Screw-on canning jars have become very popular these days. They are very convenient, easy to use, and save time and effort compared to seaming machines. But here’s the problem: screwing such a jar is as easy as shelling pears, but opening it is often very difficult. Why this happens and how to cope with such a nuisance - we’ll talk about this in today’s article.
Why don't they open?
Reusable twist-off screw lids for canning are very convenient. The principle of their operation is quite simple: when heated hot water or steam, the polymer coating on the inside of the lid becomes softer, allowing the jar to close tightly. After this, the lid begins to cool, its top retracts, creating a vacuum effect. In this case, a strip of polymer acts as a sealing gasket.
Glass jars with screw-on lids are the most popular today for storing a variety of pickles and preserves.
To reuse the cap, you need to unscrew it carefully. To do this, you can use a special key or open the jar with your hands very carefully, if, of course, you have enough strength. But more often than not, it is precisely these strengths that the hostess lacks, and a strong, muscular man is not always nearby. The reasons why the jar is difficult to open may be the following:
- slippery hands or jar surface;
- the lid fits tightly to the neck of the jar, simply sticking to it; this problem usually happens with jars of honey or jam;
- The pressure in the jar is below atmospheric, causing the lid to retract more than necessary.
Pay attention! It is very important to know correctly which way to turn the lid. It closes clockwise and unscrews in the opposite direction.
Before you start unscrewing the lid, take a closer look at the entire jar: maybe you shouldn’t open it to serve the contents? If the lid is swollen, it means canned food already spoiled. When unscrewed, the lid may even fly off the jar and hit you in the face, followed by the entire contents.
If you find a crack on the surface of the jar, then you should not open it either. Air may have gotten inside, spoiling the food; even worse - micro-shards of glass.
How to easily deal with a screw cap
Most often, such jars open without much difficulty, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, nothing works. One of my friends constantly performs a funny trick: with the words “Open up, police!” taps the lid with his finger, and then unscrews it with a slight movement of his hand. I don’t understand how she does this, it doesn’t work for me. But fortunately, there are many other proven methods.
- Use a special key. It's good if you have a special can opener for such lids in your kitchen drawer. It works both for twisting and unscrewing, without damaging either the glass of the jar or the lid. Maybe it’s worth purchasing it, especially since it’s so inexpensive?
- Hit. The easiest way to open a jar without a key is to turn it over and, holding it suspended, slap the bottom, or, conversely, place it on your palm and hit the lid. Works almost always, except too complex cases, when the problem is not the vacuum, but the fact that the lid is stuck.
It’s worth knowing this secret: it’s better to twist the jar, not the lid.
- Increase hitch. If the cause of difficulty is your hands slipping, proceed as follows. The jar, lid and hands should be dry and grease-free. Put a rubber or silicone glove on your hand (ordinary gloves you use when washing dishes work well). In mild cases, you can get by with a kitchen towel. Polyethylene film increases the grip of the lid and the hand very well. Sandpaper can also help. Place some kind of “gasket” on the lid and start unscrewing the jar from the lid, and not vice versa. True, you still have to apply a considerable amount of torque. And if your hands also hurt, then this method is definitely not for you.
- Use the laws of physics. Take a leather belt and thread it through the buckle. Throw the resulting loop over the lid and tighten it tightly, directing it counterclockwise. Then rotate so that the can goes clockwise and the lid goes counterclockwise.
- Knock. Gently tap the top and sides of the tight lid with something wooden or plastic - a spatula, the handle of a knife. Do this carefully so as not to damage the jar. If the reason is not that the lid is too worn in, after such manipulations the jar will open without difficulty.
- Take a ride. A simple method often helps: place the jar on its side, and roll the edge of the lid along the edge of the countertop several times back and forth, slightly pressing on top with your hand. The tightly pressed surface of the edge of the lid will relax a little, making a quiet pop, after which the jar will open quite easily.
