In summer, during the conservation season, our task is not only to choose vegetables, fruits and berries and a good recipe, it is also important to choose the right lids for jars. When choosing lids, we are guided mainly by such factors as the convenience of closing / opening the lid and the ability to keep cans with conservation as long as possible. What are the best lids to stock up on in the harvest season - traditional tin lids, twist-off lids, glass or plastic? You will find the answer to this question in this article.
Tin lids with key
This is a classic and proven option over the years. However, it is worth remembering that such covers are not all the same, so when purchasing them, consider the type of blanks that you are going to close. Tin lids are lacquered (yellow) and unlacquered (usually white). As for seaming keys, the principle of their operation is the same for all such covers.
Advantages.
- Good tightness.
- With proper closure, preservation can be stored for quite a long time, although more than a year is still not recommended, because it is not the lid itself that deteriorates, but the products lose their taste and quality.
- Low price, allowing you to use the caps once.
Flaws.
- The most time-consuming method of preservation.
- In the event of a key malfunction or incorrect tightening, there is a risk of damage to large batches of the product.
How to use. When corking cans with tin lids, a pre-sterilized lid is placed on the neck of the can, pressed tightly, and then rolled up with a key, gradually squeezing the lid by rotating around the neck. It is necessary to crimp so that the rubber ring is sandwiched between the neck of the can and the sheet metal of the lid, and the protrusion on the outer side of the can is pressed into the ring.
Non-lacquered lids can be used to seal jars with not very acidic products, such as jam, jam, compotes, syrups. Lids made of unvarnished white sheet metal are not suitable for preserving sour fruits, as well as fruits and berries with intense color, since the acids and dyes contained in the fruits oxidize tin. Dissolving, it gives canned food an unpleasant aftertaste and an inky purple color.
For sour fruits and berries, vegetable marinades, it is better to use varnished ones, since they are less susceptible to oxidation during storage.
Leak test. You can check the tightness by laying the jar on its side on a towel or other cloth. Gradually rolling it around its diameter, see if air bubbles are released. If this happens, you can try again to gently squeeze the cover. If this does not help, the lid, and sometimes the jar, should be replaced.
Twist-off lids
Twist-off - screw caps for jars with thread. Today, these covers are perhaps the most popular with housewives who make preparations for the winter.
Advantages.
- Ease of use. No seamer or wrench required.
- Duration of conservation storage - more than six months.
- Compared to tin lids, these lids are denser, so there is less risk that they will swell.
- Possibility of repeated use, up to 3-4 times. But only if the cover is not rusted.
Flaws.
- The price of the lid is higher than that of the tin.
- Sometimes it is difficult to open such a cover. True, now it is not at all difficult to buy an opener specifically for such lids.
How to use. A hot lid, heated over steam or in hot water at a temperature of not more than 60 ° C, is screwed and pressed tightly against the glass of the jar. The polymer coating on the inside of the lid, which acts as a gasket (sealant), softens in heat and allows you to close the lid as tightly as possible, without cracks. As it cools, the top of the lid pulls inward (a slight click is heard) and a dry vacuum effect is created inside the jar.
What products are suitable for.
Twist-off lids are suitable for all types of preservation: salads, compotes, cucumbers, tomatoes or marinated mushrooms.
Twist-off lids, like tin ones, come with different internal coatings (more or less resistant to chemical attack). And if you have a rather sour product in your jar (sour fruit compote, sour juice or marinade), then it’s better to take lids with a thick layer of varnish.
Leak test. Closed jars can be checked for leaks when cool by turning them upside down. If the lid is closed tightly, water should not leak. In winter, when you open a jar, remember that when you open it for the first time, a loud pop should be heard - this will mean that the canned food has not fermented and is not swollen. If you notice that the lid on the jar is swollen, the product is spoiled and should not be eaten.
Glass lids
Due to the fact that such lids for ordinary cans are almost never produced, many consider them a rarity. However, some housewives still continue to use them, and apparently not in vain.
Advantages.
- The most environmentally friendly type of lids.
- Easy to use.
- There is no need to worry about buying lids in advance, since glass lids are always at hand, and for more than one year.
Flaws.
- In our time, such covers are difficult to buy.
- The shelf life of preservation is less long.
How to use . An elastic rubber ring is placed between the jar and the sterilized lid. And from above, such covers are pressed with a special clamp.
What products are suitable for.
As a rule, such covers are used for thick jams, preserves, salted sorrel.
Leak test.
As in the previous two cases, the jar is either turned upside down or placed on its side.
Plastic lids
This type should not be confused with kapron (transparent) covers. Plastic lids are usually opaque and come in a variety of colors. They are much denser than kapron ones, and they also close tighter.
Advantages.
- Easy to use.
- These lids are easy to open.
