31 Ways to Use a Mason Jar in Your Kitchen
I have a bit of a love affair with mason jars.
They are sturdy, they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, they can often be found inexpensively, and best of all? They are a completely non-toxic way to store things in my kitchen!
We all know by now that plastics usually include dangerous chemicals, particularly if they are heated at all, but even when they are used for any sort of food or liquid that could absorb the toxins that the plastics leach out. Some plastics are safer than others and it’s prudent to learn which ones are which.
This month, we’re actually looking at a variety of ways to “Spring Clean the Toxins” lurking in your home. What better place to start than in the kitchen, particularly with items that are touching the food you put straight into your body?
When it comes to the kitchen, one of the best and simplest ways to avoid dangerous plastics and the toxins they contain is by switching to completely safe, clean options like glass! Enter the ever practical mason jar…
Image by RecoilRick
How to Start a Mason Jar Stockpile
First of all, never turn down an offer of mason jars. If you see them free at garage sales, if your aunt has extras she is getting rid of, if something you buy comes in a genuine re-usable mason jar. Any size, style, shape, even color– they’re all worth having.
Personally, I like to get mine free (who wouldn’t?). It’s easier than you think. Some places to start looking:
- Craigslist. Look in the Free section and search for jars, canning, etc. You’d be surprised what people give away.
- Garage sales. I have picked up so many free or very cheap boxes of canning jars from garage sales. It’s one of the first things I look for when I stop at a sale.
- Family or friends. A lot of people have jars that they just don’t know what to do with, especially our mother’s generation, or perhaps grandmothers that used to do canning but have since given it up.
If you can’t find them free, and I will be the first to admit that this is getting just slightly harder now that canning and preserving is coming back into vogue, here are some other cheap options:
- End-of-season clearance sales. Starting around the end of August and all through September, I keep my eyes open for the brand new boxes in the grocery or hardware stores to go on clearance. Once they do, I buy as many boxes as my budget and storage situation can handle.
- Thrift stores (and garage sales). Sometimes you can find them in complete box sets, other times you have to buy them by the jar. Either way, it’s usually worthwhile.
Image by rcakewalk
Mason jars come in many sizes and shapes. The first distinction is in the mouth size (or the opening of the jar). The two most common sizes are Wide Mouth and Regular. There are some more random sizes out there, like Gem, but these are few and far between and difficult to find rings and lids for. I would stick to the first two to keep things simple.
The second distinction is in their size. They can be as small as 250ml (or I have even seen on very rare occasions jars that are half this size- so small!), and then you can commonly find jars that are 500 ml (or about 1 pint) or 1 L (same as quart). Then there are the 2 L (or 2 quart/ half gallon) jars. Among all these different sizes, the shapes vary slightly depending on the size of the jar’s mouth and the style of the jar.
In my experience, every variation on size, shape and style is useful in some way or another. Don’t restrict yourself. Collect as many different types of jars as you can, and I can pretty much guarantee you’ll find a use for them all.
Making Jars Even More Useful
Did you know you can purchase these incredibly handy-dandy plastic screw-on lids for mason jars? They come in both regular and wide mouth size and are very inexpensive.
What makes them even more perfect is that you can use a wipe off marker to label them, and simply wipe it off when you’re ready to use the jar for something new. Labelling, and thus avoiding a fridge full of mysterious mason jars is a good idea (unless you want them to turn into mason jar science experiments… which could be a fun use, come to think of it).
Another great find is sprouting lids intended to fit wide mouth mason jars. I have a set of 3 sprouting lids, each with a different size mesh (some for smaller seeds, some for larger ones). Love these!
I have purchased my lids through the natural foods co-op I shop at, Azure Standard. If you’ve seen these types of lids in other locations, please let us know where in the comments for the sake of other readers. Edit: You can get both the plastic lids and the sprouting lids at Amazon!
31 Ways to Use a Mason Jar in Your Kitchen
1. Leftovers. Perfect for soups or stews, grains like rice, chopped veggies, scrambled eggs… endless possibilities.
2. Smoothies. Make extra and store it in the fridge for later in the day, or use the jar to bring the smoothie when you’re on the go.
3. Drinking water for day. Need a way to visually measure how much water you are drinking throughout the day? Try using quart or 1/2 gallon mason jars to put your daily water out on the counter, then use it to refill glasses until it’s gone. You’ll know for sure whether you hit your water target or not.
