All About Sterilizing Canning Jars in Dishwasher
Did you know that sterilizing canning jars in dishwasher is one of the easiest way to get clean jars for home canning. All it takes is a bit of forethought and planning.
There are a number of effective methods you can use for jar sterilization in home food preservation. They include using the oven, using a pressure canner or pressure cooker, or my favorite, using the dishwasher.
Sterilizing Canning Jars in Dishwasher
Before you can start the sterilization process, you need to be sure your dishwasher reaches 160 degrees F and has a sanitize cycle. If you see a NSF certification label, then you know they are getting a proper sterilization.
Once you have figured that out, you can sterilize your jars by just placing empty jars upside down.
Start the dishwasher on the hottest setting available and add an extended rinse or steam dry cycle if available.
Try to time this out so the dishwasher will end when you are ready to fill jars with a hot pack method. Remember, hot food or hot liquids in hot jars. If you are not using the hot pack method, then you don’t need to time this out to end just right and can just leave the glass jars in the dishwasher for a long time before filling jars.
Do I NEED to sterilize my canning jars?
Not necessarily. The only time you would need to use the sterilizing process is when there will be a processing time of less than 10 minutes, things like homemade preserves may fall into this category. Otherwise, any other canning recipe that is longer than 10 minutes, the jars will get sterilized during the actual canning process of your food. However, I still like to run my jars using the dishwasher method before hand as it make hot packing extra easy. As long as jars are in a pot where the water boils for 10 minutes, you are good.
However, just for some peace of mind to make sure my jars are really clean and all harmful bacteria is off, I always wash jars in my dishwasher before canning.
What about my lids and bands?
It is no longer necessary to sterilize lids and bands in boiling water. In fact, it is advised against now as it can cause warping and prevent a good seal. Just wash them good in very hot water and you should be good to go with your clean lids. The old standard practices of leaving your lids in a pot of water boiling is no longer needed.
Do I need to wash brand new canning jars?
Please, please do. You never know what has been inside those canning jars before packaging and it doesn’t take a whole lot of extra work to clean your jars, especially with a dishwasher. Before you use the jars for the first time, it is a really good idea to wash them in hot soapy water.
How can I sterilize canning jars without a dishwasher?
Boiling the jars for 10 minutes in a large pot or water bath canner will sterilize canning jars. Be sure to use a jar lifter to remove the mason jars so you don’t burn your hand.
If you prefer to use the oven method though, you can preheat the oven to 275 degrees F and place jars on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Learn More About Canning
- How to Open a Canning Jar
- How to Store Canning Rings
- 20 Practical Canning Tips for Beginners
- Water bath canning vs Pressure canning
- How to Remove Air Bubbles when Canning
- How to Use a Pressure Canner
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