Flaws.
- Only suitable for certain types of conservation.
- Do not provide long-term storage.
How to use. To seal the jar, the lid is heated in hot water (70-80 ° C) for 2-3 minutes and put on the neck of the jar. For high-quality preservation of products, choose tight polyethylene lids that cannot be used to seal a jar without preheating them.
What products are suitable for. Polyethylene lids are well suited for canning with a lot of sugar when there is no risk of overpressure from fermentation. Jams and jams will be stored longer if you put a circle of white paper soaked in vodka or alcohol under the lid (on the jam). The alcoholized piece of paper will collect the mold (if it suddenly appears) and you can throw away the damaged piece of paper by putting a new piece of paper on top of the jam.
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Along with metal covers, nylon covers are very popular with summer residents who make blanks for the winter. With their help, you can close jars from 0.5 liters to 3 liters. The peak of their popularity came at the end of the 20th century.
The new nylon lid, when used correctly, will close the jar as tightly as a metal lid for seaming. At the same time, you can easily open and close blanks in winter as needed (the metal cover opens only 1 time).
Before use, the nylon cover is dipped in boiling water. for 10-20 seconds, where it is not only sterilized, but also additionally softened for a short period, which allows you to hermetically close the jar with a minimum of effort. Special devices are not required (for example, seaming machines, etc.).
Many write that you need to boil for 2-3 minutes. I believe this is wrong, you can simply spoil the covers, and subsequently their tightness will suffer.
Before use, it is advisable to dry the sterilized nylon lids so that condensate does not accumulate under them after closing the cans.
You can buy nylon covers at the nearest hardware store or on the market. I recommend using them primarily to close the jam. As a rule, we eat it slowly (gradually) and it is better that the jar is not left open until the workpiece is completely eaten.
The instruction on the nylon lid reads: "For food. Before use, wash with detergent. Before closing, hold the lid in boiling water for no more than 15 seconds."
The appearance (standard) of a nylon cover from the times of the USSR (compare with what is sold in stores today).
The main advantages of capron caps:
- easy to put on and take off;
- multiple use;
- affordable price;
- do not rust and do not emit harmful substances into the blanks.
Also, under nylon covers, you can harvest cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, etc. for the winter. Everything will be kept intact for a long time.
Very little time will pass - one or two months - and the annual folk fun “Operation Conservation” starts. Experienced housewives roll up everything that grows in the garden, in the garden and in the forest for the winter. The strategic reserves of cans and lids are estimated in advance, the missing components are purchased, and even innovations in the field of blanks. On the eve of the season, it will not be superfluous to recall familiar technologies or learn new ones.
To create canned culinary masterpieces, lids, glass jars and necessary devices are used - sealing keys of various modifications, pumps, sterilization containers, etc.
Let's start with the lids. Tin (metal) and polyethylene (plastic) lids are used to preserve supplies. The most familiar and affordable are tin lids made by stamping. What should I pay attention to when using these covers? Firstly, such a cover must have a recess of sufficient depth for the sealing rubber ring, there must be no burrs and stamping defects along the edge of the cover. From the inside, the tin cover must be covered with a protective varnish layer. How good it is, you can check this: moisten a cotton swab with acetone and rub the lacquer surface. Quality varnish acetone will not dissolve. It is desirable that stiffening ribs are pressed out around the circumference of the lid, this will allow the lid to increase strength. Tin lids are recommended to be used once. Sterilize tin lids in boiling water for no longer than 3 minutes, otherwise the rubber ring may be deformed. The rubber in the lid should not tear from a little effort. The lid fits the jar if, being put on hot on the neck of the jar, it does not move (there is no play). The shelf life of the tin lid is no more than 3 years and it must be stored in a dry place.
More convenient, recognized by hostesses, are lids called “twist-off” (eng. unscrew), or colloquially, such lids are called screw lids. The lids are slightly more expensive than regular tin lids, but are quite affordable and can be used twice or thrice if used carefully. You can check whether the lid will hold well, as follows: pour water into the appropriate jar (with a thread) and close it with a screw cap without much effort, turn the jar over onto a napkin. If no drops of water appear on the napkin, then the lid will seal such a jar securely. Twist-off closures are suitable for sealing all types of preservation. Close the lid on the jar should be hot and with the contents of the jar hot. Lids can be sterilized in boiling water. Such lids can be opened with a special key or after heating the lid to t + 60 °, it can be easily opened manually. A feature of the screw cap is a valve located in the center, which becomes convex if fermentation processes occur with the contents of the jar.
For capping mainly sweet canned food, polyethylene caps are used. These lids are thicker than regular lids. Being cold, they will not fit on the neck of the jar, only hot they are easily placed where they are needed. Keep in boiling water to sterilize the thermal cover (as they are also called) should be no more than 15 seconds. The lid is usually marked "for preservation". It is advisable to use thermal covers once, since polyethylene is often deformed and cannot provide tightness.
