| I want to cook soups and freeze them in canning | | | | information. I always use regular canning jars to |
| jars and have ordered a product online that will | | | | put my freezer jam in. Into the freezer,and I |
| vacuum seal these jars for me. I have never | | | | have never had one break on me. |
| canned but I found online that there are canning | | | | The package says not to reuse the seals. Do you |
| jars that I can freeze in. I know that I must leave | | | | reuse them or throw them out after each use? |
| space in the jar for expansion. Do I wait until the | | | | You shouldn't reuse the lids when they are used |
| soup is cooled off before putting it into the jars? | | | | for home canning. They can be used over and |
| Must I purchase these jars online only? Would the | | | | over for vacuum sealing. I've kept my dry-goods |
| canning jars that they sell at Ace, etc. not be | | | | like beans, seeds, grains, pasta, etc. in |
| advisable for freezing? | | | | wide-mouthed canning jars of all sizes and have |
| All standard canning jars (Ball and Kerr) can safely | | | | used the lids over and over. Eventually the sealing |
| be placed in the freezer. Jars take up a lot of | | | | compound can get old and brittle and not hold a |
| freezer space and are somewhat dangerous | | | | seal, in which case it gets tossed and replaced. I |
| because they can and do break easily. Cleaning | | | | also soften the sealing compound on the lids in |
| glass out of a freezer would be about the last | | | | warm water before using them the first time on |
| thing on my list of things to do. | | | | a vacuum-sealed jar. |
| A better method for freezing soup (and many | | | | Have you ever used the plastic lids? Do you know |
| other foods) is to quick-freeze it in user-friendly | | | | if they can be vacuum sealed as well as reused |
| amounts first. I use 1-cup plastic containers for | | | | as needed? I only wish the plastic lids could be |
| soup so that I can use 1 for one serving (nice for | | | | vacuum sealed - that would indeed be wonderful!!! |
| lunch for one), or I can pull out more if I need | | | | I use those plastic lids all the time, but just for |
| more servings. After they are frozen I pop them | | | | non-vacuum sealed items. |
| out of the plastic containers and stack them and | | | | I freeze all extra homemade soup in regular |
| seal them with my FoodSaver in a bag. They fit | | | | canning jars, but I make sure to only fill them 2/3 |
| better in the freezer. You can do the same thing | | | | full so the contents don't expand and break the |
| in inexpensive 1-quart plastic freezer containers if | | | | glass. If you're careful, you shouldn't have a |
| you need larger amounts than 1-serving sizes. | | | | problem. Make sure that if you're placing hot food |
| You should probably check the manufacturers | | | | into the jars, to submerge the jars in hot water |
| instructions about vacuum-sealing soup before it's | | | | first so that they won't break while filling. I allow |
| frozen, or after; and whether that can/should be | | | | my soups to cool or refrigerate over night before |
| done in a jar. Call the toll-free number for more | | | | putting in the freezer. |