How to Sterilize Jars and Lids

First, wash the glass jars thoroughly in warm water to completely remove any traces of grease, dirt, and rust. For cleaning off grime I use baking soda – it is safe and effective, unlike chemical detergents.

Once the jars are completely clean, move on to the second step: a visual inspection. If you find chips or cracks in the glass, set that jar aside. Only containers without any damage are suitable for canning.

This method is convenient for containers up to one litre in size – three-litre jars are hard to fit into a pot.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Wash the jars thoroughly in clean water with baking soda.
2. Place a towel at the bottom of a large pot – it cushions the jars and prevents cracking.
3. Fill the jars with water and lower them into the pot so they do not touch each other. You can add the lids here too for sterilising.
4. Pour water into the pot up to the shoulders of the jars and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 20 minutes – that is plenty of time. If the jars do not fit upright, you can lay them on their side.
5. Take the sterile containers out of the pot, pour out the water, and use them straight away.

Once the inner walls "fog up" and drops collect at the bottom, you can stop sterilising. Approximate times:

• half-litre – 6–8 min;
• 1–2 litres – 10–15 min;
• 3 litres – 20–25 min.

You need a vessel whose edges will hold an inverted jar. Fill the vessel halfway with water or less, and set the jar upside down so the neck stays above the water.

If you do not have such a vessel, take a pot or kettle of water, place a colander on top, and stand the jar upside down on it. Another option: put a potato masher into a pot of water and hang the jar on it. The main thing is that steam from the boiling water reaches the inside of the jar.

Put it on the heat and bring to a boil. Hold over the steam for at least 15 minutes. Three-litre jars – at least 20 minutes.

First wash the jars and the multicooker bowl well. If you have cooked meat or strongly flavoured dishes in the multicooker, you need to get rid of any lingering odours: add 3 cups of water and a couple of lemon slices to the bowl, close the lid, and run any mode (Soup, Baking, Stewing) for a few minutes.

Pour water into the multicooker, place a steaming rack into the bowl, and stand the jars on it neck-down. If the jars are small, you can close the multicooker lid, but it is not essential. Set the "Steam" mode and process:

• half-litre – 6–8 min;
• 1–2 litres – 10–15 min;
• 3 litres – 20–25 min.

Not every multicooker has a "Steam" mode. In that case, turn on any programme (Soup, Cook). The main thing is that the water boils: sterilisation happens through the action of the steam.

This method is considered one of the most effective – the containers are heated at a high temperature. You can load more than a dozen small jars into the oven at once, or a couple of 3-litre jars.

Put the jars into a cold oven – set them on the rack. Ideally neck-down, so condensation runs off.

First set the dial to +90 °C. After a few minutes, raise it to +120...+130 °C and hold for 10–20 minutes. Leave the jars in the switched-off oven until they cool completely. Then use them for filling with preserves.

If you do not feel like spending time on heating, you can treat the containers with alcohol. The method is considered fairly effective and does not require much effort.

Dry the washed jars by laying them out neck-down on a rack. Pour 50 ml of alcohol into a medium container, cover with a lid and shake for 30 seconds so the antiseptic spreads around. Pour the alcohol into the empty jars, and dry off the first container.

You can also use vinegar. For a half-litre jar you will need 150 ml of 9% vinegar and 100 ml of water. Pour the vinegar and water into the jar, close it tightly and shake for 20–30 seconds. One solution can treat 15–20 jars.

Potassium permanganate works the same way. Make a deep-pink solution, pour it into the jar, close the lid and shake for 20 seconds. You can treat more than 20 jars.

If you take the view that full sterilisation requires heating to 100 °C, many people consider a dishwasher unsuitable (it heats to 70–80 °C). In fact, 70 °C also kills germs – so this option can be used too.

But not all dishwashers reach this temperature. If your machine maxes out below 70 °C, use other methods.

Wash the dirt off the jars first, load them into the dishwasher, and set the maximum temperature. Never add any detergent!

Advantages: more jars are processed at once, the process runs automatically, and there is no risk of burning yourself with steam or boiling water.

Some lid designs have a sealing ring that must not be heated too strongly. So sterilise them at a temperature of around +100 °C, no higher.

Simple tin and screw-on lids

During the visual inspection, reject any lids with dents or rust.

Lids can be sterilised together with the jars (the boiling-water, steam, and multicooker methods). Simply lower them into the boiling water. Sterilising them separately is also easy: pour water into a small pot and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to minimum, lower in the lids and boil for at least 10 minutes. Take the heated lids out with a spoon and use them straight away for sealing.

Polyethylene lids

Polyethylene lids must not be kept in boiling water for long – they warp. Wash them thoroughly and hold them in boiling water for no more than 15 seconds.