- Heat. Fill a bowl with hot water and place the jar in it with the lid down. Leave it like this for 10 minutes, then remove it and open it. Running hot water will also work well if you place the illumination jar under an open tap. When exposed to heat, the lid expands and is easier to unscrew. You can also place a very hot towel on the lid. And the fastest way to heat the lid is boiling water: just pour it over the sink directly from the kettle for a few seconds.
Please use caution. If too hot water hits a very cold jar, the glass may crack.
- Depressurize. Is the problem that the cap has retracted too much under the vacuum? This means you need to ensure air access inside the can. Insert a table knife between the neck and the lid and carefully turn it a little, moving the edge of the lid to the side, away from the glass. A gap of 0.5 mm is enough for depressurization to occur.
You can do this and can opener, or in general any kind that you don’t mind, but if you plan to continue using this jar with a lid, it’s better to take a table knife with a blunt rounded end - it won’t damage the glass or scratch the lid.
- Lubricate the thread. For jars with honey and jam, this method is suitable: place the jar upside down, and drop a little vegetable oil in several places between the neck and the lid. Leave for 15–20 minutes. This time should be enough for the oil to penetrate into the cracks, lubricate the surfaces and make it easier to unscrew the lid.
By the way, this “oiling” also has a pleasant bonus: the oiled thread will not stick for a long time in the future. You just need to make sure that the oil does not get inside the product itself.
Photo gallery: Helpers for opening screw-on glass jars
Screw cap wrenches work on the principle of minimizing your effort to unscrew 
Take a knife with a thick round tip to avoid chips and scratches, and pry the lid, letting air under it 
Try opening a screw-top jar while wearing household gloves. 
Vegetable oil perfectly lubricates the threads of a screw-on jar and makes unscrewing easier 
The belt method is very old, but effective. 
Hot water perfectly heats the lid and the air inside the jar, after which opening it is not difficult
Video: The fastest and safest method to open a screw top jar
Video: several methods for unscrewing caps
Video: impact method of opening a jar with a tightly tightened lid
I pour boiling water onto the lid. When it heats up and expands, it opens easily.
water
I bought two different openers at a hardware store, one cheap and one expensive. Both of them crumple the lids. My husband and I now open jars like this: I hold the jar with both hands and he opens the lid with both hands.
http://www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php/topic,8441.0.html?SESSID=n30fgq8l326veas10i3f314je7
By the way, I accidentally found out that it is much easier to open cans wearing rubberized construction gloves. Mine are made from Auchan, white thread, and the palm and fingers are covered in green rubber. That's great, your hands don't slip on the glass, the can doesn't break out of your hands.
http://www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php/topic,8441.20.html
most the right way- use a knife or any other object to tap around the circle of the lid, along the edges. Will open immediately.
Nastasya
http://www.woman.ru/home/medley9/thread/4477909/
Surely you have encountered the problem of unscrewing the lids of cans of preserved food, which means our tips will help you. Maybe you know of any other simple methods? Tell us about them in the comments. Good luck and easy work!
How to roll up jars correctly? This question interests many housewives. Preparing twists for the winter is a real ritual for a good housewife. In this article we will talk about how to properly roll up jars. The topic of canning is not becoming less relevant; on the contrary, it is gaining more and more popularity every year. To start rolling, you need to know what is needed for this and how to roll the cans correctly.
First stage: preparing everything you need
Every woman understands that any cooking process requires the presence of certain utensils. For borscht this is a spacious pan, for a pie - a baking sheet, for pasta - a pan. To start making twists for the winter, you need to make sure you have everything you need on hand.
Let's make a list:
- Glass jars.
- A saucepan in which the jars will be sterilized.
- Lids for rolling.
- Tongs for removing lids from hot water.
- Seaming machine (manual or automatic).
