3 Canning Tools You Can’t Live Without

I am not a gadget person, the fewer things to store and clean, the better.  However, there are some tools I just can’t live without. When it comes to canning I always pull out these three tools.

three vital canning tools - watermarked

They seem a bit hokey don’t they? Are they really worth it?  You bet! Trust me, these three things will make your canning much more pleasant.

THree Canning Tools YOu NEED

I often get questions about these tools, so here’s some photos of them in action!  How exciting is this!

The Lid Lifter

lid lifter - watermarked

This is a lid lifter. It has a magnet on the end of a plastic handle. Not much too it, but it is the boss at picking up lids and helping you guide them into place on top of a super hot jar without contaminating the inside surface of the lid, always a good thing. Look!

lid lifter with hot jar - watermarked

The Funnel

This is a funnel. Ladling boiling hot liquids into a jar without spilling is tricky. A funnel like this makes it much easier and makes wiping the jar rims so much easier.

the funnel in action - watermarked

The Jar Lifter

Possibly the most confusing of the bunch is the jar lifter.

jar lifter

I’m often asked which end to hold and which end to put on the jar.

The Lifter Thingy

Use the rubber grippy part to grip the rim of the jar. Hold the straight part in your hand.

jar lifter with filled jar - watermarked

Those aren’t the only tools you’ll need while canning, but other than the jars and lids, everything else is standard kitchen equipment – wooden spoon, pots, bowls, measuring cups, spoons, etc.

By now you may be thinking I forgot the most important tool of all – the canner!  You know that big blue enameled pot the size of your entire stove top.

canner

Actually, I didn’t forget, it’s just that it’s not mandatory for all canning. If you’re making preserves in small jars, half pint or jam jars you can use a big soup pot.  I only use my big canning pot if I’m canning large, tall jars (Quart or Litre jars).   As long as there’s enough room for 1 inch of water above the jars, you’re good to go!

canning in a soup pot - watermarked

When I use a stock pot, I use either a kitchen cloth, the rings of the 2 piece lids or a silicon trivet to line the pot to prevent the jars from bouncing on the bottom of the pot.

Those are my “can’t can without ’em” tools.  Are there other tools that you can’t can without?  Maybe I’m missing something really awesome?!

Want to learn more? How about a preserving workshop with Getty? Call today as fall dates are booking quickly. Getty Stewart is an engaging speaker and writer providing tasty recipes, time-saving tips, and helpful kitchen ideas to make home cooking easy and enjoyable. She is a Professional Home Economist, author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, mom and veggie gardener.

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