I don’t usually do this but I feel compelled. I have been reading about Tattler reusable canning lids. I finally gave the company a call and they sent me a box of regular and wide mouth lids to try. There are about the coolest things ever. I thought the rubber ring needed to replace after use but not so. Both the lid and ring can be used for decades if reasonable care is used. Good thing number 1. I have lost the occasional jar of food to the rusting of the metal lid. High acid food is the worst offender. As there is no metal in the lids, there is no rust to worry about. Good thing number 2. This is a pretty small, American company and you get to talk to a real person when you call. Good thing number 3. I can buy the lids in bulk by mail order. They cost more than regular lids (about $20.00 for 3 dozen plus shipping) but as you never need to replace anything, the price is justified. There is also nothing to fill up the land fill. Good things 4 and 5.
Of course, I already have cases of regular lids in storage but I will still use them for food I plan to give as gifts and for use with my vacuum sealer. Actually, trying the Tattler lids with my food saver is on the agenda, right after I can up a load of chicken today. There is a learning curve with these lids and the sealing process is a bit different so I want to practice. The lovely young woman I spoke with suggested I can up a load of water to practice with but I’m feeling pretty confident. I’m going straight to chicken. I was offered several boxes of lids to give as freebies on this site but I don’t want to pursue that until I try them and can give an honest testimonial.
My next commercial break is for a Neti Pot. I never used one before. I thought they sounded creepy but I’ve had this nasty nose since the middle of December ( you wanted to read about that with breakfast now didn’t you). I finally decided to try the pot out of pure desperation. It worked great and I felt better after the first use. I will be sure to keep an extra one of these around.
One final thing. I’m doing my chicken differently today. I have had some trouble with the fat preventing a good seal a few times. I boiled my chicken last night and today I’ll skim off the congealed fat before canning. I also started wiping the rims of the jars with a mild vinegar/water mix to cut any fat that might be lurking. I want a good, tight seal that can’t be opened without using a can opener to break the seal.
I’m looking forward to the NOFA conference in Worcester tomorrow. I hope to learn lots that I can share here.
January 14, 2011 at 8:43 am
I’ve been considering trying the Tattler lids. Can’t wait for your review!
I wipe all fatty jars tops with a towel with vinegar and have never had a single problem. no need to mix it with water.
good luck at NOFA!
January 14, 2011 at 9:11 am
I am saving my pennies so that I can buy some Tattlers next year. The people on Yahoogroup’s Canning2 list talk about them a lot and the reviews are all very positive. The one thing I’ve read is that it is VERY important to tighten up the rings when they come out of the canner.
January 14, 2011 at 9:17 am
Wow!
Those Tattle lid sound real good. Let me know how it go with the trial. As for fat preventing a good seal, when I used a pressure cooker (autoclave) to can I found the layer of fat that set on top on my meat to preserve even more the food. I bit like the old parafin method. Especially when I can meatball in sauce.
January 14, 2011 at 9:43 am
I have been wanting to try the Tattler lids, as all the comments I have seen about them are positive. I can so much that over the years, I am sure they would pay for themselves. One question, though – did you have to tighten the rings after canning? And are you able to take off the rings later, or do you need to leave them on?
Oh,and the Neti pot – I bought one a few weeks ago and tried it for the first time. I thought it was great, but I have yet to convince any of my family to give it a try!
January 14, 2011 at 10:09 am
You do tighten the rings after processing, then leave the rings on until the jars cool and remove for storage.
January 14, 2011 at 10:27 am
I love my neti pot and am actually on the second one. Be choosy about what you buy. My first one was ceramic and it didn’t take but a couple of years for the exposure to hot salty water to crack the glaze. The one I have now is porcelein which should last much longer.
I have no idea what the tattler lids even look like so I’ll have to go check them out. Thanks for the review.
January 14, 2011 at 10:36 am
I canned a batch of chicken broth last weekend, and I don’t like to waste the fat. So I spooned the fat into ice cube trays, and it worked out to 2 cubes of fat per quart. So when I use the broth again, I’ll drop a couple cubes of fat into it. I know it’s using the freezer but I like the fat and prefer not to waste anything, and the storage of the fat alone is quite minimal (and convenient) compared to freezing the entire volume of broth. I’ve also *heard* the fat can go rancid in the jar, but I’m no expert.
January 14, 2011 at 12:10 pm
I have never used the Tattler lids. Someday I will give them a try. But for now the price is a big draw back. I have other lids so will use them while I have them.