How to seam cans with a seamer? Pros and cons of the method
This method cannot be called perfect for the reason that it is inconvenient. You can accidentally press too hard on the lid, which will lead to the formation of a chip on the jar, or, conversely, underpressure - even worse, the twists will quickly deteriorate. However, many housewives often use a snail key. The crimping proceeds gradually, each turn of the handle bringing the lid closer to the neck of the jar.
How to roll up cans with a machine
This is a more advanced model that greatly simplifies the process. The housewife will only need to turn the handle a few times; there is no need to do anything else, because the semi-automatic mechanism will finish the work started. There are also disadvantages, since the twist is not always airtight. It is for this reason that women rarely use semi-automatic machines.
Automatic Seaming Machine
Using automatic seaming machines is easy and convenient. It has special handles in the form of levers, which you simply need to lower down in order for the lid to fall into place. However, do not forget to check the lid for leaks. This is easy to do - turn the jar over and see if the marinade is leaking. If not, then everything is fine and there is no need to worry that it may “explode” before you open it.
How to sterilize jars
You have made sure that you have everything you need to get started, you have selected a seaming machine, now you need to start sterilizing the jars. Why do this? The answer is simple - to protect yourself and your loved ones from germs and bacteria.
Main methods of sterilization:
- The easiest way is to use boiling water. You just need to pour it over the jar several times and turn it upside down on a clean towel.
- Oven. First, the jars need to be washed well, then put in the oven with the neck down. Keep there for about 20 minutes.
- Kettle. The method is quite effective, although it takes a lot of time, especially if you plan to make 20-30 cans of twists. The point is to boil the kettle, do not remove it from the gas, and place the jars one by one under the hot steam.
- Microwave. If you have a microwave at home, then it can be used for sterilization. True, many cans will not fit inside, but the method is effective and quite fast.
- Fire. No matter how strange it may sound, jars can be sterilized over a fire. Light the gas and hold the jar, neck down, as close to it as possible. Your hands are hot, and the jar is sterilized. At first, a few drops of water will appear on the walls, but then they will dry, and you can begin to place food inside.
- Double boiler. Very tricky way, but convenient. We fill the base with water and bring it to a boil, then put on a lid with holes and place the jars on it with their necks down. After 10 minutes you can be sure that sterilization was successful.
Now a little about sterilizing lids. Everything is much simpler here. Just put them in a saucepan with hot water, bring to a boil and leave for 10 minutes, then turn off the gas. It is very important not to allow sterilized lids to come into contact with anything other than jars. When the time comes to seal, carefully remove the lid with tongs and place it directly on the jar.
Last stage: storing twists
The storage of twists also needs to be given special attention. If you don’t want the contents to become moldy, the jar to swell or burst, you need to wrap them up. How to do this? We lay out a warm blanket in the room. When all the jars are rolled up, put them on it and cover them well on all sides. They should only be folded upside down. Seaming cannot be touched for several days; the jars must cool well.
After this, they will need to be moved to another location. This place should be cool and not very warm. A closet or pantry is perfect; you can put it on shelves in the hallway. By the way, some even store their twists in the refrigerator, but this is only if there are not very many cans.
It is not recommended to store any twists, whatever they are, for longer than one year. At home, it is very difficult to achieve perfect tightness, so all workpieces deteriorate over time. There is only one conclusion - don’t cook a lot at once, let it be several jars of jam and what you and your family love.
Now you know everything about how to roll up jars for the winter, what you need for this and how to properly store your preparations. All that remains is to find a few recipes and get to work.
Harvesting from your vegetable garden, preparing vegetables and fruits for canning and choosing the appropriate recipe is half the battle. As it turns out, almost the most important step in home canning is sterilizing and closing the jars with lids. Just think: one wrong move and air can get into the jar of winter treats. This means that such a workpiece will certainly swell and be spoiled by mold. How to close jars for the winter so that homemade preparations do not spoil? How to close jars with screw caps? How to do without lids and close the jars, for example, with paper? You will find answers to these and many other questions about conservation in our article today.