4. Sprouting seeds or grains. With the sprouting lids I mentioned, this is a breeze for making fresh green sprouts. But even without fancy lids, I’ve been using jars for sprouting for years. Works for sprouting grains, too.
5. Soaking nuts or seeds. Soaking overnight reduces enzyme-inhibitors in nuts and seeds.
6. Store nut butter. After you soak your nuts, make homemade nut butter!
7. Sourdough starter. I like pint jars for creating new sourdough starter, then I’ll transfer it to a quart or 1/2 gallon jar for storing and maintaining the starter long term.
8. Making/storing kombucha. This healthful, fermented drink can also be flavored.
9. Homemade yogurt. I like making mine directly in jars, either in my oven or in my Excalibur dehydrator. Another option is to make yogurt in your crockpot, then transfer to jars once cool and set for easy fridge storage.
10. Mason jar meal. This creative idea would be great for a picnic!
11. Flower vase. Simple, quaint, beautiful.
12. Making milk kefir or water kefir or coconut milk kefir.
13. Storing homemade juice or iced teas in fridge. The large 1/2 gallon jars are particularly perfect for this, and even for brewing the tea, especially with the screw-on plastic lids.
Image by striatic
14. Keeping herbs fresh in the fridge (green onions, cilantro, etc.). Fill a jar 3/4 full with water, place your bunch of fresh herbs in it, then store in the fridge for herbs that keep much longer than they would in your produce drawer.
15. Spice mixes. Making your own spice mixes is cheap and easy. The small jar (1/2 pint or smaller) make ideal spice jars.
16. Dry pantry staples. I like to buy in bulk, then store staples like sea salt, baking soda and baking powder in jars.
17. Dried vegetables from garden. Not only is it practical, but dehydrated summer produce looks beautiful in jars.
18. Canning. Whether you stick to a batch or two of jam each season, or you want to get serious about preserving the season’s bounty, this is the season to think about stocking up on jars if you plan to do some summer preserving.
Image by keithhopper
19. Storing dry beans, pasta, rice, etc. in the pantry. There’s something particularly pleasing about a pantry full of mason jars.
20. Mixing salad dressings. I use 1/2 pint or pint jars with lids to mix up salad dressings, then store them in the door of my fridge to make salad eating simple. You could do this with homemade marinades or other types of sauces as well.
21. Homemade syrup. Our two favorite syrups (aside from genuine maple syrup, our number one choice) are honey butter syrup or a more typical syrup made with Sucanat (unrefined sugar) or coconut sugar. A perk of using glass is that you can soften extra honey butter syrup (since it will harden in the fridge) by letting it warm up in a pot of lightly boiling water for a couple minutes.
Image by Paula from Salad in a Jar
22. Mason jar salads. Love this brilliant idea!
23. Homemade cough syrup or other cold-kicking remedies.
24. Fermenting foods like salsa or pickles or sauerkraut. Leave them out on the counter while fermenting, then add a lid and store in the fridge, while you enjoy these digestion-boosting foods.
Image by twodolla
25. As a drinking glass. I’ve seen many people actually build up a collection of various mason jars, purely for the sake of using as drinking glasses. Great for everyday, or fun for a party or special event.
26. Dry baking mixes like bread, pancakes, etc. Making your own homemade baking mixes saves money and time. Store them in amounts that are just right for one morning of pancakes, or two loaves of bread, to simplify the baking process even more (no measuring!).
27. Culture your own creme fraiche (or sour cream).
28. Soup broth. Store your homemade bone broth for a few days in your fridge, or in your freezer (but make sure to leave a good amount of headroom so that your jars don’t crack).
29. Food gifts. Layered food mixes, like dry bean soup or cookies in a jar, look so lovely and homey in a mason jar. Add a pretty fabric or decorative paper label to the lid to make it extra special.
Image by maureen lunn
30. Decoratively. Aside from their practical uses, they’re also just plain old pretty. Try doing a search on Pinterest for Mason Jar. You won’t believe how many amazing ideas you find. Candles, lanterns, party decor… the possibilities are endless!
31. Edible beauty products. Did you know that you already have a kitchen full of beauty supplies? Try making some of these edible beauty products, or homemade scrubs like the ones in Simple Scrubs to Make and Give.
