In article , says...

I was wondering, instead of wasting gas and electricity to sterilize the
jars, if citric acid and sodium bisulphite(as in winemaking sterilization)
would do the trick.

No, but you only need to have the oven on low for 20 mins so hardly a
vast expense.

Wash jars in hot soapy water, rinse, drain, pack the empty wet jars
standing upright in a roasting tin and put it in the oven. Turn oven on
to 120 C, once it's reached temp 10 mins should do it.


Janet

"Janet" wrote in message
t...

In article , says...

I was wondering, instead of wasting gas and electricity to sterilize the
jars, if citric acid and sodium bisulphite(as in winemaking
sterilization)
would do the trick.

No, but you only need to have the oven on low for 20 mins so hardly a
vast expense.

Wash jars in hot soapy water, rinse, drain, pack the empty wet jars
standing upright in a roasting tin and put it in the oven. Turn oven on
to 120 C, once it's reached temp 10 mins should do it.

This is the method I use for sterilizing beer bottles and jam jar. I allow
the jam to cool to about 90C. You still get a 'ping' from the jar's safety
cap (or whatever it's called).

On Sat, 7 Sep 2013 14:27:51 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article , says...

I was wondering, instead of wasting gas and electricity to sterilize the
jars, if citric acid and sodium bisulphite(as in winemaking sterilization)
would do the trick.

No, but you only need to have the oven on low for 20 mins so hardly a
vast expense.

Wash jars in hot soapy water, rinse, drain, pack the empty wet jars
standing upright in a roasting tin and put it in the oven. Turn oven on
to 120 C, once it's reached temp 10 mins should do it.

I've never bottled anything and only occasionally make jam.
When making small amounts of jam, I sterilised my jars ( washed,
rinsed and drained) by half-filling them with water and giving them a
few minutes boiling in the microwave. Is this good enough?

Pam in Bristol

On 2013-09-07 15:58:40 +0000, Pam Moore said:

On Sat, 7 Sep 2013 14:27:51 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article , says...

I was wondering, instead of wasting gas and electricity to sterilize the
jars, if citric acid and sodium bisulphite(as in winemaking sterilization)
would do the trick.

No, but you only need to have the oven on low for 20 mins so hardly a
vast expense.

Wash jars in hot soapy water, rinse, drain, pack the empty wet jars
standing upright in a roasting tin and put it in the oven. Turn oven on
to 120 C, once it's reached temp 10 mins should do it.

I've never bottled anything and only occasionally make jam.
When making small amounts of jam, I sterilised my jars ( washed,
rinsed and drained) by half-filling them with water and giving them a
few minutes boiling in the microwave. Is this good enough?

Pam in Bristol

A hot wash (& dry) in the hottest setting dishwasher is recommended by
quite a lot of jam makers. I haven't made jam or marmalde for ages but
I used to do that and have never yet poisoned anyone. To keep them at
a heat that wouldn't allow them to crack when filled with hot
marmalade, I put them on a baking tray in the bottom of the Aga but I'm
sure a warm setting on an oven would do the same job.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 07/09/2013 18:33, sacha wrote:
On 2013-09-07 15:58:40 +0000, Pam Moore said:

On Sat, 7 Sep 2013 14:27:51 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article , says...

I was wondering, instead of wasting gas and electricity to sterilize
the
jars, if citric acid and sodium bisulphite(as in winemaking
sterilization)
would do the trick.

No, but you only need to have the oven on low for 20 mins so hardly a
vast expense.

Wash jars in hot soapy water, rinse, drain, pack the empty wet jars
standing upright in a roasting tin and put it in the oven. Turn oven on
to 120 C, once it's reached temp 10 mins should do it.

I've never bottled anything and only occasionally make jam.
When making small amounts of jam, I sterilised my jars ( washed,
rinsed and drained) by half-filling them with water and giving them a
few minutes boiling in the microwave. Is this good enough?

Pam in Bristol

A hot wash (& dry) in the hottest setting dishwasher is recommended by
quite a lot of jam makers. I haven't made jam or marmalde for ages but
I used to do that and have never yet poisoned anyone. To keep them at a
heat that wouldn't allow them to crack when filled with hot marmalade, I
put them on a baking tray in the bottom of the Aga but I'm sure a warm
setting on an oven would do the same job.

I'm not going to go out to buy a dishwasher just to heat jam jars.
I'm still making jam, though I haven't done any yet this year, also I
make a tomato and apple chutney.
One thing I want to try is instead of lids or papers and covers for the
jars (I've actually been using cling film for the last few years) is to
try candle wag poured on when the jam is still warm/hot it will cap off
the contents.,
The wife who is Canadian tells me that is what her mother used to do.
David @ a now damp side of Swansea Bay, well just 3 or 4 very light
showers so far but a build up of cloud.

On Sat, 07 Sep 2013 20:02:37 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

On 07/09/2013 18:33, sacha wrote:
On 2013-09-07 15:58:40 +0000, Pam Moore said:

On Sat, 7 Sep 2013 14:27:51 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article , says...

I was wondering, instead of wasting gas and electricity to sterilize
the
jars, if citric acid and sodium bisulphite(as in winemaking
sterilization)
would do the trick.

No, but you only need to have the oven on low for 20 mins so hardly a
vast expense.

Wash jars in hot soapy water, rinse, drain, pack the empty wet jars
standing upright in a roasting tin and put it in the oven. Turn oven on
to 120 C, once it's reached temp 10 mins should do it.

