microorganisms, and microwave energy will help him in this important matter.
In this way, you can process many small jars at one time, but in a small oven it will not be possible to prepare large dishes for canning.
Sterilization using a steamer
A steamer can also handle several small jars at once. To make them suitable for marinades and compotes, just wash the container, place the neck down on a wire rack and turn on the steamer for 15 minutes.
If you don’t have a separate steamer at home, you can use a multicooker, but due to its small size, the sterilization process will take a long time.
Processing in aerogoril
In an air fryer you can also sterilize several small jars in one go.
To do this, they are placed on the lower grill and the temperature is turned on at 150 degrees. If you don’t trust dry processing, pour in some water and launch a steam attack on germs and bacteria.
I wish you delicious preparations and good storage for the winter!
The tradition of canning fruits and vegetables for the winter remains popular in many families. This allows you not only to enjoy the summer gifts of nature, but also to save the family budget. During the period when housewives begin canning, they need to make some preparations, in particular, subject the jars to mandatory sterilization . Sterilization is a heat treatment that kills germs.
How to sterilize jars at home
Sterilizing jars and lids is not difficult, but there are rules that cannot be broken. Before proceeding with the sterilization process, you need to thoroughly rinse the glass container under running water using soda, soap or any suitable detergent, and then rinse it thoroughly with water. Check the jars for cracks and chips.
How to sterilize jars in a pan of water
There are several methods for sterilizing glass containers. The easiest way is steam sterilization. To do this, pour water into a large saucepan and place the jars in it upside down. Place the pan on the fire and wait until the water boils. The process time depends on the volume of the container being sterilized.
- 0.5 liters - 10 minutes;
- 1 liter - 15 minutes.
Then for each added liter another 5 minutes are added.
How long to sterilize jars in the oven
Another method is oven sterilization. Place the container in the oven. Then turn it on 50 degrees. After 10 minutes, at intervals of five to seven minutes, increase the temperature in the kitchen appliance by 10-20 degrees until it reaches 150 degrees.
Objects should not be placed close to each other, otherwise they will burst. When sterilizing lids in the oven, be sure to remove the rubber seals. A gas oven is not suitable for sterilization because its temperature is usually uneven and it takes a long time to heat up.
After sterilization, put on gloves and carefully remove the jars. Gloves must be dry, otherwise when you remove glass items from the oven, they may break in your hands. Remember that the temperature of the water or air in the pan or oven should be approximately equal to the temperature of the jar. If you place cold glass in boiling water or the heat of a stove, it may break.
Benefits of Microwave Sterilization
Jars can be sterilized in the microwave. This is a very effective method, the fastest and most convenient. Rinse your jars thoroughly with water. It is best to use regular baking soda for this purpose, which is a natural product and does not contain any unnecessary chemical additives. Pour some boiled water into a glass container. Place it in the microwave. In the next step, bring the water to a boil or set the timer for five minutes. The microwave power can be set to the highest setting.
After the microwave finishes working, do not rush to take the jar with your bare hands. Use dry gloves or a towel. Turn the container upside down and give it time to dry a little. This method will not only help save time, but will also protect your jars from unnecessary microorganisms one hundred percent.
If we take into account the advantages of this type of sterilization, we can note three important and main advantages:
What to pay attention to:
- The jar may burst if the water in it evaporates. You should always monitor the water level.
- Glass containers can be placed horizontally, but do not forget about the water level.
- Never place metal lids in the microwave. This will damage the operation of the oven.
- Heating time is 2 minutes. If you place several glass objects, you will need to wait until 3 minutes have elapsed.
In the dishwasher
Strictly speaking, this method can hardly be classified as heat sterilization, since the maximum water temperature in the dishwasher is 70 degrees. But in fact, if you trust the experience of many housewives, no problems arise after such treatment.
Place baking soda in the machine and set the temperature to the highest setting. No detergent required.
In manganese
The following method will be appreciated by those who are unable or do not want to boil water. In this case, objects can be washed in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Dry method
One of the oldest methods that allows you to save gas or electricity and is very simple. Place clean jars on a clean towel in the sunniest place in the yard or balcony. The ultraviolet rays of the sun will heat the air in the glass and destroy all bacteria.
