Mason Jar Recipes and Desserts that are Cute and Delicious (2024)

FAQs

What mason jars are rare? ›

After 1930, Mason Jars were produced in clear glass. Later around the 1950s, some jars were produced in amber-like color. Other colors, including shades of olive and amber, are rarer to find.

The style of jar is occasionally referred to by common brand names such as Ball jar (in the eastern US) or Kerr jar (in the western US) even if the individual jar is not that brand. In early 20th-century America, Mason jars became useful to those who lived in areas with short growing seasons.

Boiling removes the oxygen remaining in the jar, which helps to form a tight seal between the lid and the rim. The heat used for this method of canning is sufficient to kill vegetative bacterial cells found in the food. Only high-acid food with a pH of 4.6 or less can be processed using the boiling water bath method.

Dip the base of the jar in PVA glue, then sprinkle with glitter or fake snow. Use a glue gun to pipe swirling patterns onto the jar, then paint using different colours. Trace a design such as a map or a word onto the jar, then pipe using a glue gun and paint. Spray paint the jar in different colours for a blended look.

Those blue mason jars were mass-produced until 1937 using sand from around Lake Michigan. It was that sand that gave the glass its blue hue. Those blue jars are not rare.

Many Ball mason jars have a number printed on the bottom of the jar, but this is a mold number that does not indicate the year of production. Rather, the mold number tells you where the jar was positioned on the glass-making machine that was used to produce it.

"Consumers staying home over the last few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in shifts in demand for food storage containers like Ball-branded glass jars and lids," explained one Newell Brands spokesperson we spoke to in the early days of the shortage.

Cendol: Cendol is a traditional dessert popular in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. It consists of green rice flour jelly strands, often flavored with pandan leaves, which are served in a bowl with coconut milk, palm sugar syrup (gula melaka), and sometimes crushed ice.

In 1884, Ball Corporation began manufacturing glass home-canning jars, the product that established Ball as a household name and licensed Mason's design.

The first part is a lid with a rubber ring that allows for an airtight seal (designed for single use), and the second is the outer band with screw threads to tighten the lid to the jar (reusable). Canning with this method allows people to create preserves easily (and safely).

Can I microwave a Mason jar? ›

Yes, newer mason jars have a microwave-safe symbol on them. It is important to keep in mind that glass mason jars are non-reactive but still become very hot to the touch. For this reason, it's best not to package anything that requires long periods of microwave heating in mason jars.

Glass canning jars are also a fine cooking vessel, especially with recipes that require a lot of liquid or a high cooking temperature. We've also had great success making baked goods like cakes and cookies in glass jars, but we suspect we're only scratching the surface of potential uses for these versatile vessels.

Nowadays, there are several other companies that sell canning jars for home use. They are remarkably similar to commercially used jars, but the biggest difference is that real Mason jars have a wider rim that gives them a better sealing surface.

For home canning, no matter if using a boiling water method or pressure canner, mason-type jars specifically made for home canning are best. They're manufactured specifically to accommodate the high temperatures and/or long processing times required in home canning.