Join the discussion
How to close jars for the winter
There are several ways to close preparations for the winter. The most common and at the same time one of the most technically difficult options is the traditional method of closing the lids with a manual seaming key. It is much easier, but using the same principle, you can roll up cans with an automatic machine. In addition, there are special threaded caps that are screwed onto the jar without the use of any other devices. Well, the simplest and at the same time the most capricious way is to close jars without lids using cellophane and thick paper. Let's start studying the question of how to properly close jars for the winter with the first method. It is ideal for preserving pickled tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as for making jam.
How to close jars with a can opener
To begin with, we note that it is very important to sterilize the lids well before rolling up the jar. You also need to check that the cap itself is new, intact and not bent.
Instructions on how to close a jar with a can opener
Note! You can understand that the jar is already closed by the movement of the key. As soon as you have to put a lot of effort into turning the seaming key around the lid, and the key itself will lock every centimeter, the workpiece is ready.
How to close screw top jars
Screw-on lids are perhaps the fastest and most reliable way to close homemade preparations for the winter. But there is a small drawback - not every jar is suitable for such a lid. A mandatory condition is the presence of a special thread on the neck, onto which, in fact, the lid will be attached. Such carvings, for example, are found on jars of store-bought preserves. How to properly close jars with screw caps? The technology itself is incredibly simple. To begin with, like regular ones, these caps need to be thoroughly boiled. Otherwise, mold may appear on the workpiece during storage, for example, on jam. Then place the cooled, dry lid on the jar and press down lightly. Turn it clockwise several times until it stops. There should be a clear click, which means the can is closed. Turn the jar upside down and your preparation is ready!
How to close jars without lids
Today it’s hard to believe, but tin and especially plastic lids became common among housewives not so long ago. But home canning, as you understand, existed long before their appearance. What did they do to prepare for the winter in those distant times? As a rule, in Rus', vegetables were pickled and fermented in large wooden barrels, which were stored in cold cellars. Therefore, there was no need for tin lids as such then. But with the development of industry and urbanization, many housewives were faced with the question of how to close jars without lids. For a long time For this purpose, waxed paper soaked in alcohol and thin twine were used. This knowledge can also be useful for modern women, since sometimes ordinary lids are not at hand, and vegetables/fruits for preparations are already beginning to quickly deteriorate.
How to cover jars with paper
To begin with, we note that the paper method is short-lived and at the first opportunity it should be replaced with canning with tin lids. First of all, you need to take very thick paper and cut out a circle from it, the diameter of which will coincide with the diameter of the neck. This paper must be soaked in rum or pure alcohol and covered with it. This method is good for boiled jam or preserves. But it is better to cover cucumber-tomato preparations with paper and cellophane. Cellophane can also be replaced with cling film folded in several layers. First, we wrap a piece of plastic bag around the neck, pulling it quite tightly to achieve a tight seal. We secure it on top using a rubber band or regular thread. After this, put a sheet of thick paper and form a lid from it. The paper is needed in order not to tear the cellophane during transportation of the workpieces. The paper cap should also be secured with thread or an elastic band.
How to properly close jars with lids, video
You can also learn how to properly close jars with lids from the video below. In this video tutorial you can see the entire process of closing cans and learn about the intricacies of working with a can opener at home.
Today we’ll talk about what types of canning lids there are and how to roll them up.
What types of lids are there for preserving in an autoclave and how to choose the best one
Today, 4 main types of lids are used for food preservation:
Tin lids
Classic canning lids that stand the test of time. Tin lids are very popular among housewives, even though they are disposable and are rolled up using a seaming machine.
Such a lid should be made of food-grade metal and coated on both sides with food-grade varnish. Lacquered lids resist corrosion and oxidative reactions from the marinade well. The lid made of white unvarnished tin cannot be used for sealing on long term, with a high probability the workpieces will deteriorate.