Has anyone used tattler lids instead of the regular metal rings? I’ve heard mixed reviews on them, but am tempted to buy as they are BPA free…
I have recently acquired some. I have heard nothing but good things, except that not having the “pop” sound is unnerving. Looking forward to using them this summer!
I also save the lids from my mayonnaise and salad dressing bottles. They fit perfectly on a mason jar with ‘regular” size opening. Also the complete cap of store bought parmesan cheese or Romano cheese grated in the bottle. They both fit perfectly on regular mouth mason jars.
i already do most of these things, but am always looking for more uses for mason jars. check out my facebook page for some mason jar craft items, including a stainless steel pump and lid to turn your mason jar into a soap dispenser. http://www.facebook.com/MisforMasonJar a
You mentioned that the white lids make labeling easier, here is another idea. Did you know you can use a permanent sharpie marker and label the glass on the side of the jar? (it will also come right off the lid with a small amount of rubbing.) With a little rub with a rag as you clean the jar the mark will come right off. For me wipe off markers don’t stay long enough. I learned this when we tried to label our jars for raw milk and we can’t seem to find a permanent way of labeling them besides using some kind of tape or sticker to label.
I store my bulk herbs in quart-sized Mason jars. It keeps them fresh and is easy to see how much I have. I also use them to make herbal infusions. For example, right now I am waiting in baby #3 and have been making red raspberry leaf infusions in a few Mason jars at once weekly.
the small mouth quart jars can be used on most blenders instead of the blender’s carafe. this is great for blending small batches of smoothies or grinding seeds & nuts.
I found my plastic lids at Fred Meyer. I love them!
Great post! I love my mason jars. I always look for them in thrift stores and usually I find one or two each time. When buying jars used you should always check them carefully for cracks, not just around the jar, but especially around the top. A crack or even a small chip where the lid sits can compromise the seal when you’re canning. I lost two jars of applesauce last fall that way:(
You can find sprouting lids in 3 different sizes of mesh for wide mouth mason jars at sproutpeople.org
Another trick for finding plastic lids is to try out lids from plastic jars. If you buy peanut butter or mayo they usually have a lid that will fit a jar. You could also ask your friends for theirs. I have had good luck with mayo lids fitting my jelly jars. 🙂
I LOVE my mason jars! I use them for everything you mentioned. One thing that I’ve experienced with storing hot soups and broths is if I put the lid on while it is hot and store in the fridge, it will last WEEKS, rather than days since it will vacuum seal on its own. I’ve never had a soup/broth go bad, even when it was forgotten at the back of the fridge. Disclaimer: this is no substitute for pressure canning. Use a lid in good condition, keep the jar in the fridge and use common sense and your nose! Bring contents of jar back to full rolling boil before consuming.
I love mason jars. Especially the blue ones and ones with the bails on them. I have ammassed quite a collection of unique jars that mostly serve as decoration. I use more current standard ones for food storage, because I guess I fear the worst of what has been stored in the old ones… (irrational, I know)
In my house, I have a large gallon jar with a bail for my oats, pint sized ones for a toothbrush holder and candle in my bathroom (a wonderful smelling candle had a lot of leftover wax once the wick was gone so I melted it and made a new candle in the jar)
Anytime before throwing out a plastic lid, I check if it will fit my regular and wide mouth jars. The peanut butter lids fit the regular jars great. I always save those. And the tops of salt containers will fit under the ring of wide mouth bands. …and parmesian cheese caps. I keep a (square) ice cream bucket on the top shelf of my cabinet where I just pop in any unused lids until I need them.
Also. Mason jars fit most blenders, apparently, though I’ve never tried that one.
I also enjoy using our jars, I have taken to storing my batches of crispy nuts or roasted chick peas in them. I also use it for our homeade mayo, which probably constitutes using for homeade salad dressings. I also just use jars in general, not necessarily mason type. Love your extra ideas for them. Thank you.
I have used other plastic lids also, such as the mayo lids. Parmesan cheese lids also fit and voila… you have a shaker!
I have used my pint jars to make oatmeal on the go. I got the idea off of Pinterest. You put your dried oatmeal in your jar and add whatever extras you want (honey, dried fruit etc.) and pour boiling water over it up to the rim. Screw on your lid and head out the door. By the time I get to work, my breakfast is finished and HOT!
