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Canning Necessities: Glass Jars And Plastisol Lids
A quick refresher For the newbies in the crowd, plastisol closures are metal lids lined with PVC along the perimeter. These closures can be matched with glass jars to create a tamper-evident, vacuum seal. The process occurs as the solid plastisol material is melted (through heat transference from the product in the glass jar, no lid pre-heating necessary) and eventually cools along the landing of the glass jar, in turn creating the vacuum seal. Simplifying the canning experience Meet Helen the homemaker. She loves to preserve fresh food at home and would definitely benefit from the use of one-piece plastisol lids. Frankly, she can't imagine anything better. Today she's looking to can blueberry pie filling. That's a high-acid food, which should be processed in a boiling water bath. If Helen was canning asparagus things would have been different, requiring the use of a pressure canner. Helen's ready, but she's never paired up her glass canning jars with plastisol lids before. Where does she begin? To boiling water bath, or not to boiling water bath? An extensive discussion took place in the comments of our previous post on plastisol regarding the exact use of these lids. We know they're meant to form a seal with glass jars, but under what conditions? Are plastisol closures designed to be used in both boiling water canning and pressure canning processes? Maybe it's an either or situation, or maybe they aren't suitable for any type of processing. Whatever the definitive answer is, it's about time we've got to the bottom of this issue. A word from the experts It's time to get an answer straight from the source. Plastisol is devised to endure temperatures from 195 F to 220 F. A boiling water canner typically resides around 212 F, pressure canners run at much higher temperatures. Is plastisol up to the challenge? Plastisol lids can be used in canning, but it's important that you match your glass jars with the right lid for your desired process. For example, plastisol continuous thread lids should only be used in hot-fill (method that doesn't require any processing) canning. Lug/Twist caps are the closures you're after if you are looking to preserve food through boiling water canning. And finally, if pressure canning is on your agenda you're going to need a special high heat liner for that task. The verdict The final judgment has been revealed! Glass jars and plastisol closures can take the heat! In levels, that is. 1. Continuous thread plastisol lids are meant to be used in hot-fill projects (no boiling water or pressure canning processing). 2. Lug/Twist caps are the closure of choice for boiling water canning projects. 3. High heat liners are required for pressure canning projects. Putting all the pieces together... It's a good day. You learned something new and Helen the homemaker can now get to business (using lug/twist plastisol closures). Take pleasure in knowing that you're now equipped to use a variety of different plastisol closures through vastly different processes. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Glass jars make wonderful product packaging. Read Kayla Holman's article on using glass jars and plastisol lids for home canning projects. |
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