648445 Sat Aug 29 10:46:40 -0700 2009 10 31 Home Cooking 0 4988491 I made jam, poured it hot into sterilized jars, sealed it with paraffin wax, and the jars made a pinging noise when they cooled down. Will these keep outside the refridgerator? Sat Aug 29 10:46:40 -0700 2009 15224 merkin 1 4988658 What went ping? Did you use both paraffin AND canning lids? Sat Aug 29 12:12:26 -0700 2009 4988491 221993 Channa 2 4989121 I poured the paraffin on to the hot jam, and then sealed with canning lids. When they cooled the I heard the lids seal when they cooled down. Sat Aug 29 16:04:18 -0700 2009 4988658 15224 merkin 1 4989131 A Hot Water Bath (HWB) is really your only guarantee. You may have sealed bacteria under the paraffin. HWB are not difficult... here's the info: http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/step_by_step_high_acid_foods/34.php But you can't now re-seal them. I'd refrigerate. Sat Aug 29 16:12:14 -0700 2009 4988491 28006 Jennalynn 2 4992395 Actually they can be resealed. Open them up, discard the paraffin, pour the contents back into your jam pot. Wash and sterilize the jars. Use new lids. Bring your jam back up to the boil and boil/stir for at least 5 minutes. Ladle into the hot sterilized jars leaving 1/4" head space, carefully wipe the rims, and cap with the new lids that have been in a bowl with boiling water poured over them. Tighten the rings finger tight and process in a water bath for 10 minutes or as long as your recipe suggests. If you don't have a water bath one can be rigged with a deep pot or stock pot. Wire together (I use zip ties) enough lid rings to make a rack to fit the bottom of your pot. With both the rack and the jars in there, there should be enough water in the pot to cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil, lower in your jars, cover and start timing when the water returns to a boil. After the alloted time pull the jars out, listen for the ping, and when they've cooled tighten down the rings a little. Another way to check for the seal is to push down on the center of the lid. If there's no give the jar is sealed. If it moves back and forth it's not. I use my Le Creuset dutch oven or larger stock pot when processing small batches of preserves in half pint or 4 oz jars. Mon Aug 31 08:01:24 -0700 2009 4989131 160677 morwen 1 4992582 Yes, if they made the ping sound they are sealed. You don't need to use a water bath with jam. Even the Certo instructions don't say to use a water bath and they are all about CYA. Mon Aug 31 09:04:57 -0700 2009 4988491 139219 Sooeygun 2 4992594 Certo link http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/migration/Pages/FAQ2.aspx "Don't you need to process/boil the jars in a hot water bath once the jam is finished? By properly pre-sterilizing jars and lids and having everything hot when filling - you don't need the boiling water bath process." Oh, and yes, you can store them out of the fridge. Mon Aug 31 09:07:01 -0700 2009 4992582 139219 Sooeygun 3 4993114 I have been dying to try my hand at jam/preserves, and I think this may've sent me over the edge to making a shopping list today. May have. For some reason, canning just scares the crap out of me. Mon Aug 31 11:19:45 -0700 2009 4992594 20991 shanagain 3 4993418 Note that the link above is to a Canadian site. US standards specify the need to process in a water bath. Clearly, there is some difference of opinion on how much CYA is needed :) Mon Aug 31 12:43:27 -0700 2009 4992594 42915 dct 4 4993543 I follow the Certo instructions and I haven't yet had a jar that didn't have a good, strong seal on it. I get the jars, lids, rings so hot that I can't touch them and the jam is blistering hot. Mon Aug 31 13:20:01 -0700 2009 4993418 139219 Sooeygun 5 4993560 It's not the seal that decides if it's safe... You could be sealing in bacteria. For the most part jam & jelly should be fine. But it's not 100% sure. HWB canning is not that hard and it only takes 10 minutes. I'd rather take the time and not have to think about spoilage. Mon Aug 31 13:22:36 -0700 2009 4993543 28006 Jennalynn