Clever, I should try that.
I have been using my jars for canning and storing dry goods. I never thought about using my jars in so many ways. Thanks for all these ideals I can’t wait to try them.
I love using mason jars! Thanks for sharing so many great ideas. I especially liked the salad in a jar. That’s one I haven’t tried yet.
And, despite the name of my blog, I always seem to be on the lookout for more jars!
I love mason jars and all types of jars too! I save the cutest ones and use them for decoration throughout my house. I have a mason jar of daffodils sitting in my living room right now, so I smiled when I saw that you have the same! Thanks for many more great ideas! Wishing you a very blessed Resurrection Sunday!! Blessings, Kelly
I won’t buy used jars. A long time ago I learned that old jars (from your grandmas and great grandmas) may have lead in them.
I love my canning jars. I had a lady in my quilt guild who knew I canned give me her whole stash of jars. I get jars from my favorite thrift store for 25 cents each. I have my mother’s canning jars too as she is not longer able to can. I even have a couple of the blue ones. I think they are so pretty and wish I could find more of the blue ones.
I have recently purchased an Excalibur dehyrator so I could use more jars. Non Mason canning jars would do for things I use I dehydrate but even glass jars are getting hard to come by since everything you buy at the store comes in a plastic container. I remember saving all the mayonnaise jars. Still can find jellies and some peanut butters (organic) in glass jars.
I recently discovered that the lid to the parmesan cheese will find a mason jar. I buy a lot of my frequently used herbs and spices in bulk so this will come in handy.
For my wedding last summer, I made mason jar lanterns to place around the perimeter of our lawn (outdoor wedding & reception) and down our country driveway. It was beautiful when it got dark, and they didn’t blow out when the breeze came up. Plus the jars were older, blue ones, lending a rustic feel.
In the kitchen, I love storing things in mason jars. Pasta is especially nice, since bags tend to fall over and get messy. Pretty much anything has the potential to be stored in jars in my kitchen! Very versatile.
I was thinking about using them for when I prep meat and chicken ahead of time (buy 5 lbs, cook it all, and then freeze 4 lbs in meal size portions) instead of the freezer bags. I *think* it would work, and eliminate the freezer bags, but haven’t tried it yet.
I turned a mason jar into a shaker can for homemade scouring scrub. All I did was pound a few holes in the lid with a nail and hammer.
Thank you so much for this! I keep all of my old pasta jars, salsa jars, jam jars etc. They have piled up and I had no idea how to use them! This is a great list.
Another one I’d add is storing or cooling homemade stock. I make chicken or turkey stock and cool it in these jars until I can freeze it in bags in 2c portions for cooking. 🙂
Mason jars fit on your blender! Unscrew the pitcher and screw on a jar. Great for smoothies or pureeing canned tomatoes!
I found the sprouting lids here and free shipping with prime. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N8MRW8/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=mamylire-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B000N8MRW8&adid=1PQ18E6ZCEVDS8WW58F1&
I do a huge batch of spaghetti sauce…can I use the mason jars to freeze?
I do this all the time. Just make sure there is an inch of space left at the top of the jar. Also, don’t screw the lid on completely tight because of expansion. This way, the food will expand up instead of out to break the jar.
I too have a love affair with mason jars….and I blame it on my Mama. 🙂 I just love the option of putting flowers in them.
We actually are trying to buy a home that has a FULL STOCK of mason jars in the basement!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! It’s a bank owned property and is sold “as is.” LOL I might be more excited about those jars than anything. 😉
One day I want to make a kitchen chandelier with the blue mason jars. Ahhhhh. Dreaming. 🙂
They happen to be my husbands favorite drinking glasses! Its so easy for him to get his large hands inside of them when it is time for us to do the dishes.
I too have a love affair with mason jars…
I use them all over my house. My bathroom countertop has a few full of cotton balls and q-tips. I store buttons and other little craft supplies in small jelly jars. Paperclips, saftey pins, staples, thumbtacks are all in glass jars. I also have a few full of sand from our honeymoon and shells and seaglass from summers on the beach. We drink out of mason jars (they were salsa jars, and now I have a matching set!) Store dry goods in my pantry and leftovers in the fridge. There is almost always flowers in a mason jar on my kitchen windowsill. 🙂
Here is my blog post about reusing glass jars. http://asimpleheartforhome.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-have-small-obsession.html
Absolutely love mason jars and any glass jar for that matter! I too have a stash in my basement and I am consistently looking through them to find the right size. I use them in my pantry for dry goods like beans and dried fruit, leftovers in the frig, in the freezer, for homemade body butter, single servings of soup in the freezer, …..
