Home Canning

Ok, so I peeled and processed 2 kilos of apples into applesauce, fired up the trusty canner, used brand new Kilner canning jars. Just opened the canner to find one jar had completely lost the lid. I've never had one do that before!        I hand-tightened the rings just as always. And now I've got two jars of good applesauce, and one jar swimming around empty in the canner (with the contents over everything in there - what a mess!). Was also able to make four jars of onion soup at the same time, but that apple sauce was really good (tasted before putting in the jar) and loaded up with spices and was labor-intensive, so I'm kinda bummed out.

Anyone every had this happen? The ring and lid were completely detatched from the jar. (That's just weird!)

Ok, so I peeled and processed 2 kilos of apples into applesauce, fired up the trusty canner, used brand new Kilner canning jars. Just opened the canner to find one jar had completely lost the lid. I've never had one do that before!        I hand-tightened the rings just as always. And now I've got two jars of good applesauce, and one jar swimming around empty in the canner (with the contents over everything in there - what a mess!). Was also able to make four jars of onion soup at the same time, but that apple sauce was really good (tasted before putting in the jar) and loaded up with spices and was labor-intensive, so I'm kinda bummed out.

Anyone every had this happen? The ring and lid were completely detatched from the jar. (That's just weird!)

Very odd! Never had that happen before....

Gremlins?


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Must be. I use a pressure canner, and have made quite a lot of applesauce, soup, chicken, etc., over the years. But I've never had a lid come completely off while being canned.

That's just ... weird. I think I'll write to Kilner and see if they have any ideas.

What a waste of good apples. The Braeburns are delicious this time of year - just apples and some cinnamon, cooked down and then put in a jar. This winter it'll be nice to open one up and spoon some in a bowl and warm it up a bit, on a cold and rainy day. 

I'm off tomorrow to go buy some more, I guess!

I just love homemade applesauce! Yummmm!


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It's so easy to make that I can't understand why anyone would bother buying it (it's never as good store-bought).

Was the top of the jar flat with a good edge? May be a duff lid? Good to contact them.

I'm jealous you have a pressure canner.  They're not a "thing" here (not typically used in canning) and they're super expensive to get here.   

Are they expensive here? The Daughter got me one from Walmart for Christmas a few years ago, and I think she got it at a Black Friday sale for about $50.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-16-Quart-Pressure-Canner-and-Cooker-01745/5913467  It's paid for itself several times over since then - a good little canner. 

The jar seems fine. However, like a ditz, I forgot to separate the ring from the others when I was washing up, so if it's a faulty ring I'll get to see this again (and then separate it from the good ones!). The lid insert was brand new, and seemed/seems ok.  A mystery. 

Just canned three pints of onion soup and four of applesauce (more Braeburns, with a big heaping tablespoon of cinnamon added). Didn't have the problem with any lids coming off again, but two of the jars of soup have apparently not sealed properly.  Huh. Very weird.

We'll eat the soup soon, then.  I'll be buying more onions later in the week and give it another try. I don't think I've ever had this much trouble with getting a good seal on canning jars. But this is my first real experience using Kilner instead of Ball or Mason jars.  Perhaps I ~should~ drop a line to Kilner.

Are they expensive here?

Impossible to find and if you do find them (eBay, etc) they're minimum £100 and counting. 

Impossible to find and if you do find them (eBay, etc) they're minimum £100 and counting.

So canners definitely need to go on the list of things to bring with you! 

I would say so. Just, when you pack them, be sure to not pack them with the lid on (I was told) because otherwise on an x-ray.... (boom). We put the Daughter's stuffed animal collection in ours, and packed the lid separately in the same box.

The one I have can serve as just a large pot, or a pressure-cooker for "regular" food, or a canner. The Daughter looked extensively to find one that would work on a glass stove-top. It did well enough with it, and works fine on the old-style burner, and I would imagine it would work fine on a gas hob. I was ~really~ hoping for a gas hob, as they are way better for cooking/canning (in my opinion) but the flat was so nice we could overlook the hob issue. Anyway, the brand I have is Presto (my mother had a Presto before me) and I have had no trouble with it. I brought my cast-iron frying pan and chili pot, my canner, and my old-style percolating coffee pot, as those are my "go to" kitchen essentials.

I am kicking myself for giving away the two dozen brand new Mason jars, rather than shipping them over. It's obscene how much canning supplies cost here! At least you only pay it once, aside from the sealing lids. Sainsburys sells .5L canning jars for 2 pounds each, which is the best I've found anywhere. Just placed an order for 20 of them. That should hold me for a while. Assuming they actually deliver that amount - I'd asked for 18 the last time and they showed up with 8. Somewhat amusingly, the driver didn't know what they were. 

Ball brand and Kerr brand (and the generics that fit them) sealing lids apparently do not work on Kilner brand canning jars. Although they are the same size, apparently there is just enough difference that the seals don't set. So, if you're going to freeze stuff, or refrigerate it to eat relatively quickly, they're great. Otherwise, no preserving seal there!   

[Or maybe just those lids were bad, who knows?]

Ok, so I have inadvertently  insulted the canning gods, apparently.

Ordered 20 .5L Kilner jars from Sainsburys online. They were to be delivered tonight. Delivery hour passed, no delivery. Phoned customer service. They had no idea, phoned the store. Oh gosh, someone should have phoned me - they didn't have them in the store so they cancelled the order. No email, no phone call, nada.  SO, customer service put in a bulk order and rescheduled for the same time next week. But couldn't "promise" that they would actually be able to deliver them.

So WhyTF are they advertising them on their website as available if they are not available? Color me rather unimpressed with Sainsburys, so far!

Ok, so I have inadvertently  insulted the canning gods, apparently.

Ordered 20 .5L Kilner jars from Sainsburys online. They were to be delivered tonight. Delivery hour passed, no delivery. Phoned customer service. They had no idea, phoned the store. Oh gosh, someone should have phoned me - they didn't have them in the store so they cancelled the order. No email, no phone call, nada.  SO, customer service put in a bulk order and rescheduled for the same time next week. But couldn't "promise" that they would actually be able to deliver them.

So WhyTF are they advertising them on their website as available if they are not available? Color me rather unimpressed with Sainsburys, so far!

That is awful.

Maybe I'm just getting crankier in my old age, but I'm getting really fed up with generic incompetence....

On the good side, I found Lakeland stores and they have a generic canning jar that appears to be what I need at 12 for just under 10 quid. So I've ordered click-and-collect and will go get it at city center later this week and see.