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From complete kits to complementary accessories, these are the essentials you need to preserve produce at home. Can Sealing Machine
Canning is a time capsule. It’s a way to hold on to the bright acidity of tomatoes and luscious sweetness of peaches in the short, dark days of winter.
Just like using a pressure cooker, canning might seem intimidating. There are hot temperatures, glass, and what certainly seems like a lot of effort. If you didn’t have a grandparent show you how to make jelly or crack open a pint of dill pickles, it’s hard to know where to start.
Still, if you can make jam in a slow cooker, you can learn the process for water bath canning and pressure canning (and the difference between the two processes). You’ll need some specialized equipment, but it’s a smaller investment of space and money than you might expect. And nearly everything you buy—glassware, canners, and even some plastic lids—is reusable for multiple seasons of canning.
Start with something you love—homemade marinara or bread and butter pickles—and find the joy of savoring summer during a long winter. Whether you’re new to canning or looking for a way to upgrade your canning equipment, I picked 14 basic items you’ll need for preserving everything from apple jelly to zucchini spears.
You can can whether you inherited a pantry’s worth of supplies or you're starting from scratch. Once you embrace canning, you're sure to discover new uses for canning supplies with jelly jars serving as cocktail glasses in a pinch and a pressure canner standing in as a slow cooker for your fall chili.
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Before you get started, it's good to know the different methods of canning: water bath canning and pressure canning. Water bath canning uses boiling water to destroy microorganisms that could contaminate a high acid food like pickles or blueberry jelly. A glass jar is placed inside of a water bath canner, essentially a tall pot with a fitted lid. The jar is rested on a rack so that it doesn’t touch the bottom and can be surrounded by water on all sides. The hot water then creates an airtight seal inside the jar (air is forced out but can’t re-enter as the jar cools).
Pressure canning involves a different piece of specialized piece of kitchen equipment: a pressure canner. While it resembles a stock pot, it typically has a cover that automatically vents or locks, as well as a rack for jars. Pressure canning uses steam to create high temperatures that kill microorganisms and pressure to seal jars filled with low acid foods like chicken stock or baked beans.
This is all different from refrigerator pickles, made in a method called quick pickling, wherein you add hot brine to a clean jar filled with vegetables. You let the jar cool, seal it, and then store it in the fridge. Quick pickles should be eaten in a few weeks, although I’m typically eating quick pickled red onions with tacos a few hours later.
Most important when buying new canning supplies is to take stock of what you already have at home. Because canning is best done in big batches, you’ll want a pot large enough to accommodate several jars. The best canning pots can hold up to seven or eight jars. To keep those jars from falling over or cracking open in the water bath, a secure canning rack is also an essential. Just make sure it can fit inside the pot you plan to use.
If you already have a supply of canning jars in good condition, you still may need new rings or lids. These pieces are made from metal, so they may get rusty and will need replacing. Also note that each flat lid will seal properly only one time, so you’ll always need to buy new lids for your canning projects. If your rings are bent or won’t screw on tightly, you’re better off replacing those as well.
Next, ask yourself what you plan to can before you buy your jars. If you’re turning fresh or frozen berries into a sweet mixed berry jam to give as holiday gifts, you may want small 4- or 6-ounce jars. If you’re pickling whole cucumbers or a vat of tomato sauce, half- or full-quart jars are a better bet.
Finally, canning is all about safety. You’re dealing with large pots of boiling water and piping-hot jars, not to mention food safety concerns. Set yourself up for an easy and accident-free canning process by investing in the proper tools to protect yourself from burns and ensure that your jars are sanitized and properly sealed. These include jar-tightening tools, bubble poppers (to remove as much oxygen as possible from the jars before storage), and long-handled tongs.
While I test kitchen products for a living, I also try to avoid waste and hang on to the best tomatoes as long as I can. I used my experiences with canning to sort through picks and considered the advice on Epicurious, Martha Stewart, and Food & Wine. I also combed through online reviews to discover potential points of frustration or excellence, as well as videos of the products in action to get a sense of their performance.
Additionally, I relied on the work of the previous writer, Elizabeth Briskin, who remains a contributor to this article. All of these efforts have resulted in the product recommendations below. Read on for the equipment and cooking tools you’ll need to either get started or dive further into canning.
This fully equipped supply kit has everything someone new to home canning might need to get started, aside from the pot. The kit includes a wide-mouth canning funnel, a jar lifter with heat-proof handle grips, a wrench to securely tighten your jars, long-handled tongs, and a jar headroom measuring tool.
There's even a four-piece set of angled dry measuring cups to make pouring easy. The set also comes with black stick-on labels to mark your preserves.
This affordable canning supply set is a great starter kit. It includes a plastic canning funnel, a jar lifter, long-handled tongs with heat-proof handles, a headspace measuring tool, a magnetic lid lifter, and a lid-tightening device. These are the essential tools to maintain sanitation and prevent burns while canning.
This spacious aluminum canning pot accommodates big batches of your favorite preserves. It also comes with a wire rack to hold the jars steady and prevent cracks. The pot—which holds four 1-quart jars or seven pint or half-pint jars—is rust-resistant and lightweight, which is important when you’re filling it with boiling water.
Ball is an iconic and trusted brand name in the world of canning, so rest assured that these sturdy glass jars are not only safe to use, but durable as well.
