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Doug9345 · July 26, 2013

1/2" to 3/4" sounds about right to me. I'd have to look it up to see if it's different for a hot water bath.

Here's the process I go through for a canner load of food.

I gather 7 jars. That's what my canner holds.
Check the sealing edge for chips nicks or imperfections that would stop them from sealing. I do this by not only looking but also running my finger along the sealing surface of the jar. I'd do this on new jars as well as old. Remember most canning is done in used jars and things can happen in storage.

I then wash them

I get 7 lids out of the package, separate them, and exam the rubber seals in the lids for imperfections. I drop them as I look at them into a pan of hot water sealing surface up. I make sure they aren't setting tight on top of each other but spread around a little. Two hot, wet lids aren't the easiest things to separate. I drop them sealing surface up because that seems to be the easiest way for me to get a grip on them in the water YMMV.

Next I fill the jars. After I fill them I take a clean dish cloth and carefully wipe the sealing surface and threads. No matter how careful you are filling the jars you will will drip a certain amount of food on the seal. That jar either won't seal or it will come unsealed shortly.

Process according to instructions. When you take them from the canner use your jar tongs and grab them below the glass ring and not by the metal ring. Set them on the counter table or where you put them with a little space between them. it helps the jars cool and you don't want to be banging the rings and lids until they seal and cool.

I've never taken the rings off until the next day when they are cool.

I generally take the rings off fir storage because when we were doing a lot of canning we had way more jars than rings and I personally have found that it takes a major prying effort to get well sealed lids off.

July 26, 2013	#9
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	1/2" to 3/4" sounds about right to me. I'd have to look it up to see if it's different for a hot water bath. Here's the process I go through for a canner load of food. I gather 7 jars. That's what my canner holds. Check the sealing edge for chips nicks or imperfections that would stop them from sealing. I do this by not only looking but also running my finger along the sealing surface of the jar. I'd do this on new jars as well as old. Remember most canning is done in used jars and things can happen in storage. I then wash them I get 7 lids out of the package, separate them, and exam the rubber seals in the lids for imperfections. I drop them as I look at them into a pan of hot water sealing surface up. I make sure they aren't setting tight on top of each other but spread around a little. Two hot, wet lids aren't the easiest things to separate. I drop them sealing surface up because that seems to be the easiest way for me to get a grip on them in the water YMMV. Next I fill the jars. After I fill them I take a clean dish cloth and carefully wipe the sealing surface and threads. No matter how careful you are filling the jars you will will drip a certain amount of food on the seal. That jar either won't seal or it will come unsealed shortly. Process according to instructions. When you take them from the canner use your jar tongs and grab them below the glass ring and not by the metal ring. Set them on the counter table or where you put them with a little space between them. it helps the jars cool and you don't want to be banging the rings and lids until they seal and cool. I've never taken the rings off until the next day when they are cool. I generally take the rings off fir storage because when we were doing a lot of canning we had way more jars than rings and I personally have found that it takes a major prying effort to get well sealed lids off.