As far as the Neti pot. I had found a new one at a yard sale this summer. Still sealed in the box and even came with the saline. In September my dh had to have emergancy gallbladder surgery. He had picked up a nasty cough at the same time. When we went back to see the surgon after 3 weeks. He talked my dh into trying the Neti pot. The surgon uses his every day twice a day. Well dh tried it and likes how it makes him feel. He doesn’t use it every day. But he sure feels better when he does.
January 14, 2011 at 4:06 pm
I am prone to sinus infections and the Netti pot is a lifesaver! My doctor has been recommending them for years. My family is still a little grossed out by it but I figure when the day comes they will try it. Once you try it you’ll use it.
January 14, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Glad to see your review on the Tattler lids. I’ve read about them but no one as yet had actually tried them. I’m going to do a bulk order of them this year, as they’re quite a bit cheaper when you buy a couple of hundred.
January 15, 2011 at 12:51 pm
I have chronic sinusitis, and my ENT spoke highly of using the Neti pot. I use my simple plastic one routinely at night when my sinus is OK,and more often when it’s plugged up. They are terrific!
January 15, 2011 at 5:52 pm
I bought the Tattler lids last year ( I had to use a mail forwarding service to get them to Australia) have finally had a chance to use them. I followed the directions, and found they sealed beautifully. Canning lids are not readily available here, so I was delighted to invest in a re-usable supply.
January 16, 2011 at 7:23 pm
We looked at getting these and after reading some assessment in Lisa Rayner’s book “The Natural Canning Resource Book”, we decided not to. The lids are made of an acetal copolymer which is sensitive to chlorine, UV light, alcohol and the compound is a trimer of formaldehyde, which is known to be carcinogenic. BPA seemed at the time to be great for the food industry, but now is banned in Canada. We do not know the long term health impact of acetal copolymers any more than they knew BPA impacts at the time of it’s introduction. I am using glass lids as much as possible and the lids in Canada do not have BPA as the liner, so for foods that don’t can as well with the glass lids, I will be using the metal lids.
Just some thoughts about what our family is doing.
January 17, 2011 at 9:58 am
organicfarmer……
I would love to know more about canning with the glass lids. Think we could exchange emails or do you have a blog?
Kathy…..
Thanks for this discussion.
January 17, 2011 at 4:18 pm
We are so funny in this country about nasal passages and neti pots! And yet it is such a good simple way to flush out that area and I truly believe it keeps me from getting sick in the winter! I love mine! They carry them at the co-op around here but in a pinch I’ve used a creamer with a handle like from a cream and sugar set! LOL! It’s all in how you ‘tip’ it in!
January 18, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Yes, Kathy, thanks for this valuable discussion. I usually save visiting your site for last thing at night, its such a comfort!
organic farmer, I, too, would love to hear more about glass-lid canning. Looks like I’ll be going north a wee bit when its time to pick up some more canning lids. Or maybe I “can” get them online?
January 21, 2011 at 1:33 am
organicfarmer, I can appreciate your concern about an unfamiliar product. However, Lisa Raymer’s comments regarding Tattler Reusable Canning Lids is very misleading and borderline libelous. First, she has never contacted anyone from our company, contrary to the statements she claims. Second, acetal copolymer has been on the market for more than 60 years with a very good track record in the food industry. 60 years is a very long time for health concerns to arise and be addressed. Third, her assumptions regarding formaldehyde are completely without factual basis. Acetal copolymer does contain trace amounts of formaldehyde, however the chemical bonding will not produce a release of formaldehyde until temperatures of 429 degrees are reached. The plastic will melt at 350 degrees, both temperatures being wildly beyond anything ever experienced in home food canning. The only person who will have to be concerned about formaldehyde will be the firefighters dousing the flames in your home. Finally, we have attempted to contact Miss Rayner numerours times regarding her false claims. She has chosen not to respond to any of our requests.
February 4, 2011 at 2:28 am
I tried a Neti pot and could never get the hang of it. My ENT recommended a NeilMed and I love it! It’s a small squirt bottle with the saline solution. You squirt up one nostril and then the other and gently blow your nose. You then remove the top of the bottle and pour some solution into your palm. When you inhale this, it targets different sinus cavities than the squirting. The last step is actually my favorite as these nasal cavities are apparently my trouble spots.
For those who have accidently inhaled water and decided that this painful experience is not to be repeated, please realize that the Neti/NeilMed solution of salt and baking soda does not sting like plain water. It is such a comforting and refreshing procedure!
February 21, 2011 at 10:45 pm
My family has used a netti pot and neil med for about three years. My husband has not been to the doctor for sinus since he started using it. He used to go several times a year. It helps with sinus headaches too.
I love to can and cant wait to order some tattler lids. I bet they are the best.