Use canning jars only! The home canning jar design is safe to be used under pressure. Jars that are not specifically designed for canning may break under the vacuum pressure and can be dangerous. Well known brands include Ball, Mason, Kerr easily found online or in your local grocery store or hardware store, under home canning supplies.
Use the canning lids with red rubber gaskets for best results. Any brand may work but we have found the red gaskets work better than the gray gaskets.
Check for any chips or cracks in the glass and discard any damaged jars. Do not use damaged jars for vacuum sealing.
Vacuum sealing in jars is not canning! Canning requires heat to kill harmful bacteria. Vacuum sealing does not kill harmful bacteria. Do not put fresh produce or meats in a vacuum-sealed jar without refrigeration or freezing. Vacuum sealing in jars does not change how your food is stored. Vacuum sealing in canning jars is great for dry products stored on shelves. Products such as dehydrated fruit or vegetables, nuts, grains, cookies, crackers and other similar products already stored in pantries or cupboards. Vacuum sealing in jars is also good for grated cheeses, block cheese, soups, stew, sauces, and fresh fruit, stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Do not change where you normally store your food when vacuum sealing. Food items in your refrigerator stay in the fridge, freezer items stay frozen, cupboard items remain in cupboards. Vacuum packing extends the quality of these products for your extended use. It does not change the way they are to be properly safely stored. Changing the storage location of products can produce very harmful even fatal bacteria called botulism.
Freezing foods in vacuum-sealed freezer jars. Use only canning jars that are especially designed for freezing. The same canning jar companies manufacture these jars. Freezer safe canning jars are straight sided, designed for use in freezers.
When removing the canning lid from the jar be sure to not bend or twist the lid. Careful removal of the lid will allow the lid to be reused many times before needing to be replaced.
Be safe and clean with your equipment. Vacuum sealing is not preservation it is storage. Carefully wash all lids and jars between uses to prevent the spread of mold or bacteria.
