Customer Reviews

Ball Wide-Mouth Plastic Storage Caps

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

If you want to STORE food in ball/mason jars, rather than CANNING food, you NEED these.

Here's why:

The two part metal lids & caps that come with the Ball jars are for *CANNING*. These are NOT DESIGNED to be AIR TIGHT! The act of *canning* (pressure cooker, etc) creates a vacuum which seals the metal lid to the jar - the screw part is optional and is to simply hold the metal lid IN PLACE in case the canning fails. They are designed like that so that if the canning process is somehow faulty, and bacteria forms inside the jar, the lid will let the gases escape without making the jar EXPLODE. If you fill a jar up with WATER and put one of these metal lid/screw combos on it, and put it on its side, in a short time you will see it is NOT air or even water tight without a vacuum.

Now, you DO need the metal lids for canning, of course, and also if you're using one of those vacuum sealers with the jar attachment like the FoodSaver (which I recommend).

BUT YOU ALSO NEED THESE PLASTIC LIDS for storing anything else you want in the very handy classic ball/mason jars. The plastic lids ARE water and air tight - so they're perfect for medium-term storage of cereal, cookies, noodles, rice, etc.

These are sturdy (long-lasting) and water-tight lids that fit on Ball wide mouth canning jars. They are perfect to use once a canned jar has been opened and will be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or weeks. Also, they make the Ball canning jars more useful as short-term storage containers for soups, etc. because they are so much easier to use than the canning lids and rings. These are a must-have if you use Ball wide mouth canning jars in your kitchen.

Excellent! It is SO nice not to have to fool with the metal two-piece lids and these will not rust. They do need to be tightened well though as they will leak VERY slightly if stored on the side. Maybe just use your brain and keep them upright in the fridge?

I bought some of these caps not long ago when I just ran upon them. I had been looking for a plastic cap with a good seal to use on canning jars that I use and reuse. I especially needed plastic because I make kefir in Ball canning jars and kefir is very acidic causing metal caps to rust. I also needed to be able to securely shake the jar before use without leakage. These caps are well-suited for both purposes. They are also good for use on home-canned pickles, mayonnaise jars, etc, which also are best with plastic due to acidity. Of course, you cannot can foods using these caps, but they can be placed on the jars after canning, or after making jams and jellies, for storage. I recommend these specific caps because I have used them and they serve the purpose well for which they are sold.

After reading the reviews, I was hoping that the minority who said that the lid leaks were just those few. As soon as I received the lids, I put them to the test. I filled a 4oz jelly jar (from same manufacturer) with tap water, put the lid on tight and turned the jar sideways. Within seconds, water was dripping out. Some of the reviewers say to use common sense and not put a jar sideways. Well, that's not really the point, is it? A lid is supposed to keep contents in. It is not a matter of common sense, but a matter of not having a mess in your bag if you are like me and prefer to use reusable containers to transport your food/drinks or anything else that may have some liquid. So yes, I deducted one star for the leak factor, but I think I am being generous because, I would have liked the lid to be airtight, and airtight does not mean vacuum sealed as the top reviewer would have you believe. Airtight simply means that air should not come in or out, and your food, though not preserved, would stay fresher longer. Husband says all they had to do was add a little rubber gasket to the lids. How about one piece metal lids with the rubber gasket for even more durability and no leaks? I think all of us would purchase those in a heartbeat!

On the other hand, these lids will serve some purpose. I make my own baby food and these lids are simpler to handle than the 2-part canning lids if you are not canning. And once my baby outgrows baby food, I can use the lids for opened homemade jams that were previously canned in the same jars - they are easy to use and easy to open so even my older toddler can open on his own to spread his own jam (probably the reason they are not airtight). Now I just have to figure out a way to transport to daycare without liquids spilling all over.

And here is my pet peeve. The jars come in dozens, why do these lids come in 8-packs? Maybe 4-packs so you can chose to buy 4, 8, or 12. But an 8-pack? If I want lids for all of my 12 jars, I have to buy 16 lids...

These plastic caps make old fashioned canning jars water tight and allow me to use glass jars to store leftovers in the fridge and grains in the freezer. I also use them to store different types of dry beans, pasta and popcorn - they look very nice. These lids fit all sizes of wide mouth canning jars. It is much healthier to store foods in glass rather than plastic and I like that the footprint is small and that I can see at a glance what is in the jar.

