17 Delicious Recipes Served in Mason Jars (2025)

FAQs

How long do meals in a jar last? ›

The Shelf Life of the Meals in a jar is around 5-15 years, depending on the ingredients used. The #10 cans have a shelf life of about 6-12 months after you open them.

A pint sized wide mouth Mason jar is perfect for this. But you could use a different container if you like. A pint, or two cups, is a good lunch sized portion for most folks. If you want, you can double the ingredients and use a quart sized jar for a more “family sized” salad.

Boiling removes the oxygen remaining in the jar, which helps to form a tight seal between the lid and the rim. The heat used for this method of canning is sufficient to kill vegetative bacterial cells found in the food. Only high-acid food with a pH of 4.6 or less can be processed using the boiling water bath method.

A Mason jar, also known as a canning jar, preserves jar or fruit jar, is a glass jar used in home canning to preserve food. It was named after American tinsmith John Landis Mason, who patented it in 1858. The jar's mouth has a screw thread on its outer perimeter to accept a metal ring or "band".

Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Packaged foods (cereal, pasta, cookies) will be safe past the 'best by' date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, canned contents are safe to eat as long as the can is in “good shape.” The Canned Food Alliance agrees, citing 100-year-old canned food that was recovered from sunken ships and tested microbiologically safe.

Mason Canning Jars

Mason glass jars are designed to be reused. Canning jars have a life expectancy of 10 to 13 years. You will discover more breakage after that because of the wear and tear of normal use. Each time a jar is used and exposed to heat, it is subject to stress.

Canning, the process of placing foods in jars or cans and heating properly to a specified temperature, is a way to preserve many different foods.

For us, this is usually strawberries, cucumbers, and peppers. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cherry tomatoes go into the jars whole. Store everything in your airtight containers with a good lid and that's it! You should have fresh fruit and/or veggies for days to come.

What foods to store in mason jars? ›

Everything stays separate and dressing-free until you toss the salad together in the bowl — never eat another soggy lunch salad again. Even better, these salads last for days in the fridge so we can make a week's worth of lunches ahead of time.

While a salad is relatively simple for most people, properly packing them into a mason jar so they don't wilt and get nasty is really the trick! The idea is to put your more “sturdy” ingredients towards the bottom.

They're perfect for meal prep! Prep a big batch of salad over the weekend, store them in five separate mason jars and you'll have a salad for each day of the week! They're perfect for a convenient, grab-and-go meal option. The flavor combos are endless so you'll never get bored!

Glass canning jars are also a fine cooking vessel, especially with recipes that require a lot of liquid or a high cooking temperature. We've also had great success making baked goods like cakes and cookies in glass jars, but we suspect we're only scratching the surface of potential uses for these versatile vessels.

A gratitude jar is a container that holds reminders and memories of things that you and your family are thankful for. Gratitude jars can help your family to be appreciative and mindful of the good things that happen day-to-day, and they can teach your kids the importance of reflecting on positive experiences.

For home canning, no matter if using a boiling water method or pressure canner, mason-type jars specifically made for home canning are best. They're manufactured specifically to accommodate the high temperatures and/or long processing times required in home canning.

If you're planning on canning, you can reuse your purpose-made glass jars and screw bands, as long as they're in good condition. The metal snap lids, on the other hand, are made to be used once. Once the gummy, rubbery seal on the lid is heated and cooled, it can't make the same quality of seal again.