Vacuum Seal Mason jars W/O special lids

[LvsChant]

Yep I've been saving them if they aren't bent. I've only bent one. When a jar is empty and washed I put the lid on upside down and lightly put a band. Tells me the jar is not new but clean and I don't wash again before using it. I think I'll use some used lids on the dried fruit when I get the stuff to seal the jars. I've been pulling them off with my fingers. This morning I saw a YT vid of a guy using a cereal spoon upside down against the threads. Slide it around until it was against the thread and the lid then pry and slide until the lid came off. Can't find the vid now.

Using a spoon is my standard method for unsealing jars... I think my reason for that method is that it is how my grandma always did it I typically just feel the edges of the lid and find where the lid is standing out the farthest from the glass (the lid is usually not perfectly centered, so you'll find one side of the lid is often extending a little more than the other) and pull it off with a spoon from there... a sharp lift up with the spoon on the underside of the lid does the trick. and rarely is the lid damaged using that method.

[Redman]

My jar sealer adapter arrived yesterday and I tried it with my Mityvac automotive hand vacuum pump. I had thought the pump was leaking down but it wasn't. It took a fair amount of squeezing the handle but I was able to seal a lid on an empty jar. Kind of hard on my hands but doable.

[Stwood]

Glad it works for you.
Found my automotive vacuum pump. Mine is a plunger type, like a bicycle pump.
So it's going to take 2 bodies to run a mason vac operation.
One to run the pump with both hands, then one to hold the jar adapter down.

[Billie D]

I have a question...
In the earlier posts it asks about doing this for smaller storage of beans, rice, other dried goods etc.
I do this with oxygen absorbers and it works excellent! And, it lasts for years.
Just pour your product in, throw in an absorber, seal and wait for the "ping!".
I use canning jars, or any other jars that have a seal in them (spaghetti jars, etc.)
I get the absorbers at Winco for fairly cheap. 

Not knocking this way of sealing them at all, just wondering, what would be the advantage of vacuum sealing the jars?

[Stwood]

I do this with oxygen absorbers and it works excellent! And, it lasts for years.
Just pour your product in, throw in an absorber, seal and wait for the "ping!".
I use canning jars, or any other jars that have a seal in them (spaghetti jars, etc.)
I get the absorbers at Winco for fairly cheap. 

Cool. I just bought some absorbers. I may try this today.

Thanks

[Redman]

I have a question...
In the earlier posts it asks about doing this for smaller storage of beans, rice, other dried goods etc.
I do this with oxygen absorbers and it works excellent! And, it lasts for years.
Just pour your product in, throw in an absorber, seal and wait for the "ping!".
I use canning jars, or any other jars that have a seal in them (spaghetti jars, etc.)
I get the absorbers at Winco for fairly cheap. 

Not knocking this way of sealing them at all, just wondering, what would be the advantage of vacuum sealing the jars?

Hmm, I don't throw away commercial jars. Should be able to find O2 absorbers somewhere around Houston.

[Stwood]

Amazon. 10 bucks for a hundred I think

[Redman]

Yeah there is that.

I need to raid the smiley at The Den and save on my machine. 

[LvsChant]

I have a question...
In the earlier posts it asks about doing this for smaller storage of beans, rice, other dried goods etc.
I do this with oxygen absorbers and it works excellent! And, it lasts for years.
Just pour your product in, throw in an absorber, seal and wait for the "ping!".
I use canning jars, or any other jars that have a seal in them (spaghetti jars, etc.)
I get the absorbers at Winco for fairly cheap. 

Not knocking this way of sealing them at all, just wondering, what would be the advantage of vacuum sealing the jars?

I guess you could say it is the belt + suspenders idea...

I use both for things I plan to store for a long time...

For things I just plan to use within a year or so, I don't typically bother with the O2 absorber...  you could certainly skip the vacuum seal and just use an O2 absorber, too...

[Stwood]

Yeah there is that.

I need to raid the smiley at The Den and save on my machine. 

 

[Redman]

 

Really? I know that the guy running the Den raided another place for most of the smileys.

[Redman]

I guess you could say it is the belt + suspenders idea...

I use both for things I plan to store for a long time...

For things I just plan to use within a year or so, I don't typically bother with the O2 absorber...  you could certainly skip the vacuum seal and just use an O2 absorber, too...

Interesting post and idea LvsChant.

[Stwood]

Really? I know that the guy running the Den raided another place for most of the smileys.

Ayup. Lot's a raiding. I've raided some...

[Redman]

I opened one of my vacuum sealed chicken bouillon jar this morning. I tried to seal the same lid back on it but it never would seal. Guess they need the plastisol warmed and expanded again or just use a new lid. I didn't want to do either. I just put the old lug lid back on it. I probably won't bother with sealing chicken bouillon again but the beef and tomato bouillon I probably will since I don't use it very quickly.

[Stwood]

What size lug lid is it Red

[Redman]

Regular mouth size lid. Something was not happening correctly. Later I took a used lid and sealed it to a pint canning jar. Something I didn't do right. I had a lid sealed to this jar but it wouldn't re-seal nor would another used lid.

[Redman]

Used some powdered eggs this morning. Sealed the same lid back to the jar no problems. The jar yesterday was a 32 oz. Mt. Olive pepperoncini jar, regular mouth size. Got struck by a dose of stupid I guess.

[Stwood]

Our eggs look ok in the jar. Haven't tried any yet.
We did a pint and a half last year

[Redman]

With what I get tomorrow that will give me 6 dz. in the frig. Free or way cheap. Probably eat some fresh but most will get dehydrated. 2 1/2 pints on the shelf now. This and powdered milk are making pancakes and quick breads easy for me now.

[Stwood]