You can lift super hot jars safely and confidently with this jar lifter.
I’ve been canning and pickling for about 15 years now — starting with applesauce when my kids were young and then graduating to jellies and jams, relishes and pickles. But, I’ve never had good tools to do the job with.
That is, until recently when I bought some legit canning tools until this year — and what a difference good tools make. Now, I should have known this already. Having the right tools — a pruner that fits your hand well, a sturdy trowel, a tree saw — makes a huge difference in gardening. Cooking is no different.
Grab those lids out of boiling water with a lid magnet.
I bought this set from Egg|Plant Urban Farm Supply, a fun store on Selby Avenue in St. Paul last spring. The store is full of gear for gardeners, chicken keepers and canners, both equipment and how-to books. This simple set from Ball, the kingpins of canning, included a brilliantly efficient jar lifter (no more burned hands), a magnetic lid grabber and a tool that removes air from jars and measures the headspace between the food you are preserving and the jar lid.
Monday I made eight jars of pickle relish, using my rather abundant supply of cucumbers, and today I canned six half pints of peach preserves. It’s a good week for canning, especially with good tools.
A simple funnel makes loading jars up easier and neater.
I wish I had that magnetic lid lifter. What a great idea.
What a wonderfully simple idea for canning. I always have such a hard time picking up the hot lids, this is really neat. So many great ideas in your posts!
Mary, I finally tried canning a couple of weeks ago, and I’m completely hooked. I made both cucumber and zucchini pickles, pickled hot peppers, pickled green beans, and salsa. They all turned out great. Saturday I canned 17 more pints of pickles. Later this week I’ll make marinara. Now I find myself looking around at all my veggies thinking, “What’s next?”
Tom — Woo-hoo! glad you are enjoying the canning. If you have red peppers, try the recipe on the top of the blog for red pepper relish — it’s amazing.