How to Check if Jars Are Sealed
Here's what you need to do to make sure your preserved jars for winter are properly sealed. You can apply the same technique to store-bought jars to make sure they haven't been opened.
- Look at the lid: sealed ones are slightly concave in the center, as if the center has been pulled ("sucked") down.
- Press with your finger in the center of the lid. If it's sealed, you won't see or hear anything special. However, if it's not sealed, you'll see the center of the lid give way under your finger and spring back when you lift your finger. This movement is usually accompanied by a clicking sound.
To understand the difference, take an opened jar and a sealed one right now and test them. Notice the difference when pressing and hear the click of the unsealed one.
With this method, each jar is checked individually. All jars that haven't sealed should either be consumed immediately or re-sterilized.
Check the jars only after they have completely cooled.
