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Today vacuum sealers are quite popular with cooking shows and you might have seen TV ads of this cooking appliance. Vacuum sealer is often showed to seal foods in bags, canisters and marinate. Well, there is another very common and beneficial use of vacuum sealers and it is to “seal jars”. Many people don’t know about it and all the benefits it offers.
Many vacuum sealers come with models that particularly work with jars. So to seal a jar you must find an appropriate model of vacuum sealer that goes with your needs. Also, there are vacuum sealers which don’t come with the required attachments. So in that case, you need to purchase proper attachment that could fit over lid of your jar. An air extraction tube will also be required to make a connection between the attachment and sealer. This is a kind of narrow hose made of plastic that is connected to the vacuum outlet of sealer. While the other end of this plastic tube is attached to the plastic attachment fitted into a jar lid. These tubes generally come in two sizes, a regular one and a wide-mouthed. Each size works with different kinds of jars, so you must take care which jar is being used and likewise buy the attachment.
Once you have got all the required equipment for sealing Mason jar with vacuum sealer, you are good to proceed. For your convenience, the whole process of vacuuming and sealing a mason jar is broken into the following steps:
First of all prepare your Mason jar for vacuum sealing. Fill the jar with whatever you want to store. While filling, just make sure that you leave an inch of space at the top of jar. This space will keep the ingredients like powdered food or dry food from getting sucked up into the hose of vacuum. This will keep your machine from getting worn out too. Furthermore, if you are jarring any liquid product in the Mason jar then this one inch space will allow it to contract or expand with temperature changes. Once you have filled the jar, just cover the mouth of jar with flat lid and keep the metal ring aside for later use.
Its quite simple to attach the jar sealing attachment. Just make sure you are using a sealer attachment which is appropriate to the jar and hose tube. The proper way to fit/connect the sealing attachment is to push it downward over the jar’s covered mouth. You should push it until you could not see the neck of the jar anymore. The attachment should stay in place.
Once you have connected the jar sealing attachment to the jar’s mouth, start joining the air extraction hose. It should be attached such that its one end is connected to the sealing attachment and the other to the vacuum sealer, thus making a connection between the two. Fix it properly so that no air escapes it. In case, its not fixed properly or there is leak in the hose, this could lead to escape of pressure and some air will be left behind in the jar. When air is around your food or other stuff in the jar, it can cause spoilage.
Once all the above-mentioned steps have been followed properly, switch on your vacuum sealer and let it seal the Mason jar. Most of the modern models of vacuum sealers are quite good when it comes to automatically seal the mason jars. However, some old models might need you to perform the function manually. So you can check the manual and get information about your sealing machine. If you need to do it manually then keep your ear out for a popping sound, since it signals proper sealing of the Mason jar. Once you hear the sound, act quick and switch off the vacuum sealer. Ta-da! You are done.
Isn’t it fun to seal your Mason jars yourself at home? Sure its great fun and if you are interested in reading about sealing atypical jars by using a vacuum sealer, we have got you covered.
Sealing atypical jars with vacuum sealer is a little different than sealing Mason jars with vacuum sealer. To seal classic glass jars, you will need a larger canister with sealing attachment features in its lid. Like Mason jar, it will have a usual inlet for hose attachment but it will also need a depressurize button on the canister lid.
Here is a brief guide to step by step process to seal atypical jars with vacuum sealer:
The step in sealing the atypical jars is to prepare the jar. Start filling the jar with the required ingredients and make sure to leave an inch of space at the top. This space is good for keeping the ingredients from building pressure on the seal, since some products like liquid contract and expands in response to the change in temperature. Also, this space keeps the vacuum to suck up the ingredients into the machine and cause damages. Once you are done filling the jar, screw the lid back. Make sure you don’t do it too tightly. Then place the glass jar into a large cylindrical canister and close the canister with a special lid that’s typical for this process.
You won’t need separate jar sealing attachment to seal atypical jars, since these classic glass jars are placed inside a large canister. This large canister has a lid with sealing attachment features already incorporated within it. So you can skip this step and proceed with the next.
Once the large canister is closed with a special lid, start connecting the air extraction hose into the inlet provided on the lid. Attach its another end with the vacuum sealer. Make sure its fixed properly and no air is escaping. If its leaked, air will stay in the canister and will risk the spoilable of food in the jar. So check it thoroughly before completing the sealing process.
Once you are done setting up the whole apparatus, start the machine by switching it on. It will set on the suction process and suck out all the air trapped inside the canister. Even the traces of air around the lid of jar and its mouth will also be removed. Once its done, press the depressurize button on the lid of canister. This will allow the air to flow again into the canister and seal the jar’s lid tight.
This process doesn’t guarantee removing all the air from the jar but its effective enough to keep the outside air from entering the jar. So stay confident that the jar will be air-tight by following this process.
You see sealing atypical jars is a little different than sealing Mason jars but its quite simple and easy. It has great benefits for people who want to store powder foods and pickles for longer times. Well, what should be stored in jars is a common question. For starters, these sealed jars are not as good as canned jars, since these jars only keep the air out and do not ensure sterilization over the long run. Canning methods keep the pickles and other canned foods sterile. So if you are storing pickles in sealed jars, you must refrigerate them otherwise mold or bacteria can get to it. Also, these sealed jars stay longer in the refrigerator than the regular plastic jars. The sealed jars stay longer in the refrigerator because the air-tight environment keeps the food from freezer-burn.
You can also use vacuum sealer to store dry foods in the sealed jars. It will keep them fresh. Dry soup mixtures and snacks can also be stored in sealed jars for instant use at lunch or dinners. Many other food products can be stored for later use at different special occasions by using vacuum sealers with jars. Jams and some fruits like apples and mangoes can also be stored with sealed jars. We hope all these procedures will help the vacuum sealing enthusiasts to seal jars of different kinds. There are so many vacuum sealing brands out there in the market and some good vacuum sealer reviews can help you pick the right ones. Happy using vacuum sealers with jars! Don’t forget to comment below about your experiences.
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