Unvarnished lids are suitable for non-acidic products: preserves, jams or compotes. For salty preparations (vegetable marinades, sour berries and fruits), it is recommended to use coated lids. The fact is that unvarnished tin reacts with the acidic solution of the marinade and spoils the taste of the latter.
Screw caps (twist-off)
Convenient, reusable lids that have their limitations. For example, they are only suitable for sealing cans with threads on the neck. The advantages include their relatively low cost and the ability to roll manually without a seaming machine. Screw caps can be used several times, but you will do this at your own peril and risk: if the sealing ring on the inside is damaged, the workpieces will deteriorate.
What products are they suitable for?
Twist-off lids are suitable for all types of products. But like tin, they have different coatings on the inside. For compotes and jams, a regular lid is suitable, but for salted preparations it is better to use specimens with a varnished coating.
Plastic lids
This type of lid is almost never produced today, however, some housewives consider them the most environmentally friendly and airtight. They do not fit onto the jar without first heating it in boiling water, but they are quite easy to remove.
What products are they suitable for?
Plastic lids Perfect for preparations with a large amount of sugar, where there is no risk of excess pressure. To keep preserves and preserves longer, you can put a piece of paper soaked in alcohol under the lid. In case of mold formation, the paper will absorb everything, keeping the workpiece intact.
Caps with vacuum pumping system
A relatively new invention. They are reusable (manufacturers promise up to 200 seams) caps with a special valve and pump included. Their main disadvantage is their high price and inability to purchase in a regular store. But the use of vacuum lids quickly pays off, and the preparations retain their original aroma and taste throughout the entire shelf life.
What products are they suitable for?
The list of products that can be sealed with vacuum lids is long: vegetables, compotes, jellies, preserves, salted preparations, fruits, berries. This type can be safely called universal.
How to properly seal jars with lids for preservation
But it’s not enough to choose a high-quality lid for sealing. You still need to roll it up correctly. This technology is not very complicated, but it also has its tricks.
Tin lids and twist-off First you need to soak it in boiling water. The rubber seal on the inside of the lid will soften, and the jars will be preserved hermetically. After soaking in boiling water, the lids are removed, placed in the center of the neck of the jar and fixed: tin - seaming machine, twist-offs are simply twisted tightly by hand.
Plastic lids after 2-3 minutes of exposure in boiling water, screw it onto the jar. For reliable fixation, it is recommended to choose those lids that cannot be put on the jar without preliminary exposure.
Vacuum lids They have a slightly more sophisticated canning technology.
- First of all, let's prepare glass jars, inspect for chips and cracks.
- We wash the vacuum lids before use and place them in hot water for a couple of minutes.
- Fill the jar with food, place the lid on the neck, press the pump to the lid and make a few pumps. The cover will lock.
How to roll up jars? (video)
Why doesn't the seam roll up? How to choose and buy a convenient canning (rolling) machine. What to pay attention to (10+)
Correct seaming machine
Let's discuss the choice of seaming. The main task of seaming is to crimp the metal lid onto the neck of the jar to ensure a tight seal.
Types of canning machines
Classical. Crimping is done using a crimping element, which is pressed against the edge of the lid and moves along this edge.
Experimental. Crimping with some innovative devices.
Classic seams differ in the method of feeding the crimping element and the type of this crimping element.
According to the method of feeding the crimping element
Manual feed
The pressure of the crimp element on the edge of the lid is adjusted manually, usually by turning the knob. By turning the handle, we screw it along the thread and, thereby, press the crimping element. The advantage of this approach is that we can control the speed at which we feed the element. For example, if the edge of the lid is not crimped very smoothly, you can move the crimping element in a full circle several times without increasing the pressure. The second advantage is that we ourselves determine when to stop, that is, we can screw the handle exactly to such an extent that the crimping is ideal from our point of view. The second advantage turns into a disadvantage if you are not a very experienced seamer. If the jar is not rolled up tightly enough, leakage or souring is possible. If you squeeze it, you can simply split the jar.
