4 Easy Ways to Sterilize Jars

by Abbas Jahangir · July 3, 2021

The most practical way to consume summer fruits and vegetables in winter is canned food. In the days when we entered the last turning point of the summer season, winter preparations gained speed; tomato paste, sauce, menemen, jam, etc. in many homes. We know that the food is prepared with great care.

In the meantime, of course, a lot of clean jars and jar lids are needed. There are many things to consider when preparing winter foods. One of them is the issue of sterilizing jars.

So what are the glass bottle disinfection methods? How to disinfect the jar in the home environment? Let’s look at the answers to all these questions together!

4 Easy Ways to Sterilize Jars

Method 1: Boiling

When it comes to jar sterilization, the first and most applied method that comes to mind is the method of boiling in the pot:

In this method, the jars are first washed in hot water and dried.
After the washing process, all the jars are placed in a pot filled with water and the bottom of the stove is opened.
The jars are kept in boiling water for at least 15 minutes. During this time, the bottom of the stove is not turned off. That is, the boiling process is continued for another 15 minutes. The ideal time is 30 minutes.
After the bottom of the stove is turned off, the jars are removed from the pot with the help of tongs.
You have to be very careful at this stage. Never touch hot water with bare hands. Carefully remove the jars from the pot with the help of tongs.
Put the jars you took out of the pot by turning them upside down on a clean kitchen towel.
Before the jars get cold, fill the winter ingredients you have prepared and close the lid tightly.

Method 2: Dishwasher Wash

If your dishwasher has a high-temperature wash setting, you can sterilize your jars by washing them in the dishwasher. Washing in the dishwasher is the easiest jar cleaning method.

All you have to do is put the jars in the dishwasher and run it at the highest temperature.
When the machine is finished, carefully remove the jars and fill the winter material you have prepared before it cools down and close the lid.

Method 3: Oven Sterilization

If you do not prefer the boiling method, you can sterilize your jars in the oven:

To do this, first, wash the jars with cold water and dry them.
Arrange the jars spaced apart on the baking tray. In this way, hot air travels easily in the spaces between the jars.
Set the temperature of the oven to 100-130 degrees. If you go above this temperature, the jars may crack.
20 minutes is sufficient for sterilization in the oven. Be careful not to open the oven door during this time.
After 20 minutes, carefully remove the jars from the oven. That is all!

Method 4: Microwave Sterilization

If you are going to sterilize several jars, you can safely do this in the microwave:

First, wash the jars thoroughly with cold water. In this method, unlike the others, you have to leave the jars a little wet.
Place the cleaned jars in the microwave oven.
Fill a coffee cup with water and place it on one side of the oven.
Set the microwave oven to the highest heat.
2-3 minutes is sufficient for sterilization in the microwave oven. At the end of the time, fill the jars you took out of the microwave oven before they cool down.

How to Sterilize Jar Lids?

Jar lids are sterilized similarly to jar sterilization methods. We should warn you that these metal-only covers should never be placed in the microwave oven.

So what are the easiest and most reliable jar lid sterilization methods? Let’s examine it together!

Boiling Method: Fill the jar lids into a deep pot filled with water. Put the pot on the stove and turn on the bottom of the stove. After the water starts to boil, continue boiling for another 5 minutes. That is all. Boiling in water is the most preferred method of sterilizing jars and jar lids.
Washing: If you have decided to sterilize your jars by washing them in the dishwasher, we recommend that you separate a part of the machine for the lids.
Sterilization in the Oven: You can sterilize the lids of the jars by placing them on the baking tray with the jars.