I wish I had saved more of Trader Joe’s jelly jars when they used the square mason jars.
I just started using chalk board contact paper with a chalk marker for labeling. So far it’s working, but I wonder if the label will stay on through washing the jars….
OOH! Okay, I’ve done all of the above except for the salads and the blender.
I also use my to cook and reheat things–making dulce de leche/caramel sauce with a small jar in my crockpot (treat sweetened condensed milk as if you were going to can it, and ensure it’s covered with 1-2″ of water, as in a water-bath canner, just leave the crockpot on for several hours until it looks like caramel), and reheating a single serving of soup, spaghetti, anything (or multiple jars for multiple servings!) because I don’t use a microwave. I have one of those expandable steamer inserts that you set on the bottom of the pan (looks like a strange silver flower, the way it opens and closes), fill the pan with 1-2″ of water, cover and steam away, and it can heat things that don’t touch the sides of the jars, i.e. lasagna!
I only just bought my Tattler lids last year, but have successfully canned with them, and LOVE them! The rings do wear out after several uses, I’ve been told, but I feel better using them than the metal ones that I KNOW have BPA in them (we’re trying to get pregnant).
Also, I have found those white lids at WAL MART, of all places!! Do check, they’re pretty reasonable, but it doesn’t seem that they ever put their canning supplies on sale, at least not here–I checked all winter long, and they’re still there, all still regularly-priced.
Oh, and I’m with Jessica–sharpie markers are the only way to go for me. We even mark our drinking glasses with them (yes, often mason jars of various sizes) when we have more than just hubby and me at the house.
LOVE my jars!
Did you know that you can use a mason jar as a blender jar? Great for grinding spices or making bread crumbs!
I use a grease pencil to label the plastic lids. I like the lid labeled as opposed to a permanent marker on the side. It has been the best of all different systems I have tried and comes off very easily when doing dishes.
Amazon has the plastic lids: http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Wide-Mouth-Plastic-Storage-Caps/dp/B000SSN3L2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333659219&sr=8-1
YAY for JARS! (Mason and otherwise)Okay, I’ve done all of the above except for the salads and the blender.
I also use my to cook and reheat things–making dulce de leche/caramel sauce with a small jar in my crockpot (treat sweetened condensed milk as if you were going to can it, and ensure it’s covered with 1-2″ of water, as in a water-bath canner, just leave the crockpot on for several hours until it looks like caramel), and reheating a single serving of soup, spaghetti, anything (or multiple jars for multiple servings!) because I don’t use a microwave. I have one of those expandable steamer inserts that you set on the bottom of the pan (looks like a strange silver flower, the way it opens and closes), fill the pan with 1-2″ of water, cover and steam away, and it can heat things that don’t touch the sides of the jars, i.e. lasagna!
I only just bought my Tattler lids last year, but have successfully canned with them, and LOVE them! The rings do wear out after several uses, I’ve been told, but I feel better using them than the metal ones that I KNOW have BPA in them (we’re trying to get pregnant).
Also, I have found those white lids at WAL MART, of all places!! Do check, they’re pretty reasonable, but it doesn’t seem that they ever put their canning supplies on sale, at least not here–I checked all winter long, and they’re still there, all still regularly-priced.
Oh, and I’m with Jessica–sharpie markers are the only way to go for me. We even mark our drinking glasses with them (yes, often mason jars of various sizes) when we have more than just hubby and me at the house.
LOVE my jars!
Oops–I was having problems with WordPress–didn’t mean to post twice!
I use my jars to make homemade butter. Pour a container of organic whipping cream into the jar and shake vigorously for 20 minutes. Chill. Drain off the buttermilk and save in a Mason jar to use for baking. Rinse and pat butter dry. Store in a half pint size jar.