Sadly, they leak. They look good, appear to fit nicely, but put a liquid in there and they'll leak, which means air can get in and spoil your dry goods, too. Considering that they cost more than five dollars for a minimal amount of cheap plastic, they should be better than this.

Disappointing.

I use my Mason jars for a million things and was so tired of the two part tops. Here are some of my non-canning uses for which these lids are perfect. All my jars are the wide mouth style so the lids fit on all. I have 1/2 pint, pint and quart jars and use them for my homemade mayonnaise, refrigerator pickles, chicken stock, even opened garden seed packets that I store in the fridge since the seeds are usually viable for three years and I have a small garden so don't use them all in one season.

I store oatmeal and polenta that comes in plastic bags in the quart jars; store powdered sugar, baking soda and corn starch in the pint jars (with labels so I know which is which), and homemade salad dressings, separated eggs, pre-peeled garlic cloves and bulk spices in the small jars. None of those things needs a two-part lid and I'm in and out of the jars often, so having a one-part plastic lid is so much easier. Regarding the garlic cloves, they stay fresh in the fridge after peeling for quite a long time, so I peel a whole head at one time, use what I need and store the rest for quick future use.

When I squeeze my own orange or grapefruit juice or make a smoothie that is too much for one serving, I store the remainder in one of my jars because I can see if it has separated and easily shake it up before serving more later.

I've wished for lids such as these for ages and finally sought them out. I'm a happy camper. The lids wash well in the dishwasher (I've only used the top shelf) and fit all the standard wide mouth jars perfectly. Highly recommended for non-canning use.

If you want to use mason jars for regular storage, and not ruin metal lids in the refrigerator, after opening a canned jar, these lids are your best option. Like the disclaimer on the packaging, these are NOT for canning.

Plastic lids from other containers may stop short of closing, on the shoulder, or will not create a seal that is even liquid tight. Most are made to use a one-time seal between the rim and lid.

Single piece metal canning lids can be used, but they will either warp over time, or you will be forced to gradually destroy them, one dent or scratch at a time, should they seal a little too well.

Metal canning lids, under a larger lid, can also be used, but this is awfully inconvenient.

Salvaging lids is becoming increasingly difficult. While the mason jar diameters are still common, most packaged foods are using different threads. If you wish to use those jars over again, you can order lids from stores that specialize in bottles and jars. If you want to go this route, most SEEM to be 70/400 for regular mouth diameter, no idea about wide mouth. YMMV.

The Jarden plastic lids fit well, and their design allows for a good seal to be made. There are three ridges that trace the rim of the jar, with the middle ridge being more shallow than the other two. The end of the bevel on the top of the lid is right on top of these ridges. That should allow the ridges to press against the edges of the jar's rim, creating a seal.

The design is simple, and should be effective. But, Jarden clearly has no care for quality.

About 1/3 of the lids that I have gotten will not create a good seal. I did not label or organize them by box, so I do not know if it the chances are equal within a box, or if you are likely get good or bad boxes. On about half of them, manufacturing defects on the ridges are visible. Those lids where it is clearly visible should have never been able to pass QC. Others are more subtle, but can still be felt. Some are merely mysterious, in their refusal to seal. To test: fill a mason jar with water that has just boiled, tighten the lids down, and put them in the fridge. The next day, the good lids will have have dimpled in, and will be more difficult to open, thanks to the pressure difference. The bad lids will not have. Retest the bad lids with other jars, just to verify that it wasn't the jar.

Those that seal will relieve excess pressure, making them good for fermentation.

On top of the poor quality control, most of them nauseatingly reek of some herbicide or fungicide. I have gotten boxes of them from several different sources, and this property does differ by that. My SPECULATION is that they are exported on wooden palettes, and that it is comes from there. The only way I have been able to get rid of it has been to boil the lids many times in water with vinegar. If the ships, containers, warehouses, or palettes must be sprayed down, they could at least seal the cases, which would protect the lids.

I know of no better products for what these lids accomplish, but they could be much better.

According to the manufacturer's web site, Ball Wide Mouth Plastic Storage Caps ,Item# 1440037010, does not contain bisphenol A (BPA)