Glass is a great non-toxic food storage option. While you there are many glass food storage containers out there, one of the most economical options for glass food storage is glass canning jars. When I first started switching my food containers to glass, though, I discovered one unfortunate thing: glass jars can break in the freezer! Not every time, for sure, but enough times to be bothersome.
For a while I went back to plastic, as I found broken jars to be too frustrating to deal with. At some point, though, I stumbled upon the secret to how to freeze food in glass jars without risking breakage. Since I started following these rules, I’ve NEVER had a jar break in the freezer.
How to Freeze Food in Glass Jars
Rule #1
ONLY freeze food in glass jars approved for freezing. As a general rule, this means only freeze food in jars with completely straight sides, like wide mouth pints or regular mouth half pints. DO NOT freeze food in jars with shoulders, such as wide mouth quarts or wide mouth half-gallons. Shoulders make a jar more likely to break in the freezer.
If you use Ball jars, here’s a handy chart illustrating which of their jars are safe to freeze in:
Rule #2
Leave extra space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion during freezing. Many jars have a maximum fill line when you use them for freezing. If you don’t see the line, just be sure to leave about an inch of headspace at the top of your jar.
NOTE: Do NOT try to implement this tip alone without following rule #1. In my experience, a jar with shoulders ALWAYS has the potential to break in the freezer, even if you leave tons of headspace at the top of the jar. I’ve always followed the headspace rule, but it wasn’t until I stopped freezing in jars with shoulders that I no longer experienced broken jars.
Rule #3
Do not expose your jars to extreme temperature changes. I always cool my hot jars in the fridge, and then move them to the freezer after they’re already cold. When it comes time to defrost, I either defrost jars in the fridge or on the counter. If you need to defrost more quickly, you can usually pop something out of the jar by running it under warm (not hot) water, and then finish up the defrosting in a pot on the stove or in the oven.
What do you think? Do you freeze in glass jars?
STANDARD FTC DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only ever endorse products that are in alignment with Whole Natural Life’s ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. Please also note that Whole Natural Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
12 Responses to 3 Secrets You Need to Know to Stop Breaking Glass Jars in Your Freezer