tips for successful canning with Tattler-style reusable lids

canning with reusable lids

I've been using reusable canning lids for about nine years now. (I use the Tattler brand, but everything in this post should apply to other brands as well.) In the beginning, however, I had a lot of seal fails. So many, that I almost gave up on them. I almost went back to using disposable lids. But the appeal of not having to buy new lids every year was high, so I started to analyze why I was having fails.  In observing and analyzing the lid failure problem, I have figured out four primary reasons why my reusable lids don't seal.

1. Something is between the red rubber ring and the jar rim

Basic canning technique is to carefully wipe jar rims after filling the jars and before putting on the lids. Anything between the rim and lid is a guaranteed failure. I've always been careful to do that, but when I started looking closely at my Tattler fails, I observed two things going on:

a. During venting, tiny bits get caught under the rubber ring.

chili spices caught under the ring!

During processing, air is vented under the lid, which helps create the vacuum as the sealed jar cools. It's common to lose some of the liquid during canning too, no matter what kind of lids we use. Sometimes, jar contents boil out as well. I find this especially true of powdered spices that don't dissolve and fruits with tiny seeds, such as blueberries.

For the spice escape problem, my answer is to either omit spices that don't dissolve, or put them in a spice bag while cooking the canning contents. Remove the spice bag when filling the jars.

For the seed problem, I had a terrible time canning blueberries. If I canned them as jam, pie filling, or in blueberry applesauce, no problem. It was only as canned berries. So, the solution was either to choose another preservation method or accept the fails for the sake of getting at least some blueberries canned. I figured, the lids are reusable, so, so what? I used the fails to make blueberry jam. Perhaps not an ideal answer to the problem, but I had to choose solutions I could live with.

b. The rubber rings aren't spotlessly clean.

Of course, used rings are washed with hot soapy water after the jar is opened, but does that make them spotlessly clean? Not always.

Here's what I've observed; that when I scald the rings and lids, the heat sometimes lifts food residue from the ring. It's something I don't see beforehand, but after scalding, oils (I think) rise on the surface of the ring.

food residue lifted from the ring during scalding

So, each scalded ring is examined carefully before putting it on the jar. Rings with residue are scrubbed again and re-scalded. Doing this increased my successful sealing rate noticeably.

2. The rubber rings slip a bit off the jar rim

OOPS!

This was a problem when I thought I didn't need to carefully follow the instructions from the lid manufacturers. In other words, I was taking a short cut which resulted in more fails! To prevent this problem:

a. Feel to make sure the ring and lid are centered on the jar rim.

checking that the lid is centered on the jar

I use different brands of jars and have noticed that they aren't all the same thickness of glass. Doing this check helps to make sure the lid is centered.

b. Visually double-check the ring to make sure it sits flatly on the jar rim.

visual check on lid placement

c. Hold the lid and ring in place while screwing on the band.

holding the lid down while screwing on the band

My failure rate decreased significantly when I started following those steps.

3. The metal band doesn't screw on properly.

Not all metal bands fit all jars! Seems like they should, but sometimes they don't. Perhaps that's because of variations between brands and batches in both jars and screw bands. Or, maybe the band has become slightly imperfect. What I've figured out is, that if the band doesn't screw down perfectly on the jar, the seal will fail. The band may fit another jar just fine, but if it doesn't seat properly on a particular jar, I use a different band. I eliminated a few more fails after I started doing this.

4. Allowing the jar to cool too much before completing the seal.

Tattler lids are loosened sightly before being put into the canner. This is to facilitate the air venting process. After processing, the lids must then be tightened to complete the seal. This is easiest with waterbath processing, because the jars are removed immediately when the time is up. With a pressure canner, the pressure must return to normal before opening the canner. Sometimes, I get distracted and don't get to completing the seal until after the jars have cooled a bit. If the contents of the jars have cooled too much, they don't create as strong a vaccuum.

Sometimes a jar passes the seal test, but later, after it's been in the pantry for awhile, I discover the lid is loose. I believe this, too, is from completing the seal after the jars have cooled down too much. They're still hot enough to seal, but the vacuum is too weak to maintain a good seal over time. Again, I've had less fails since I started being more diligent with completing the seals.

Old rings will eventually fail too and must be discarded.

When you have jars that fail, always take a careful look at the rubber rings from those jars. That can help you diagnose the problem. If a rubber ring is questionable, I'll use a different color screw band (I have a few that are white) on that jar to double check it. I keep a supply of replacement rings to replace those that must be discarded.

I still have occasional fails, but they are much more rare than they used to be. So, I'm glad I stuck with it and hope this post helps someone else have better success with reusable canning lids.

We had problems too when we initially started using the Tattler-style lids. One thing that we had read said that the headspace should be larger, something like 3/4" for tomatoes instead of 1/2". The larger headspace never sealed as well and we went back to the normal headspace as per our recipes. We have canned many years ago with the old Zinc lids and rubber gaskets and the process of completing the seals is the same. I wish the Tattler lids has a thicker rubber like the old zinc lids so they weren't able to squeeze out of position so easily. Wish we could get better rings (maybe stainless steel) and the old glass lids that were used like the Tattler lids. Weck jars from Europe are nice but why aren'y they made here for U.S. canners?