These wide-mouth jars hold 16 ounces of your homemade pickles, sauces, and jams. The lids have been tested to stay sealed airtight for up to 18 months. The jars are also freezer-safe for up to one year (don’t exceed 12 ounces if you plan to freeze your preserves).
If you’re a regular home canner, you may go through single-use mason jar lids faster than you thought possible. While you can reuse the jar rings for years, the flat lids will seal properly only one time. That's why it’s always good to have a supply of high-quality lids on hand for when the canning urge strikes.
The Kitchen Crop Flat Canning Rack keeps your canning jars from coming into contact with the bottom of your pot. The stainless steel rack can be used for either water bath or steam canning and has a set of handles that can rest on the edge of your canner when you’re loading or removing jars.
It stretches 12.25 inches across the top and 11.5 inches across the bottom so be sure to measure your canner to make sure it fits. This rack is also available with jar dividers.
There’s a lot of hot water involved in canning, and this stainless steel jar lifter will help to protect your hands from burns. The heat-resistant ergonomic handles are coated in rubber for extra grip. The same rubber coating tightly adheres to the hot glass jars so you can safely transfer them from the hot water bath to a cooling area.
Save yourself the dreaded “what did I make?” questions later in the season by labeling your freshly made preserves. These stick-on white mason jar labels help you keep track of exactly what you made and when. Plus, these labels dissolve easily in water when you’ve scraped the jar clean so you can reuse the jar next year.
Create small jars of jam or homemade relish with the Ball 4-Ounce Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars. The six-pack of patterned glass jars—they feel vintage even if they’re brand new—come with a metal lid and band. The smaller size is handy for overnight oats or a short pile of leftover caramelized onions for tomorrow’s sandwich.
You never have to worry about having a canning lid on hand with the Tattler E-Z Seal Reusable Canning Lids. This 24-piece set (12 rubber rings and 12 plastic lids) fit regular mouth jars and can be washed in the dishwasher. Bear in mind, you’ll still need metal bands to secure these lids to the jars while canning. Tattler also makes reusable lids for wide mouth jars.
The Prepworks by Progressive Canning Funnel is a sturdy option for filling regular and wide mouth jars. With easy-to-read measurement levels on the side of the funnel, you'll know if you’re leaving enough headspace (the space between liquid and the top of the jar) to get a proper seal. The double-walled funnel, dishwasher-safe and stain-resistant since it's made of high-heat polypropylene, also keeps the mouth of your jar clean when you’re pouring.
What’s dinner without a little tang? The Humble House Sauerkrock churns out kimchi, pickles, or another bit of umami to add to the fried egg you’ve placed atop some rice and veggies.
The 2-liter glazed ceramic crock produces enough sauerkraut to fill roughly four mason jars. The included tamper helps pack the crock, while a set of weights keeps your cabbage beneath liquid while it’s fermenting. There’s a water channel to create a seal to stop dust from getting into the top of the crock. The Sauerkrock is also available in 5-liter and 10-liter sizes.
Canning pros and first-timers will appreciate the Nesco Smart Digital Pressure Canner ,which also functions as a steam cooker, pressure cooker, and slow cooker.
The compact digital canner—it has a 9.5-quart, non-stick cooking chamber that is dishwasher safe—holds four quart-sized jars or five pint-sized jars. The pressure limiting valve (a second option is included for people who live at higher elevation) and digital timer ensure you’re canning pickles or jam safely—and at the right temperature. The canner comes with a canning rack, steam rack, and condensation catcher.
Green beans can be steam canned a few minutes after you take the VKP Brands Stainless Steel Canner out of the box. The flat bottom pot works on induction cooktops, and the included stainless steel rack fits up to eight pint-sized jars. The lid has a built-in temperature gauge to account for three different elevation levels so you know when to take your green beans out.
Can metal canning lids be reused from season to season?
You should only use metal canning lids one time for actual canning. If you attempt to reuse the lids, they might not seal properly and then you run the risk of contamination. Good news, you can clean and reuse your jars repeatedly.
What is the most critical step in canning?
While cleanliness is critical to avoid adding any potential contaminants to what you’re canning, the processing stage is a key part of food safety. A boiling water bath or pressure canner ensures that you’re using heat to kill microorganisms and getting a proper seal on your canned goods.
Once you can something, how long will it last?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that “home canned goods should be used within 1 year.” In our house, we store canned foods in the back corner of pantry (find a cool dark place) and use what we have according to the seasons.
Summer is for canning tomato sauce and the other three seasons are for eating tomato sauce with the hope that we can make our jars last until the next summer.
Jonathan Bender is a food writer who lives in Kansas City, Missouri. He regularly tests kitchen appliances for national publications and recipes on his children. He's also the author of a pair of cookbooks: Stock, Broth & Bowland Cookies & Beer.
Lizzy Briskin, a food writer and product reviewer who runs Earthen Food Co, is a trained chef and avid home cook who loves to put new gadgets to the test to help people make informed buying decisions; she contributes food, cooking, and lifestyle content to publications including the Chicago Tribune, Simply Recipes, Munchery, Insider, and others. She also tests and develops recipes for national food brands. When she’s not cooking, eating, or writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and training for marathons.
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