How to properly sterilize jars with blanks
Many recipes require sterilization with the contents. In this case, you should place a rag or a wooden circle at the bottom of the pan. Cover the jar with a lid and place it in a saucepan. Then the pan is filled with water, the temperature of which is approximately equal to the temperature of the workpiece. The water level should be slightly below the level of the neck.
Then the water in the pan is brought to a boil. The amount of time this process takes depends on the content. As a rule, housewives determine the readiness of the product because it changes color to a lighter one.
If you use an oven, then the containers with the workpieces are placed in an electric oven and covered loosely with lids without rubber bands. The duration of the process again depends on the content. But if pasteurization is carried out, then in this case the process (in which the contents must heat up to 60 degrees at an oven temperature of 70-80 degrees) takes half an hour.
Attention, TODAY only!
In order for the conservation, into which you have invested a lot of work, to be perfectly preserved in the autumn-winter period and meet your expectations, it is necessary to take care of sterility glass containers.
Before sterilization, be sure to make sure that the container is in perfect condition, that is, check it for defects such as chips and cracks, paying special attention to the neck of the jar.
The jars must be thoroughly rinsed in a soda solution.
You should not use foaming detergents, as they form a film on the surface of the glass, which can negatively affect the quality of future canned food.
In addition, you need to inspect the lids; if you take screw-on lids, it makes sense to take new ones.
Mistresses use several time-tested options sterilizing jars at home.
- The most popular type of sterilization of jars is the use of pans in which a sieve is installed or a small pallet, and the cans are already placed upside down on it. During boiling, the liquid releases steam, which hits the glass, so it takes about 15 minutes to sterilize the container. The jars are pulled out onto a clean cloth without turning them over.
- One of the most convenient methods of disinfecting jars is roasting them in the oven. Place well-rinsed jars, without wiping them, bottom up on a wire rack in the oven and select a temperature of 160C. It is advisable to warm the jars for several minutes until they dry.
- Many housewives process container in the microwave. To do this, you need to pour a few millimeters of water into the bottom of the container and leave it in a running microwave for five minutes, choosing an operating power of 700-800W. If several cans are processed in one batch, the duration of the procedure should be increased.
- Suitable for use as a sterilizer steamer. To do this, place the jar bottom up in a double boiler and hold it, selecting the “cooking” mode for about 15 minutes. This is the most comfortable option for small cans.
Sterilization of caps
The final stage of container preparation is disinfection of lids. When using screw caps, they must be boiled for 10-15 minutes, shortly before sealing the canned food. Place the treated lids very carefully, best with a boiled fork or tweezers.
In the case of using glass jars with metal clamps, the lids are prepared simultaneously with the jars, the rubber seals are boiled and installed on the jar immediately before sealing.
It is important to remember that you cannot use used lids, because changed shape and scratched lids can cause canned food to spoil.
Pasteurization
Disinfecting jars in a pan with ingredients is called pasteurization. Often, before the product is hermetically sealed, canned food is pasteurized. Similar to simple sterilization, in this case the pasteurization time is also calculated in relation to the volume of the jars and can take from 10 to 30 minutes.
The jars filled with the preparation are covered with lids and, without rolling them up, they are placed in the pan, checking that the jar is stable.
Be careful that the walls of the jars should not touch. The jars must be placed on a special wooden grid or towel so that the water does not reach 1.5-2 centimeters to the top.
Before the water begins to boil, the jars must be heated so that they do not burst when immersed in boiling water and pasteurized in boiling water for 10-30 minutes.
After pasteurization is completed, carefully remove the jars from the pan without opening them and seal them with a sealing machine. The sealed jars are turned upside down, this will allow you to see if there is air access into the jars, leave to cool.
In the case of using special jars with glass lids, pasteurization is carried out differently. A seal should be placed on the necks of jars filled with blanks and sealed.
Heat the liquid in a saucepan to 55-65C, having previously placed a towel or wooden grid on the bottom, after heating, place the jars so that the water covers the lids.
Bring water to a boil and boil for the required time. Then carefully remove the jars and leave to cool. The lids should fit tightly to the jars.
We wish you delicious results!