The newest, most expensive, most reliable and reusable lids are vacuum. The vacuum cover is a convex plastic dome with a valve in the center. Complete with a cover there is a pump connected to the valve. This pump pumps air out of the jar, thereby creating a vacuum in which microflora does not develop. Although the lid is not cheap, but its cost is justified: the lid can be used 200 times. The vacuum cap can be sterilized in just a few seconds. What else is good about such a lid is that it can be left on the neck of the jar (we took several vegetables from the jar and again pumped out the air with a pump, the product does not deteriorate). These lids can be used on cans with or without cutting.
Some Helpful Tips
1. Pay attention to a glass jar: if a “seam” is visible along the jar, then such a jar is more likely to burst. At the bottom of the jar there is an imprint of the year of manufacture. If the jar is many years old, then it is better not to use it for conservation.
2. If glass chips are noticeable on the neck of the jar, even small ones, then such a jar cannot be placed under the seaming key.
3. It is better not to preserve in plastic dishes, it is harmful to health.
4. An uncorked jar of pickles from mold and fermentation, even in the refrigerator, will be protected by an ordinary pharmacy mustard plaster placed under a regular plastic lid (put the mustard layer down).
Home canning is now becoming more and more popular. It is very important for novice housewives to know how to sterilize screw caps, how to choose them correctly. You also need to know exactly how much time to sterilize screw caps. To begin with, it is necessary to clarify that this type of cover can not be used in all cases. As a rule, they are used in the preparation of jam, preservation of vegetable salads, pickled products. The shelf life of home canned food packed in jars with screw caps is less than the shelf life of the same product, but packed in sterile jars, rolled up with metal lids. But for each type of delicacies, different seaming methods are preferred. It is important to remember that the covers must be new, clean. Only in this case it is possible to ensure the proper level of sterility. The product must be inspected before use.
The lids should not have cracks, scratches, chips. All minor injuries are very dangerous. Manufacturers make metal lids and varnish them. It is the lacquer coating that protects their surface from contact with the product. If the coating is damaged, this can adversely affect the taste of the preservation and significantly reduce its shelf life. Is it necessary to sterilize screw caps and how to do it correctly? Sterilization in this case is required. Before this, the covers should be washed with detergents and rinsed. New products should also be washed, as they may have residue from industrial grease and other contaminants. The easiest sterilization method is boiling. Pour some water into a saucepan and put on fire. When the liquid boils, place the lids in it and boil for 10-15 minutes.
It is very important to properly remove the lids from the water. To do this, it is better to use special tongs, previously sterilized. You can put them in the same pot and boil them along with the lids. Do not touch sterilized items with your hands, as this will make the procedure useless. Hot or slightly cooled lids should be put on the necks of the cans and screwed on. Sterilization can also be carried out with steam. To do this, pour water into a saucepan, put it on fire. After boiling the liquid, you need to put a colander on the dishes and put the lids on it with the inside down. After 15 minutes, you can turn off the gas, let the lids cool slightly, and then put them on the necks of the cans and screw them on. Hot steam is very effective and its use ensures complete sterility. Instead of a colander, you can use stretched gauze. You can also sterilize the lids over a boiling kettle.
Some housewives prefer to carry out the sterilization process in the oven. It is possible, but not very convenient. Most often, lids are prepared in this way along with jars. They are laid out on a clean grill with the inside up and the oven is set to 50 degrees. After 10 minutes, the temperature can be raised to 100-110 degrees. Gradual heating is especially relevant if the hostess sterilizes the jars along with the lids, since the glass can burst from a sharp temperature drop. Such banks are no longer usable. If during the boiling process, or under the influence of steam, the paint from the metal caps began to peel off or melted, it is better to refuse such products. Rolling cans with them is dangerous, since paint can get into the canned product and cause poisoning. An unpleasant metallic smell should also alert. It may indicate a violation of the integrity of the varnish.
Do not sterilize in a microwave oven, as this may damage the oven. One of the most important rules for using an oven involves a ban on heating metal objects in it. Only nylon lids can be sterilized in the microwave. To do this, pour water into a bowl, place lids in it and put on heating for 15 minutes. The water in the container should boil. If the canned product is still spoiled, you need to analyze all your actions in order to further exclude such an outcome, reduce all possible risks. It is necessary to sterilize qualitatively not only lids, but also jars, while it is important to follow all the rules of canning, as well as to ensure sufficient heat treatment of the product. Pickled canned food and jam will be stored for a long time if you correctly calculate the proportions of vinegar, sugar, salt. It is important to remember that lids must be sterilized in any case.
