Now that canning is in full swing, I thought I would address whether or not you should remove the rings from canning jars after the jars have been processed. I know that a lot of people don’t remove them–and they have been totally fine after years and years of canning. BUT, the short answer to the question is still yes, you really should remove the rings.
The rings are really only designed to keep the lid on during the processing and cooling part of canning. After that, they only provide a false sense of food safety, by giving the illusion of a good seal. Once jars are cooled, take the rings off and store the jars {don’t stack them–that can also affect the seal}. When a canned good does not have a good seal, eventually the lid will start to lift off of the jar. When the band is on, it can prevent the lifting–making you think the food is still sealed.
{photo credit MamasMinutia}
In addition to giving the illusion of a good seal, the rings can rust. Rust leads to a nightmare of a time getting the rings off when it is actually time to eat whatever is in the jar. It also really shortens the life of the rings, and why spend money replacing something if you don’t have to?
I know the jars won’t look as pretty on the shelf without the traditional canning ring band, but seriously, in the end, it is a safety issue for you and your family. And, the good news is that in the end, it will save you time and money. No more trying to pry off stuck on rings–and no more purchasing excess rings, just new lids.
Happy canning,
~Mavis
Need help getting started on the canning process? Go HERE to find out how to can with a water bath or go HERE to find out how to can with a pressure canner.
Know how to can but need some new recipes? Check out my canning recipes HERE.
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Audrey says
Question: If the seal is bad won’t that still be evident when you remove the ring when you go to eat them? I mean, unless you re-tighten the ring they are actually loose when the canning is done. Shouldn’t that give enough room for the lid to unseal, thus popping the center ring? I’m genuinely curious. I have a friend who doesn’t ring her jars, I have and have never had an issue. But there’s always a first time! I’m just curious.
Kim says
I leave the rings on and yes you can tell when something is bad. There is funky stuff on the lid always and it doesn’t pop. Even if it reseals there will not be a vacuum sound. I don’t know why people make such a big deal of this. If you want to leave your rings on do it. When we moved i had to put the rings bck on 1500 jars not making that mistake again..
Candy says
Very good insight! On keeping rings on. Rust on rings will be due to poor storage and care.
Shannon Featheringill says
I used to take my rings off of stuff that we would use all at once (ie: pasta sauce, canned beef, sour kraut) but left them on pickles, salsa, jam, etc. because of keeping them in the fridge after it was opened. A few years ago I found plastic screw on caps for regular AND wide mouth jars at Wal-Mart. Problem solved!
Jane says
Those plastic caps changed my life! 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
We love them too. 🙂
Teckla says
Mavis, you are right on all points! I always remove the rings, rinse them, let them dry, then store in gallon Ziploc bags until time to use again. I always rinse and dry the jars before storing so that they will not have any mold or gunk on them. And, for sure, why pay extra for stuff you don’t have to! Good advice!
Ellen in Clackamas says
My Mom always took the rings off and then we kids washed and dried them and put them in a big brown grocery bag. They were my first pieces of jewelry…bracelets up the arms!!!
Sandra says
I love the plastic lids for storing opened jars in the fridge! I recently discovered that some brands of peanut butter have jar lids that fit regular mouth canning jars. Before I recycle my peanut butter jars, I check to see if it has a “free” lid. If you use Parmesan cheese in the jar, the lid for the brand name product also often fits canning jars.
Ashley says
Hello, I am very new to canning, but alas I have already had my first catastrophe. I decided to leave my rings on, after thoroughly drying, for the purpose of having them when I opened the jars. My husband had built two shelves for me to store all my many jars of pickles on. Apparently, he didn’t do such a great job and a shelf with about 30 qts came down. Interestingly enough, the rings saved my food. Some of the jars did break, but only about 8 out of 30-40, so not a huge loss. The rings were dented, but they kept the lids on the other jars! So I am now in favor of leaving the rings on. I don’t understand the rust issue, it seems to me that if everything is dry when you shelf it, how would it get damp to rust? Also, I periodically checked my seals, since this is my first season canning, and I did have one batch of jam that didn’t seal (too much headspace) and even with the rings on it was evident my seal hadn’t kept.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yikes! I’m glad to hear most of your jars made it.
SweetSue says
I’ve been canning for years but my daughter taught me something new and it worked. We’re told to put the hot jars upright after the hot water bath. My daughter said to put them upside-down as the heat from the water, jam etc. seals the lids faster and better. I tried it and she was right. Try it and after they pop(creating a vacuum) you can turn them right-side up and let them cool completely.
Ashley says
I have done that with strawberry jam and my jam is still all stuck at the top of the jar a year later!!!
Kathleen says
I always took my rings off. But… we had a mouse get in!! Do you know that booger actually pried off the lids of some of the jars!! He couldn’t get to the lid of the few jars that had the rings on them. I even found small dents in the lid edge where he tried and failed to break the seal. Needless to say, they went out in the trash. Everything had to be rewashed and sanitized. Then I stored with the ring on loosely. I did make certain that everything was dry. I also check the seals regularly. Live and learn I guess.
Jackie S. says
i have been canning for 49 years since I was married. I learned from my mother-in-law to keep the rings on. What I do is to loosen the lid so it is just barley on and they never stick. It’s just easier to keep the lids on and you know where they are. I could always know if something was bad just by looking at the jar.
Now I have a question on another subject. Does anyone have a good recipe for Preserves. When you go shopping these days you see jars saying they are preserves and they are just jam. I like fruit in my preserves and can’t stand the jam and my family can’t. Lost my recipe many years ago when I moved and have not been able to make it since then. My family is haunting me to make some now.
Thanks For the help
Sunny580 says
There are LOTS of them on Pinterest. Instant pot is very popular in making them. I make the orange marmalade recipe and friends always wants more.