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8 Canning Mistakes Your Grandparents Never Made (and How to Avoid Them)

Canning might feel like a lost art these days, but our grandparents had it down to a science. They didn’t have the luxury of trial and error because they couldn’t afford to end up with a bunch of spoiled food. Every jar mattered, so they followed tried-and-true methods that ensured their efforts paid off.

Today, we’ve got all kinds of tools and resources, but that doesn’t mean we’re immune to mistakes. If anything, it’s easier than ever to cut corners or trust bad advice. The good news? Most canning mistakes are totally avoidable with a little know-how.

Always Use Enough Water

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When you’re boiling water bath canning, the jars need to be fully covered with 1 to 2 inches of water. If the tops of the jars peek out, they won’t heat evenly, and you risk having unsafe food. It’s an easy mistake to make if your pot isn’t deep enough or you’re rushing, but it’s one that can mess up an entire batch.

Make sure your pot is deep enough, and top off with extra water if needed before you start. It’s a simple step that saves you from worrying about whether your food is safe later.

Let the Jars Cool Without Moving Them

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Once your jars are out of the canner, they need to cool down without being disturbed. It’s tempting to move them around to make room on the counter, but doing that can ruin the seal. Even if the lids seem fine at first, moving hot jars can mess with the adhesive and cause them to unseal later.

Find a spot where they can sit undisturbed and give them plenty of time to cool completely. It’s worth it for that satisfying “pop” of a sealed lid when you check them the next day.

Choose Quality Ingredients

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Your canned food is only as good as what you put into it. A mushy cucumber will give you a limp pickle, and bland tomatoes won’t magically turn into a flavorful sauce. Using the best ingredients you can find makes a huge difference in the end result.

If you’re putting in the time and effort to can, start with produce that’s fresh and ripe. Farmers’ markets, your own garden, or even the store’s “in-season” section are great places to look. You’ll thank yourself later when you open a jar and taste the difference.

Stick to Trusted Recipes

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Canning isn’t the time to experiment like you’re on a cooking show. Recipes are carefully designed to make sure the food stays safe to eat, and changing even one ingredient can throw everything off. I know it’s tempting to add your own twist, but trust me—this isn’t the place for creativity.

Not all recipes floating around online are reliable either. Stick to ones from trusted sources, like a canning manual or a reputable test kitchen. I’ve learned the hard way that a pretty photo doesn’t guarantee safe or shelf-stable results.

Don’t Use Your Oven for Canning

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I get it—someone online swears their oven method is “easier,” but it’s a bad idea. Ovens heat unevenly, which means your jars might not seal properly. And if they don’t seal? Well, that’s hours of work down the drain (or worse, a batch of food you can’t trust to eat).

Follow the recipe and stick with either a boiling water bath or a pressure canner, depending on what you’re making. It’s worth the extra effort to know your food is safe and done right.

Sterilize Your Jars and Lids

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Even if the jars and lids are brand-new, they still need a good boil before you start. I used to think this step was overkill—how dirty could factory-fresh jars really be? But skipping it can introduce bacteria that you don’t want hanging out in your food.

Add sterilizing to your setup before you start filling jars. It’s quick and makes a world of difference. And toss those old, scratched-up lids; they’re a recipe for seals that won’t hold.

Check Jars for Cracks

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Here’s something I learned the hard way: always check your jars for chips or cracks before you use them. Even the tiniest nick around the rim can mess up the seal, and cracks can cause the whole jar to break in the canner. Talk about a nightmare.

Take a couple of minutes to inspect each jar. It’s not the most exciting part of canning, but it’s a lot better than cleaning up broken glass—or realizing later that your food isn’t safe to eat.

Stick to the Right Canner for the Job

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Acidic foods like pickles, jams, and fruits can go in a boiling water bath. But when you’re dealing with low-acid foods like veggies, soups, or meats, a pressure canner is non-negotiable. It’s not the same as a pressure cooker—don’t mix those up. A boiling water bath just can’t hit the temperatures needed to kill bacteria in low-acid foods, so skipping the pressure canner puts your food (and safety) at risk.

If you’re new to canning, it might feel like overkill to invest in a pressure canner, but it’s worth it for peace of mind. Once you have one, you can safely preserve a wider variety of foods.

Don’t Skip Altitude Adjustments

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If you’re above 1,000 feet, you’ve got to tweak your canning time or pressure. Water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes, so without adjustments, your food might not get hot enough to stay shelf-stable. It’s one of those details that’s easy to miss but makes a huge difference in food safety.

Every canning recipe should have instructions for altitude adjustments, so double-check before you start. A quick look at a chart or your manual can save hours of work and help you avoid spoiled jars.

Leave Enough Room in the Jar

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Overfilling jars is one of those mistakes you make once and never again. That little space at the top, called headspace, is there for a reason. Without it, the jar might not seal properly, and you’ll end up wasting time or food. Most recipes call for half an inch to an inch of headspace, so grab a ruler if you’re not sure.

It’s tempting to pack in as much as possible, but trust me, it’s not worth the gamble. An unsealed jar means you’ll either be eating it right away or reprocessing it—neither of which feels great after you’ve put in all that effort.

Always Use New Lids (Unless They’re Reusable)

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Standard canning lids aren’t made to be reused. The adhesive on the underside wears out after the first go, and trying to reuse them is asking for trouble. There are reusable lids like Tattlers, but they’re designed differently and made to last.

Using fresh lids is a small investment that pays off in sealed jars and peace of mind. The last thing you want is to pull out your jars later and realize they didn’t seal because you cut corners.

*This content was created with the help of AI.

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