10 ways to properly sterilize jars at home

Both cucumbers and tomatoes are placed in glass containers for long-term storage. It washes well, but it breaks when hit and bursts when filled with hot water. Women who can preserve vegetables decide for themselves how best to sterilize the jars so that the glass does not crack and the preparations do not spoil for a long time. There are several methods of heat treatment of dishes, each of them has its own nuances.

Why do you need to sterilize canning jars?

Even with thorough washing of dishes, not all fungi and bacteria die. Left in closed jars, microorganisms begin to multiply. The brine becomes cloudy and mold appears on the surface. Sterilize containers and lids to destroy germs and extend the shelf life of compotes and fruit jams and canned vegetables. Regardless of the chosen heat treatment method, open cans are washed not with chemicals, but with mustard powder or soda.

Is it necessary to do this?

Sterilization of containers takes a lot of time, but allows you to destroy all microorganisms and increase the shelf life of the products. You can replace boiling in hot water by thoroughly washing the jars, heating them in the oven or over steam. Some housewives fill a clean container with canned vegetables twice or three times with boiling water, then fill it with brine or marinade, after seaming, turn it upside down and wrap it in thick material.

Preparing jars before starting the process

Glass is fragile, so each container needs to be checked for cracks or chips. It is not advisable to use covers that have already been rolled up, even if they are smooth and not rusty. Jars need to be washed with soda and mustard. Fairy-type chemicals are not suitable for this purpose, since they do not rinse completely; you can use laundry soap that does not contain synthetic additives or fragrances.

Methods for sterilizing jars at home

Both empty containers and containers filled with vegetables, mushrooms or fruits are heated.In both cases, there are certain rules for sterilization, and the method depends on the choice of household device. The cans can be heated by steam, in a convection oven, in the microwave, and even in the dishwasher.

In the oven

Before sterilization, the washed containers are dried on a towel. If a large amount of food is being canned, empty jars with lids without rubber bands are placed in the oven. When the temperature rises to 200 °C, the dishes are heated for 10 minutes, turned off, and removed not immediately, but after cooling. The glass will not crack, and germs will die. A simple method of sterilization is convenient because you can heat not just one jar, but several, on a wire rack. The rubber bands are dipped into boiling water.

In electrical

The oven is not turned on in advance. The wet container is placed bottom down, the dry container is placed on the neck, and lids are placed nearby to seal the preserves. In an electric oven, it is enough to set the temperature to 150 °C and sterilize 3 liter jars for 20 minutes, 0.5 - 10. Remove the dishes when they have cooled down and cover with a towel.

In gas

Containers heated in such an oven do not form a concentrate on the walls, do not crack, and the products in it do not deteriorate for a long time, retaining freshness and aroma. Sterilization includes several stages:

1. Jars without chips or cracks are washed in hot water with soda and rinsed in cool water.
2. Place on a wire rack with the neck down.
3. Turn on the oven, gradually increasing the temperature to 150–160 °C.
4. At the maximum setting, small containers warm up for a quarter of an hour, three-liter containers - from 25 to 20 minutes.

To avoid getting burned, remove the hot container while wearing gloves. Place on a towel upside down.

In the microwave

You can quickly sterilize glassware by placing it in a powerful microwave oven.How many containers will fit depends on the volume of the device, in order to do everything correctly:

1. Water is poured into the jars to cover the bottom by 20 mm.
2. Place the container in the microwave for 5 minutes.
3. Remove with a pot holder and dry on a towel.

In order not to break the seal of the microwave oven, the metal lids in it are not disinfected, but you can warm them up in a regular oven.

In a saucepan of boiling water

Despite the advent of modern household devices, many women sterilize containers, as their grandmothers did. The jars and lids are washed with mustard or soda and placed in a large saucepan or bucket filled with water so that it reaches the neck. Small containers are boiled on the stove for 6 or 7 minutes; sterilizing 3-liter jars will take half an hour. To prevent the glass from breaking, cover the bottom of the pan with a towel in advance.

Above the Ferry

Bacteria and fungi die not only in boiling water, it destroys pathogenic microorganisms, and disinfects containers when exposed to hot steam. The pan is filled with water, and a washed, dried glass container is placed on a sieve or grill so that the neck remains down. Three-liter containers are kept over steam for half an hour, then removed and placed on the other side on a towel.

Above the teapot

In a large saucepan, water takes a long time to boil. To speed up the sterilization process, empty small jars are placed in the opening of the kettle and placed on the stove.

Disinfect glass containers for vegetable preparations until drops of water form on the inner walls. A liter container in a kettle is sterilized for 10 minutes.

In a steamer

Jars without cracks or chips are washed in advance with soda, the lids are thoroughly cleaned with a brush and heated in a water bath, placing them in a double boiler.After the liquid boils, the container is sterilized for a quarter of an hour, removed from the bowl with a dry cloth or gloves and placed upside down on a towel.

In a slow cooker

Before you roll up a salad or can any vegetables, you need to prepare and disinfect the jars where the snacks will be stored. Women who have a multicooker in their kitchen:

1. Pour 2 or 3 glasses of water into the bowl.
2. Place on the bottom of the lid.
3. A basket is installed and glass containers are placed on it.
4. Select the mode and boiling time.

It is easier to sterilize small jars this way. Cool and dry them on a towel.

In the dishwasher

Containers for preparations do not need to be rubbed with soda or mustard powder if you use household appliances that have a sterilization mode for disinfection. Glass jars with lids are simply placed in the dishwasher, but no powder is added.

In a convection oven

Hot air is no worse than steam or boiling water in dealing with bacteria and fungi. To disinfect dishes in which canned vegetables, caviar or salad are placed, use an air fryer.

The device is cleared of excess grates and clean cans are placed in it. Select a mode with a temperature of at least 150 °C. Remove the containers after a quarter of an hour, fill them with preserves, screw on the lids, which are boiled separately in water.

How to sterilize jars with blanks?

To keep canned tomatoes, pickled and baked eggplants, and vegetable salads longer, they are transferred to clean and dry glass jars, which are covered, placed on an oven tray and sterilized. Heat the containers slowly to 100 or 120 °C, disinfect for as many minutes as indicated in the recipe.

Temperature and time of sterilization

Containers are disinfected in different ways. If you use a gas or electric oven, 0.5, 0.75 liter jars are sterilized at a temperature of 150-180 ° C for only 10 minutes, the same amount of time over steam and in a pan of boiling water.

It will take a long time to disinfect a three-liter container; you need to spend at least half an hour warming it up.

Why wrap jars with blanks?

Sometimes, when canning, cucumbers or tomatoes are poured twice or three times with water, vinegar is added, but they are not immediately placed in the pantry, or taken to the basement, but wrapped in a blanket, blanket or thick towel. In hot brine or marinade, vegetables are sterilized, and not just steamed, which increases the shelf life of snacks; containers with such preservation practically do not explode.

Why do jars burst during sterilization?

Glass is a fragile material that can crack from a slight impact or temperature change. If you wash and rinse jars with cold water, they will burst in boiling water. Glassware explodes when removed from a hot oven into a cool room.

Storing sterilized containers

High temperature, boiling water and steam destroy microorganisms. Bacteria and fungi die in the microwave, in the dishwasher, and in the air fryer, but as the cans cool, sterility decreases. It is recommended to disinfect containers for preparations immediately before preservation, and not for future use.