I've never bottled anything and only occasionally make jam.
When making small amounts of jam, I sterilised my jars ( washed,
rinsed and drained) by half-filling them with water and giving them a
few minutes boiling in the microwave. Is this good enough?

Pam in Bristol

A hot wash (& dry) in the hottest setting dishwasher is recommended by
quite a lot of jam makers. I haven't made jam or marmalde for ages but
I used to do that and have never yet poisoned anyone. To keep them at a
heat that wouldn't allow them to crack when filled with hot marmalade, I
put them on a baking tray in the bottom of the Aga but I'm sure a warm
setting on an oven would do the same job.

I'm not going to go out to buy a dishwasher just to heat jam jars.
I'm still making jam, though I haven't done any yet this year, also I
make a tomato and apple chutney.
One thing I want to try is instead of lids or papers and covers for the
jars (I've actually been using cling film for the last few years) is to
try candle wag poured on when the jam is still warm/hot it will cap off
the contents.,
The wife who is Canadian tells me that is what her mother used to do.
David @ a now damp side of Swansea Bay, well just 3 or 4 very light
showers so far but a build up of cloud.

I have a jug of hard paraffin wax which I use and reuse on the odd
occasions I make jam. My mother did it as did her mother. I bought it
from a chemist many years ago. I stand the jug in the hot oven for a
while to melt it. When the jars are filled I just pour the melted wax
on top. Make sure the jars are fairly full so the wax isn't below the
rim. It makes a perfect seal in my experience

Pam in Bristol

In article , nospamigg1937
@yahoo.co.uk says...

On Sat, 07 Sep 2013 20:02:37 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I'm not going to go out to buy a dishwasher just to heat jam jars.

No need; you have an oven.

One thing I want to try is instead of lids or papers and covers for
the
jars (I've actually been using cling film for the last few years) is to
try candle wag poured on when the jam is still warm/hot it will cap off
the contents.,

Could be hard (or expensive) to find modern candles which are food
safe.

I have a jug of hard paraffin wax which I use and reuse on the odd

What a faff! I use a waxed paper disc (buy the right size for your
jars) laid wax side down on top of the marmalade while piping hot.
Followed by a screw top lid.

Discs are available from Lakeland; old lids can be cleaned boiled and
re-used, or you can buy new ones online.

Janet

On Sun, 8 Sep 2013 11:14:47 +0100, Janet wrote:

I have a jug of hard paraffin wax which I use and reuse on the odd

What a faff!

Quite. And withouta proper lid how do you keep the jam once opened?

I use a waxed paper disc ...

What a faff!

... old lids can be cleaned boiled and re-used,

That's what we do saves having to fish the bit of paper out that
serves no useful purpose IMHO. Check the old lids for damage (dents
or distorted seal) then still boiling jam into hot jars and lid on
straight away. Oven mits essential and there may still be a bit ouch
ouch ouch once you've done a few and the heat is starting to
penetrate the mits...

Note this is jam, high sugar. For low sugar or low acidity stuff you
need do need to take more care, ie above boiling point for "a while"
where "a while" is 10 mins.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Janet wrote in
t:

In article , nospamigg1937
@yahoo.co.uk says...

On Sat, 07 Sep 2013 20:02:37 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I'm not going to go out to buy a dishwasher just to heat jam jars.

No need; you have an oven.

One thing I want to try is instead of lids or papers and covers for
the
jars (I've actually been using cling film for the last few years) is
to try candle wag poured on when the jam is still warm/hot it will
cap off the contents.,

Could be hard (or expensive) to find modern candles which are food
safe.

I have a jug of hard paraffin wax which I use and reuse on the odd

What a faff! I use a waxed paper disc (buy the right size for your
jars) laid wax side down on top of the marmalade while piping hot.
Followed by a screw top lid.

Discs are available from Lakeland; old lids can be cleaned boiled
and
re-used, or you can buy new ones online.

Janet




We buy from a charity(Womens Institute) for our jam and marmalade most
times, when my great aunt forgets how to do it, she is getting older now.
They used to sell it with a bit of greaseproof paper and an elastic band
around it.
They are not allowed to sell it like that anymore. I don't think it hurt
anybody. But the law.....insists....
There is nothing nicer, in the preserve world, than a spoon of home made
jam or marmalade.

Baz

In article ,
Pam Moore wrote:
On Sat, 7 Sep 2013 14:27:51 +0100, Janet wrote:
In article , says...

I was wondering, instead of wasting gas and electricity to sterilize the
jars, if citric acid and sodium bisulphite(as in winemaking sterilization)
would do the trick.

No, but you only need to have the oven on low for 20 mins so hardly a
vast expense.

Wash jars in hot soapy water, rinse, drain, pack the empty wet jars
standing upright in a roasting tin and put it in the oven. Turn oven on
to 120 C, once it's reached temp 10 mins should do it.

I've never bottled anything and only occasionally make jam.
When making small amounts of jam, I sterilised my jars ( washed,
rinsed and drained) by half-filling them with water and giving them a
few minutes boiling in the microwave. Is this good enough?

I (and many other people) don't bother with more than ensuring
that they aren't excessively grubby. Hot jam will kill most of
the heat-sensitive whatsits, and the nasty ones won't grow in
an acid, high-sugar product.

That being said, my strawberry jam (which I cooked lightly to
preserve its freshness) was a little TOO lightly cooked, and
has developed mould on top and fermented somewhat. Big deal.
Both are harmless to humans - and we consume both from choice
(e.g. blue cheese and real beer).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.