What Do You Do With Your Used Glass Jars?

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Glass is impermeable to anything that would be associated with tobacco so reusing after sterilization (insert your method here...) is just common sense.

The function of the ring is to hold the rubber seal of the steel lid securely against the lip of the glass to create a nearly airtight seal, hence the rings are safely reusable many, many times provided they aren't dented or show signs of decay.

The steel lids have a rubber seal and a protective coating to minimize the chance of the steel from decaying and contaminating the contents inside the glass jar. The rubber seal and the coating is compromised after 1 use and should be tossed and replaced just like when they are used for canning fruits and vegetables. They are designed as a one-time-use component.

I have jars that are over 80 years old that are just as usable as brand new ones off the shelf of your local Target store. I replace the lids every time I refill and haven't needed to replace any rings yet but unless I crack or chip a glass jar I will reuse them indefinitely.

Simple chemistry folks. puffy
 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
12,925
21,671
SE PA USA
Oh, damn, caught out again. I try to look docile and all friendly, but am more fiendly.

How's this for bad a** m.f.?:
I had mold in a bag of Planta Full English six months ago. I threw away the moldy bits, resealed the bag, and just opened it last night. Voila! A half pound of fine aged tobacco which I have been smoking for a day now. OMG!!!

If I am hereafter absent, you'll know the mold got me...
When Chuck Norris decided to start smoking a pipe, he called John for advice.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
45,309
119,612
? Are you just smoking from tins or what?
Tins, bags of aromatics I haven't gotten around to jarring, pouches, and each of many of my jars contain one pound. I can smoke the same blend for weeks and barely scratch the surface and with 360+ pounds in the closet, it may be a couple more years before I empty a jar.
 

F4RM3R

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 28, 2019
567
2,516
38
Canada
For real! I went to 3 different stores this week, nothing but ball jar accessories and those plastic lids no one seems to want. Not one jar.
Ya it's ridiculous here in canada. Seriously every store was out of jars and lids or every size, for weeks. Most of the stores still don't have jars. And people are actually selling their old jars for crazy prices(okay maybe not 3x the price though) Luckily I found a spot the other day( which I won't disclose) where I found some jars to do some more pickling and preserves.
 
One of the things I picked up from winemaking is that there is a difference between clean, sanitized, and sterilized. You can sterilize something and it still be dirty. One of the other things I picked up was that yeast, mold, and bacteria is EVERYWHERE AT ALL TIMES. If you don’t believe me, just start a wine and put a spoon from the dishwasher in your must. I’ll guarantee you that you’ll have vinegar in a few weeks.

My kitchen has to be ready for surgery clean before starting a wine or mead. I carry that over for dealing with my homegrown tobacco also. It’s just too easy to get mold. Drop the ball just for a second and you’ve ruined a years work.
 
May 2, 2020
4,664
23,786
Louisiana
Glass is impermeable to anything that would be associated with tobacco so reusing after sterilization (insert your method here...) is just common sense.

The function of the ring is to hold the rubber seal of the steel lid securely against the lip of the glass to create a nearly airtight seal, hence the rings are safely reusable many, many times provided they aren't dented or show signs of decay.

The steel lids have a rubber seal and a protective coating to minimize the chance of the steel from decaying and contaminating the contents inside the glass jar. The rubber seal and the coating is compromised after 1 use and should be tossed and replaced just like when they are used for canning fruits and vegetables. They are designed as a one-time-use component.

I have jars that are over 80 years old that are just as usable as brand new ones off the shelf of your local Target store. I replace the lids every time I refill and haven't needed to replace any rings yet but unless I crack or chip a glass jar I will reuse them indefinitely.

Simple chemistry folks. puffy
This.
Except I’ve found that I can easily get two or more uses out of the lids if you take a little care with the gasket material. I probably wouldn’t reuse a lid for a hard to find or expensive blend, or for cellaring long term, but for storing readily available, affordable bulk, that I intend to have “open,” I don’t have any qualms about it.
 
May 2, 2020
4,664
23,786
Louisiana
One of the things I picked up from winemaking is that there is a difference between clean, sanitized, and sterilized. You can sterilize something and it still be dirty. One of the other things I picked up was that yeast, mold, and bacteria is EVERYWHERE AT ALL TIMES. If you don’t believe me, just start a wine and put a spoon from the dishwasher in your must. I’ll guarantee you that you’ll have vinegar in a few weeks.

My kitchen has to be ready for surgery clean before starting a wine or mead. I carry that over for dealing with my homegrown tobacco also. It’s just too easy to get mold. Drop the ball just for a second and you’ve ruined a years work.
Yep. Back when I was doing some undergrad research in the lab, I had certain parts of the project that had to stay sterile. Something that always stuck with me was that I had a great professor that always said that it is essentially “raining” bacteria and mold spores. If you want to avoid contamination completely, you have to get whatever you’re working on “out of the rain.“ IE, put it in the laminar flow hood, and keep bottle openings covered as you decant, etc.
With brewing and winemaking I’m sure it’s a bit like a lab scenario. Far less leeway than with tobacco. With tobacco the way I look at it is that the tobacco is certainly not sterile. There are bacteria and mold spores already in it when you get it. The best we can do is to not provide an environment conducive to the development of those spores.
Unless you want to sterilize your blend in a pressure cooker and turn it into Cavendish. Then I guess you could put it up sterile.?
 
Unless you want to sterilize your blend in a pressure cooker and turn it into Cavendish.
I understand that you were being hyperbolic, but just so that folks will know, you have to cook it at a lot higher temps for longer to get cavendish, but yeh... keep it clean and sanitary.

When I rack wine, I tell my wife, because she is the biggest fan of my product, and she scrubs the kitchen down for me and sanitizes everything. She’s a doll. I just have to clean up afterwards.
Luckily I’ve only had two, one gallon carboys turn to vinegar. It was really good peach cider vinegar and plum vinegar, but vinegar all the same. :::knock on wood:::
 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,578
5,117
Slidell, LA
I understand that you were being hyperbolic, but just so that folks will know, you have to cook it at a lot higher temps for longer to get cavendish, but yeh... keep it clean and sanitary.

When I rack wine, I tell my wife, because she is the biggest fan of my product, and she scrubs the kitchen down for me and sanitizes everything. She’s a doll. I just have to clean up afterwards.
Luckily I’ve only had two, one gallon carboys turn to vinegar. It was really good peach cider vinegar and plum vinegar, but vinegar all the same. :::knock on wood:::
Peach Cider Vinaigrette sounds interesting.