November 2024

Reuse grocery store jars for canning

mason jar for canning

Mason jars are named after John L. Mason, an American tinsmith who patented the jar in 1858. The two part lids were patented in 1873. John Mason lost some of the patent rights in a patent infringement case before the Southern District of New York Court on June 11, 1874. The court acknowledged that Mason invented the jar but ruled that he failed to apply in time for the improvement patents and did therefore not protect his rights on the new designs. This opened the path for other companies to use his ideas without paying licence fees. It's a classic example showing how patents are useful for big brands and cooperations but don't really help small inventors who are not jet sure if the new idea is really going to take off. Ball produced these jars in 1884 and became one of the most iconic brands in the US and Canada. Smaller niche market shops in Europe started to import Ball jars during the last 20 years. Weck and Kilner were originally the canning jar brands for Europe.

Ball Mason Jars est 1884

The main difference between "mason jars" and any other jar from the supermarket is the standardized lid size. Mason jars are made by a number of manufactures but all of them use the exact same lids. These lids come in two sizes regular (outer glass diameter = 2 3/4 inch [70mm] without the thread) and 3 3/8 inch [86mm] for wide mouth. You can find lids made of different materials and for different purposes but most importantly you can replace a rusty or worn out lid. This way you can keep using the jar multiple times.

different kinds of lids for regular mason jars

Some companies have understood that it is advantage for the customer to buy their products in jars that are compatible with this mason jar lid standard. Peanut butter brands or certain mayonnaise jars have compatible lids. There is also the "magic baking powder" which is available across US and Canada. They all have the correct diameter and the correct thread. You can re-use those lid or jars.

This lid from this peanut butter jar fits onto the bernardin mason jar

The lid from this peanut butter jar fits onto a bernardin or ball mason jar. The jar and the lid are made from plastic. Plastic lids are useful for applications such as Kefir making. The lids are made by Phoenix Closures Inc, phxpkg.com, a US company. Kefir corrodes regular tin plated lids over time.

The Magic Baking Powder lids fit also on regular mason jars. They are not perfectly sealing because there is no rubber seal but that's ideal for applications such as kefir making. It's also a good lid to use once you have opened your fermented cabbage. It's easier to use than the flat lid and band (ring) design. It does not matter that it has no proper seal once the fermented cabbage is opened and in the fridge. This lid is made by panocap.com, a Canadian company.

Peace River Creamed Honey, 500g, is fully mason jar compatible. Unlike the peanut butter jar it's even a glass jar. It's a Canadian company and they have a web site at https://peaceriverhoney.com/

Many brands are country or region specific and I am not sure if you would find the above peanut butter outside of Canada but the "Classico" tomato sauce is widely available at an international level. It says "atlas mason" on their jars to remind customers that those could be re-used as mason jars however they have also a slightly smaller jar with a different lid and it's not compatible:

left: classico tomato sauce in propriatary jar, right: mason jar with correct lid, both have "atlas mason" engraved into the jar

left: classico tomato sauce in propriatary jar, 600ml of sauce, right: mason jar with correct lid, contains 650ml of pasta sauce. The jar is a 24 oz jar = 709ml if filled to the top.

It seems that Kraft wants to use in future the 600ml Classico Spaghetti Sauce jars with a propriatary lid. I think that's a really bad idea.

If you google re-using classico jars then you might find highly promoted web sites claiming that they are not as durable because the glass is thinner. This is a false claim. The walls are actually stronger and heavier than Ball mason jars. I believe that some mason jar companies have paid journalists to spread uncertainty and fear. The real "atlas mason" jar from classico with the right lid is a perfectly usable canning jar. You can use it for water bath canning, pressure canning and fermentation. Standard two component lids with with the flat sheet part and the ring (band) around will fit and seal properly.

I have been using and re-using supermarket jars with mason jar compatible lids for over a decade and never had any problem. There is no need to throw out the jar after you have eaten the product that was inside. Yes, I have been switching brands when I noticed that the same product from another brand had a mason jar compatible lid.

It's a bit unfortunate that there is no symbol or indication to tell you that this a jar with the right kind of lid because it's not easy to see. I have also not been able to find a single grocery store jar that is compatible with the "wide mouth" mason jar standard.

Removing the labels from grocery store jars

There are only two types of glue used to attach labels:

water based glue: you just submerge the jar in water for 15-30min until the paper is soaking wet and the label comes off easily. The labels on the classico tomato sauce are of this kind. I put the jar into a deep bowl filled with water, I wait for a while and the label peels off easily. It comes off in one piece.
stickers: this is the same glue you find on scotch tape. The labels are just paper coated with this kind of glue on the back. The glue is a thermoplast. In other words it becomes soft when heated. To peel off the label without ripping it you boil water and fill the jar with hot water. Make sure that the labels don't get wet as this weakens the paper. The hot water in the jar will warm up the glass and that warms up the glue. Now you can just grab an edge of the label and peel it off. The glue is soft and the paper will usually come off without ripping. Some glue residues will remain on the jar. To get the remaining glue off you put some cooking oil onto a cloth. Rub a liberal amount of oil onto the glue and wait. The oil will dissolve the glue a bit and you can try to wipe it off after a while. The remaining thin layer of glue can be removed with dish wash soap. Put concentrated dish wash soap onto a cloth and wipe the remaining oil and glue layer off.

spicy cabbage in classico tomato sauce mason jar (atlas mason jar), this is basically sauerkraut with chilli peppers

References

Press release from Kraft: The_Kraft_Heinz_Company_Classico_Pasta_Sauces_Mason_Jars.pdf, April 2015
Price curiosity (Nov. 2024): The IGA supermarkets sell the Classico jars with sauce and the correct lid for 5.99 CAD, Walmart sells the same jars for 2.97 CAD. You can buy empty Classico pasta sauce mason jars on Ebay for 5 to 8 CAD plus shipping. A local shrift store was recently selling empty classico atlas mason jars with canning lids for 25 cent each.
John Landis Mason filed in 1858 a number of patents around his canning jar. The two part lid was patented in 1873:
- Chuck for making sheet metal screws: patent US19786, March 30, 1858, John L Mason
- Moulds for blowing bottles: patent US22129, Nov. 23, 1858, John L Mason
- Glas jar: patent US22186, Nov. 30, 1858, John L Mason
- Fruit Jars: patent US137461, April 1, 1873, John L Mason
- Fruit Jar covers: patent US137462, April 1, 1873, John L Mason