Tattler Lids: Notes for Next Year & A Giveaway!

This giveaway is closed.  Please see who won here.

You can read about my first experience with Tattler Reusable Lids here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

After reading my posts, the president of Tattler Lids, Brad Stieg, contacted me via email to offer some advice regarding my results.  After exchanging a few emails, we spoke on the phone.  It was extremely helpful to talk through the process and my experience with the person who knows these lids best!  I was happy with my final results (especially for my first try) and have the sense that I have a pretty good handle on their usage going into next year.  Brad was not as happy about my results- he knows these lids perform even better and therefore wanted to give me some further advice to ensure even better results next year.

After talking with Brad, here are some streamlined concepts I want to remember for next year's canning projects:

*  There are two times that you tighten the metal ring on each jar when canning with Tattler Lids- once before it goes into the canner and then again after it comes out.  The "before" needs to be significantly looser than the "after" and is the "turn" that is most different than using metal lids.  The ways I want to remember this "before" metal ring adjusment are as follows...

~ Aim for the loose end of the finger-tip tight spectrum.  The definition of "finger-tip tight" might mean slightly different things to different people, but if you can imagine everyone's definitions of finger-tip tight, aim for the loose end of that spectrum.  One way to get a sense of this tightness, according to Brad, is to look on the top of the Tattler Lid at the space between the metal ring and the lid as you turn the metal band.  When the space closes between them and the metal band comes against the Tattler Lid, stop.

~ Another way to familiarize yourself with this concept is to place water in a jar, place a Tattler lid on top and then a metal ring.  Then turn it upside down over your sink.  If no water comes out, loosen the metal band slightly and try again.  Keep doing this until it starts to leak water.  Then tighten it slightly- just to stop the leaking.  Note how tight the band is on at this point by slightly loosening and tightening the band to get the feel for how loosely the band is threaded.  Aim for that when tightening the metal ring before putting your jar in the canner on canning day.

~  If you happen to make the metal band too tight before placing it in the canner, it can lead to a doming effect that can mess with your sealing success.  If a jar comes out of the canner domed up instead of dipped down (the lid's natural state) it means you tightened it too tight.  Air was not able to escape and pressure is trapped inside.  This can happen to metal lids, too, and can mean a sudden release of pressure that can make hot contents escaping, causing a burn.  Looser is better.

*  As soon as the jar comes out of the canner, tighten the metal ring to the tight end of the finger-tip tight spectrum.  This means (with a towel, of course, because the jar will be hot) using both hands and securely making the band press down on the lid.  No need to crank down as hard as you can.  Just tighten it down so the metal band presses the plastic lid firmly into the rubber ring.

* Watch Brad's own very helpful video. I watched a couple other videos on their site before canning applesauce, but missed this one.  It's the most helpful one in my opinion.  It can be found on the front page of their website or can be watched right here:

If you're new to canning, I recommend learning on Tattler Lids right from the start.  They're no more difficult to get the hang of than metal lids are for new canners.  If you can learn from these from the start, you won't have to make adjustments to your canning practices later.

If you're a veteran canner, I recommend learning how to use Tattler Lids.  Friends, we can and do learn new tricks all the time.  We learned how to can in the first place didn't we?  One reason I can comfortably recommend them is because of the quality of customer service available.  These folks believe in their product and the president will even patiently wait when asked to hold while you console a screaming child.  Why do they always act up when we're on the phone?

Part of me is glad every year that the canning season is over.  That's a pretty large part of me, actually.  But I'm already having a little fun setting aside my Tattler Lids and rubber rings after they come off our applesauce jars.  Those lids will end up on jars of tomato sauce, peaches, salsa and more- not in the trash.

Nice.

Giveaway! TWO lucky commenters will each win a box of a dozen regular sized Tattler Lids AND a dozen wide mouth Tattler Lids thanks to the generous Tattler folks.  To enter, leave a comment telling me how many years you've been canning (zero is a valid answer!). Please one entry per household.  It is most helpful if you can leave me your first name or some initials so I can identify you if you win.  I will draw two winners randomly on Friday afternoon.

Happy entering and I'm so curious to see how many years of combined canning experience we have between us!

Also, I am having  SO MUCH fun giving away cookbooks!  I've given 5 (make that 6!) away so far- read here for more details. Pin It