ncredbird

I know that the official word is to never use jars other than those specifically manufactured for canning. That being said I know that there are many canners that use jars that were manufactured for grocery store food products in the canning process. How many of you have used the food jars and how much breakage or how many bad seals do you get with them? I have used all my official canning jars for this year but have access to a large number of empty food jars that I am considering using. Don't want to waste time or food product if I am not going to have positive results. Thanks, Ann in TN

ShowMama

I have often used pint jars that were saved after the purchased food in them, such as mayonnaise, was gone, but I've only used them for hot water bath canning, not with the pressure cooker. The regular sized lids and rings fit them and the jars have held up very well for the most part. There has been occasional breakage, but that happens with regular purchased canning jars too. My mother also "recycled" mayonnaise jars in her canning, at least as far back as I can remember. Some of those jars were used over and over, year after year, and worked just as well as Kerr or Ball jars.

I don't see a problem with this as long as you check each jar for cracks or nicks and handle them carefully while canning, which should be the rule for ANY jars you might use.

sewready

I agree, when I canned, I used mayonnaise jars, etc. to preserve food, but only using the boiling water bath procedure. I never put any jars into the pressure canner except for the Kerr or Ball jars.

ptquilts

better grab them while you can, the last few times I bought mayo was in a plastic jar. Glass jars are getting hard to find.

Sandra in Minnesota

Glass mayo jars are just fine to use for hot water bath in canning. They are going to be hard to find, though, as they are plastic now.

glassdriller

I've been re-using the squaty jars that salsa comes in when I make my zucchini relish. Just the right size and my canning funnel fits in the wide mouth.

mjhaess

I like my mother have canned for years and yes she used jars that came from mayo, sauces and other things. I have never had a jar that broke or blew up and I pressure can everything. I have canned many fruits and veggies over the years and use my jars over and over year after year. I have gone from canning 600 plus jars of food a year to about 150 jars now. Use those jars you have available to you. I know you won't be sorry. Happy Canning......

Dodie

to bad we don't recycle like we use to I to use to use mayonaise jars for water bath canning now every thing is plastic
I read someplace how many million barrels of oil it takes just to make the milk jugs I for one would like to see the return of glass to recycle not all of this plastic then complain because of an oil shortage what ever happened to the good old days

Caswews

I used to use the "mayonaise" jars in my canning, but then they broke in the hot water bath and I quit using those-so DH's Grandmother would save the small jars for jelly.. and they do make great jelly jars. But I prefer to use the Ball/Kerr jars, lids etc for safety sake now. I have not ever pressure canned so I cannot tell you on that one .. Enjoy your canning session and make it a memorable one. My DD's still tell me about all the canning sessions we had with his grandmother and laugh at some of the "incidents". LOL

riutzelj

i have always reused commercial jars that fit standard canning lids. i have found that salsa and pasta sauce jars seem to be the ones that work now. mayo jars used to but now they seem to be either plastic or made from a thinner glass. I generally saved the Kerr or Ball jars for pressure canning however. Some of the commercial jars are made by Ball and say so on them. double check your fit on the lids, some of them the screw tops don't go flush against the canning lid and those won't seal. i found that on some of those, if i put the canning lid on and then used the solid commercial top over that they will seal. Be sure and check the rims for nicks, won't seal if there are any. Thrift stores can be good places to pick up jars, if you check them well.