Tattler lids - I wanna cry

I spent five hours in a hot kitchen over twenty pounds of beautiful tomatoes boiling down into yummy marinara. It smelled amazing.  It tasted even better. Into my water canner they went, four pints and two quarts, for 40 minutes with the finger tight tattler lids peeping out at me. And 40 minutes later I find two intact pint jars and a whole mess of sludgy tomatoes water. I'm so mad.

What did I do wrong? I have used the tattler lids before only several times, and I think I've had a lid fail twice, but not four all at once. Do the bands need to be completely dry after they're scalded before they go on the jars? Is finger tight slightly tighter than I'm thinking it is? Is tattler just a sucky option and I should resign myself to constantly buying metal lids?

Completely dry isn’t necessary, but the tension of the band is critical. Hold a finger down on the lid while you tighten the band just enough to make the jar start to spin with the band. No tighter. Otherwise it’s failure waiting to happen. Also be sure that you wipe the edge of the jar before you place the gasket, then the lid. I’ve found that trying to place the gasket on the lid, then flipping it onto the jar is also a recipe for failure. The gasket often slips out of place.

I sorrow for your marinara...
It sounds like the lids were too loose.

:(

Thank you both! I think maybe my problem is gasket placement.  I have been putting it on the lid, then centering the lid on the jar, instead of placing them separately... until I figure this out I'll use metal lids on all but two cans so that I don't lose so much at once!

I have to admit that I find the Tattler lids harder to use than the plain metal lids. I am very fussy about having the gasket carefully centered, and the ring snug, but still able to release the steam.

The Tattler lids don't pop down, so I'm not as confident that I could tell if there properly sealed or not. They seem to take up more room than the metal lids, so the rings aren't as fully engaged.

I find that both apple sauce and tomato sauce are prone to failure - they seem very prone to bubbling over. Did you have the water bubbling more vigorously than it needed too? I tend to only use the 500ml jars so that I don't have to process for so long also.

Did the rings come right off, or did the tomato leak out the edge of the lid? Did you leave enough head room?

As an alternative, we splurged on some Stainless rings and lids, so that might be an option to try also. I admit they got set aside, so I haven't tested them yet.

Like Jay, I find the Tattler lids more fussy to use. I keep them as a reserve, because supply chains(!), but I prefer the metal lids. The wide mouth ones, in particular, seem to be especially prone to seal failures. I use them frequently for dry goods, though.

Jay, I'll need to watch out for boiling too hard, it's definitely a tendency of mine. I also wonder if I didn't leave enough headspace. ..

Shawn, I definitely agree about ease! I want to get the hang of tattler now though so that I'm not learning when the waste actually really matters to my family...
How do you dry can with tattler lids?

Ugh! I'm so sorry that you lost all those resources (time, energy, effort, product...). It kind of reminds me of the time we had no funds to go out to eat, and my pressure cooker sent my family's yummy dinner up to coat the ceiling...

Ann Zotter wrote:
Shawn, I definitely agree about ease! I want to get the hang of tattler now though so that I'm not learning when the waste actually really matters to my family...
How do you dry can with tattler lids?

I don't dry can per se, but I do use the Tattler lids in conjunction with the accessory part of my FoodSaver vacuum sealer for dry goods (dried herbs, food-quantity seeds and grains, dry legumes, etc) to extend the shelf life and flavor by reducing the oxygen content in the jar. Basically, it's a cup that fits over the top of the lid, with a tube that leads to the FoodSaver. Sometimes takes a couple of tries, but it's very easy to see when the vacuum isn't holding because the lid just pops off when you remove the accessory.

Make sure you read Tattler's directions carefully. They really are a wee bit different from metal lids. Then read this thread, which has great help (and pictures!).

Oh Carla...
At least no one got hurt!

Ann Zotter wrote:Oh Carla...
At least no one got hurt!

I can laugh about it, now - I mean, how funny is mopping split pea soup off the ceiling, as it drops on your head?😂🤪 Hopefully, someday, you'll be able to look back and laugh, too.