Customer Reviews

Back to Basics 286 5-Piece Home Canning Kit

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am brand new at canning, and did my first batch prior to ordering these tools. It went okay, but I was immediately sold on the idea of a jar lifter. I looked and looked locally but couldn't find one, and this set was available for immediate shipment.

The jar lifter is fantastic, and ultimately I think it alone is worth the price of admission -- not because it's worth it in and of itself, but because it's a total necessity, so I would have purchased it at any price that wouldn't break the bank.

The other pieces are either already part of a moderately well-equipped kitchen, are nice but not necessary, and/or are not all that well constructed.

I'd opted to return a relatively expensive set of plastic funnels when I purchased this set, but the included funnel here melted a bit under the heat of the boiling brine I poured over the pickles-to-be. Same for the plastic surrounding the magnet when I used it (quite effectively) to grab the jar lids out of a simmer sauce pan. The lid wrench I'm just not sure I see a use for, since jars aren't supposed to be super tight and they tend to loosen when cooled anyway (or am I misunderstanding what this is for?), and the tongs, well, who doesn't have tongs?

Anyway, in researching for this review, I've come to feel like something of an idiot, because the pieces are available separately and eligible for the free shipping promotion of your choice. Unless you don't already have a funnel, or don't mind the possibility of plastic in your canned food, I recommend saving five bucks and just getting these two pieces:

Back to Basics 284 Jar Lifter
Back to Basics 174 Magnetic Lid Lifter

If you need more than those two pieces, though, this set will do the job.

We have used this several times since we recieved it a couple weeks ago. The one piece I have been a little disappointed with is the lid magnet. It did not pick up the lids very well, (it is a little dangerous to fingers to have lids drop and splash boiling water) I finally just gave up and used the tongs to get the lids out. That being said the other products have worked well.

This canning kit has everything you need to do home canning. The only improvement is that the magnet on the end of the lid tool was bigger; sometimes when I am working fast the jar lid repeatedly falls back into the boiling water.

Length:: 2:43 Mins

You really do not need any special equipment for canning, but this set does make it easier.

I bought this set in December 2010 and have used it less than 10 times. The coating on the jar lifter is already splitting and flaking off. All I have used it for is to lift jars in and out of my canner-just normal canning use, no prolonged submersion in boiling water.

Review edited 1/6/12:
I contacted the manufacturer about this and they replaced it free. I haven't had much chance to use it since then but the customer service was great.

You get everything you need for canning in this kit. The jar tongs are very easy to use if you have joint problems or arthritis. They make grabbing the jars a snap! I love the wide mouth funnel, it is great for pickle chips and tomatoes. Very good quality, nice bright red color make them hard to misplace. Great deal for the money.

What a great kit for the money! No more burnt fingers. The funnel is just the right size. I was a little concerned that it might melt because it's made of plastic, but it has held up just fine. If there is one thing I would improve, it would be the size of the magnet. I think it should be a little bigger -- sometimes it just doesn't quite grab the lids. But it's still better than nothing. You just need to be patient.

Very pleased with the kit! So far I have made peach preserves and apple butter. Just in time for the Holidays! The magnetic pick up lid stick is a nice tool as well! Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!

The Back to Basics 5-Piece Home-Canning Kit provides the essentials necessary for home canning. The tongs are useful and the jar opener is a nice addition.The main three components, the funnel, jar lifter and magnet, are decent quality and held up well enough to this year's canning processes. Since I was unable to locate the individual components at our local retailers, I found this set a good buy, even if it only held up for one season.

Others mentioned that the rubber coating peeled off the metal on the jar lifter and I didn't find that to be the case. I did notice a slight notching on the rubber coating after lifting six or seven jars but that disappeared once the lifter cooled.

If Ball's home canning kit is not available, this definitely serves the purpose well.

I purchased this kit as a gift. It was reasonably priced and was delivered quickly. I gave this to a relative who is a beginner canner. All items worked fine except the lid magnet fell out on the first batch of goods. No one knows yet which jar has the magnet in it.