Automatic feeding
The feed rate of the crimp element depends on how many revolutions it makes around the edge of the lid. That is, for each revolution it moves a certain distance. If such a seam is well adjusted, then it is convenient to use. You don't need to think about anything. You put it on the lid, make a fixed number of turns, that's it - you're done. But this is only true when she well adjusted. Often the new seam is adjusted incorrectly. As you use it, the clamping element moves and the machine stops rolling. Self-adjustment is possible, but very difficult. I won’t even undertake to describe the adjustment process here.
So a seamer with automatic feed may not roll at all from the very beginning. And if she rolls, then after a while (about 200 cans) she stops doing it. Each adjustment is enough for another 50 - 100 cans.
By type of clamping element
Hard. The pressing element is a specially shaped washer. He slides along the edge of the can. The advantage is reliability and best quality crimping by smoothing out the folds of the edge of the lid. The disadvantages are a fairly large force that needs to be applied to the handle when rolling, and an unpleasant grinding noise when doing this work.
Bearing. The pressing element is a bearing. It rolls over the edge of the can. The advantage is that it is easy to turn, there are no unpleasant sounds. Disadvantages - less reliability and quality of crimping. Often a new machine has a faulty bearing that is difficult to spin or even jammed. When purchasing, be sure to twist the bearing with your fingers and check that it rotates easily and silently.
Choosing a classic car
Machines that look exactly the same can work completely differently. One rolls perfectly, the other ruins the lids. What is the reason. The correct operation of the classic seaming is determined by only two gaps. Manufacturers, unfortunately, do not monitor quality at all. So we will have to check these gaps ourselves when purchasing.
figure 1
Support disk I will call the part that fits on the lid. Figure 1 shows in yellow the first gap that needs to be checked. To do this, screw the handle all the way. The gap should be about a millimeter or slightly less. If it is larger, the sealer will not roll up, but will break and bend the lids.
figure 2
Now let's check the second gap, it is shown in red in Figure 2. The support plate is shaped like a bowl. A lid is placed in this bowl. We need to make sure that the smaller diameter of the clamping element extends into this bowl by at least 1 mm. If this is not the case, then the supply of the pressing element will not be enough to tightly roll up the can.
Generally speaking, these gaps can be adjusted by removing and sharpening part (2). To reduce the gap shown in Figure 1, you need to sharpen part (2) at the top and bottom. To ensure protrusion of the edge of the crimping element, it is necessary to sharpen the same part from the side of the support disk, that is, from the side opposite the handle, because the protrusion is prevented by the abutment of the part (2) against the support disk. I have repaired seams like this many times. This does not cause any problems, it is just very troublesome and requires care, especially when grinding from above and below. If you sharpen it too much, the seaming machine will be completely damaged. So I advise you to simply immediately choose a working sample in the store based on the above recommendations.
Innovative machine
The pictures show one of the seaming options with an original crimping element. It uses a spring for crimping, which, when the antennae are pulled apart, compresses the lid from all sides at once. With this crimp, the edge turns out to be wrinkled and wrinkled. How much does this affect the tightness? I tried it on several banks. The defect rate was significantly higher than with the classic crimping method. This is not to say that it does not work at all, but sometimes it turns out to be leaky. In general, I didn't use it.
If you still decide to use this option, please note that before seaming you need to install the lid correctly. The lid should fit behind the spring installed along the edge of the seam. To do this, you need to press on the lid with quite a lot of force.
Which roll to choose?
My choice is a classic canning machine with manual feed and a rigid pressing element.
The metal cover is equipped with a rubber gasket. Make sure that this gasket lies flat and does not protrude. The edge of the lid should be crimped so that its upper part (1) tightly presses the elastic band to the neck of the jar, and the lower part (2) is crimped more tightly, preventing the rubber band from popping out and holding the lid on the jar. In this case, the edge should be pressed evenly, without folds or irregularities.
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