A vacuum sealer is one of the most popular machines used to seal food in plastic bags. It helps in keeping food safe for a longer period of time and to keep the food away from bacteria. But, to seal mason jars you need to purchase special jar vacuum sealer machine. In fact, most of the industrial vacuum sealer also provides the facility of sealing mason jars. But you need to confirm it before purchasing.
Why use Mason jars?
Certain liquid and dry foods are difficult to store in plastic bags. Plus, there is a risk of plastic bags getting torn easily. This is where mason jars come into picture. Mason jars allow storing liquid foods such as sauces safely and conveniently. With the help of a jar vacuum sealer you can make sure that the mason jar is tightly sealed and store the food safely for a longer period of time.
What foods you can store in Mason jars?
Any food that you don’t eat often enough can be stored in vacuum-sealed jars to increase its storage life. For example,
- Dry goods such as rice, popcorn, pasta
- Dehydrated foods
- Freeze-dried foods – when you open a big can, keep the bulk of the product in large jars and vacuum-seal, and put a smaller amount in a jar for daily use
- Bulk spices
- Oatmeal
- Powdered milk
- Candy – buy candy on clearance after holidays and vacuum seal for later use
Never vacuum seal sugar or brown sugar. It will become as hard as a brick and you won’t be able to use it.
However, in order to perfectly seal a mason jar, you must follow certain steps. These steps are almost similar to sealing a plastic bag, however, in this case, the steps are a bit complicated. Let’s have a look at how to seal mason jars.
- Prepare your jar: You need to make sure that no problem is caused throughout the sealing process. In order to get better results, you must leave at least one-inch space in the jar. Not leaving any space while sealing will result in major problems in the suction process. As a result, the jar won’t be sealed perfectly.
- Attach the jar sealing accessories carefully: You must attach all the jar sealing accessories carefully in order to get the best results and to keep the food inside the jar safe. Though it is the simplest process, most people tend to do the mistake here only. Attach the jar sealing accessories on the close mouth of a jar and in order to allow proper suction you must push the accessories to the neck of the jar.
- Attach the air extraction tube: The air extraction tube enables a connection between the jar and the jar vacuum sealer machine. Make sure that you attach the air extraction tube tightly. A loose connection will result in poor suction, as a result, the jar won’t be sealed properly.
- Turn on the machine: Once you have prepared your jar and have attached the jar sealing and the air extraction tube, its time to turn on the machine and start the sealing process. But, before you turn on the machine make sure that there is no lose connection as it will affect the sealing process.
In case you use an automatic jar vacuum sealer, there is no need to turn on or turn off the machine as it operates automatically. If you have a manual jar vacuum sealer machine, then you will need to turn on/off the machine and adjust its speed.
Conclusion
Mason jars are a lot better than plastic bags as there’s no risk of food getting spoiled due to plastic or the plastic getting torn. Though the process of sealing mason jars is almost similar to sealing plastic bags, you still need to be careful as a small mistake will ruin the jar as well as the food. Make sure that all the tubes and accessories are attached tightly and leave at least an inch of space in the mason jar. This will ensure airtight seal of jars and keep your food safe for a longer time.
