Lost a whole batch of jam because I trusted a cheap jar lid

Last Saturday I spent like 4 hours making peach jam from the farmer's market haul I got in Asheville. I used some store brand lids I bought in a pinch and didn't check them all. By Tuesday morning I heard this weird pop sound from the pantry and found three jars with the lids bulging and one actually leaked all over the shelf. I had to toss out almost 8 jars of jam because I was too cheap to just buy Ball or Kerr lids. The worst part is my kitchen still smells like rotten fruit and I can't get the smell out. Has this ever happened to anyone else with off brand canning supplies?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina_johnson8616d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, did you actually hear the lids seal when you first put them on? I've always wondered if the cheap ones just don't pop down right from the start. Like maybe they looked sealed but weren't really tight enough. That pop sound you heard before finding them is exactly the kind of thing that gives me nightmares about my own canning setup.

the_angela16d ago

Yeah totally agree with you there @nina_johnson86. I think those cheap lids just don't seat right from the start. I've had ones that popped down but felt loose when I tapped the center later. The real test is after they cool and you lift the jar by the lid alone - the good ones hold tight but the cheap ones flex and sometimes let go. That pop you heard was probably the seal failing under pressure from fermentation or whatever got in there. Sucks you lost all that peach jam though, nothing worse than finding out the hard way that saving a buck cost you hours of work and a stinky pantry.