Thanks for the tips!I just got a full Weck water bath canning setup here in Germany and they have reusable glass lids with rubber seals and clips. Your tips will also be good for that!

I'm not sure they could be used for pressure canning - it's not so popular here, I get the impression we just go for adding acid and water bathing for longer (but any meat recipes I've seen DO specify pressure -i have a pressure cooker that would do)

You can get stainless jar rings here:
https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/stainless-steel-wide-mouth-jar-rings

One solution is a canning funnel! You won't get rid on the rims when filling, at least!

Cara Campbell wrote:You can get stainless jar rings here:
https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/stainless-steel-wide-mouth-jar-rings

One of the folks who commented on their site pointed out that stainless steel bands are superior when it comes to canning sauerkraut. I've been fighting the rust on the bands due to the brine when you tilt the jar slightly for any reason.
I can see that the price is high, yes, but you get a superior product too. If you order a few each year, you will soon have enough for all your canning needs as the old rings will rust away. These won't. I'm going to start replacing mine this year.
Thanks, Cara

That link
https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/stainless-steel-wide-mouth-jar-rings

also has lids (not for canning) and seeds and other things! They take cheques, too, so you can avoid Big Tech.

Thank you for the really informative post.

I have been using tatlers lids for a few years. I almost gave up on them but after a little research I realized that I wasn't holding the lid down when I put the band on, nor was I finishing the processing.

You post greatly added to my knowledge, and succuss.

I have been slowly getting rid of the old bands and moving towards stainless steel.

I realized that my canners can only hold so many jars, so i tried to figure out the max number of of bands I would need at any given time. That is the number of bands I am working towards.

I will buy extras, but I don't need as many stainless steel bands as I currently have of the old ones.

I have found several uses for the old bands. Cutting "centers" out of plastic tub lids to make "refrigerator lids" for the remains of a half used jar.  A canning band wreath...I needed something for the front gate. I considered earrings, but discard the idea. 😀

I use them mostly to protect the rings of jars when in storage.

Thank you so much for this post. I have a bag of wide mouth and a bag of regular tatter canning lids with the rubber seals. They have been stored for about 12 years, I was just afraid to use them after I heard how many fails there were from others. Now I'm going to not only use them but center most of my canning with them.
Although the rubber seals are reusable, they look to me to be more fragile than the lids. Do you think it's wise to get extra rubber seals? Thanks again this was a great and thorough post

Rebecca Gray wrote:Do you think it's wise to get extra rubber seals?

Absolutely get some extras! I stocked up on a couple hundred extras because I know that, eventually, the rubber rings will fail. That said, I'm still using my original rubber seals and they're still sealing.

The stainless steel canning rings really interest me, because rust destroys the tin coated rings. So I'm going to order a small box of each size to try. While i was researching, however, I found this video



I'm going to try her idea too, on all my current rings. I have too many rings to get rid of or easily replace!

I wonder how she stores them?

I live in zone 8a. Hot, humid, and bugs. Lots of bugs. Big Bugs. The rings would have to be in a container to keep the bugs out/from sticking to the oil.

Also, I wonder if food safe mineral oil (the kind you put on wooden utensils) would be better for this application since olive oil goes rancid quickly. I am sure she is just using what she has available.

Thank you for sharing these tips. I’ve been intrigued by these lids, but have read so many complaints about them not sealing properly so haven’t been sure. Good to know that there are ways to make them work, as it’s good to have reusable options.

In Australia with have a system (Fowlers) with stainless steel lids that is all-reusable, but I think those are hard to find elsewhere. Weck seems good too with their glass lids.

Leigh Tate wrote:The stainless steel canning rings really interest me, because rust destroys the tin coated rings. So I'm going to order a small box of each size to try.
I'm going to try her idea too, on all my current rings. I have too many rings to get rid of or easily replace!

Another little "gotcha" where I live is that we have so much lime in our water that when canning you have a thin film of lime on the lids after they cool down.

I read somewhere that if you add some Apple Cider Vinegar to your water bath or pressure cooker that will deter the film from forming. I've been doing that the last couple of years and it seems to work!    

I’m so grateful you took the time to share your knowledge about reusable canning lids! Thank you… This will bless our family.

Thank you for the info on the tattler lids...

I have been researching the problem with rust as well, an alternative to the stainless steal is aluminum bands...    They work great from what I read and are cheaper.

I had an idea about the problems with the rubber rings,  I was wondering if one was to cut rings out of silicone it they would work better than the rubber rings?     Seems that they should hold up better,   I have seen silicone sheets used to make vacuum seals..     It would be interesting to test a ring with standard vacuum sealing with the food saver......

I found this video..    Someone has already tried this except with worn out jar lids...

This looks most promising.

Two tips I got from this video..

1)   boil rings + vinegar before use.

2)   Tighten down again AFTER you pull them from the hot water bath /  pressure cooker.