We’re preparing to move to Africa as missionaries. This post gave me so many ideas! I had been thinking I needed (as advised) to buy a buy of Tupperware containers for storage, but I love the idea of using jars!!! Awesome! They can be used for canning, drinking, leftovers, etc. Thank you! 🙂
Love this! I have my own “glass farm” going on, and this has given me plenty of great ideas on how to make use of them!
I too have used most of these ideas. I love to open my cupboard and be able to see what is there and how much because everything is in jars:)
I have some tea bags in a jar by my tea kettle for a quick grab. I make my own seasoning mixes (taco and ranch, etc) and they too are in jars next to the dried herbs from my garden.
I am so excited that they are bringing back the asparagus jars. I have 2 of these from my grandmother and love them for fermented pickles.
Great post thank you for sharing
Love the idea of using a dry erase market on the plastic lids. I haven’t gotten any yet but you have inspired me.
I also save my nice glass sauce jars or coconut oil jars. They also are a cheap way to increase your glass collection.
My pantry is filled with leftover glass jars and mason jars. http://www.randomrecycling.com/2012/03/project-simplify-creating-pantry.html
There’s just something about the glass that makes it less distracting.
I use a mason jar all the time for my water glass and my daughter made me a cute “braclet” for it of colorful beads and a stretchy string….so I put on my current jar and it doesn’t get mixed up with anyone elses. I LOVE knowing I am drinking out of the right one!
Oh, I love this post! Mason jars are the best. They make me happy 🙂
I do use a lot of them for my homemade scrubs and salves, but also like to drink out of them and store food in them, and use them as flower vases . . .
One thing some of the ppl at church have been doing lately is using the wide mouth jars for something called “dinner in a jar”. There is a recipe book for it you can buy. I got mine at a food storage store. You put all your dry ingredients in the jar and seal it using a tool to suck out the air. You can can chicken, beef, hamburger, bacon, etc in jars too then together, you can make a meal.
So nice to know that I’m not the only one who is a bit obsessed with Mason jars!! 🙂 I read your post to my hubby so he could see that it’s not just me. I use all sizes in my pantry and love how it turned out. One idea- Foodsaver vacuum sealers have an attachment that will vacuum seal your jars to keep things fresher for a longer period of time (NOT a substitute for canning though). So much fun!
I, too, love Mason Jars! I love the Elite 8oz and 16oz jars – they’re short and squatty with wide mouths, so they work great a “tupperware” for taking lunches to school, etc. I store most leftovers, etc in my jars. I remember being so frustrated with the glass food storage containers on the market because they leak and one day read about someone using mason jars and I felt so dumb for never even thinking of that as an option. (At the time I had a cupboard full of jars.) Thanks for all the new ideas!
Since our fridge is how we get our filtered water, I keep a Mason jar next to it to use to fill measuring cups and the teapot. I wash it occasionally, but since it just has water in it, it doesn’t need it too often.
(BTW, Classico pasta sauce jars are the best! I pay more for Classico sauce than other sauces since their jars are so useful 🙂 )
Yes they are very useful.I have a ton of those myself. I use them for so many things, cotton balls q tips. So much more.
my grandmother just gave me some of her OLD canning jars and lids. The lids are glass and have a rubber ring. The metal screw on top is a little different. She said that they had to replace the rubber rings over time as they would get hard and brittle.
We use them to make soap dispensers for homemade foaming liquid handsoap (I have a post on it, but I won’t spam up your comments!). I also store homemade stock, spaghetti sauce, etc. in them and store in the freezer. Oh, and I also buy coconut oil in a 7 lb. container, so I melt the oil and pour into separate mason jars. I always keep one on top of my stove, and when the oven or stove are warm it automatically melts it for me!
I also use them to store dry beans, and I use them to make a homemade citrus all purpose cleaner. I always have 2 batches of cleaner going at the same time.
Where do you store all your jars? We are running out of room, and I just decided the other day that I may need to just recycle some b/c I don’t have room for all of them. I guess I can use some for decoration on top of my cabinets and just empty the contents when I need to use them for food!
My husband and “BFF” both agree I should be on hoarders when it comes to saving glass containers 🙂 I don’t think they realize I actually DO re-use them, though!
To offer an idea for storage:
I had this problem too – I used to keep my “pretty” ones on my large kitchen windowsill, but they’d always be in the way, get splashed from the sink, etc. Since my kitchen cabinets stop about a foot short of the ceiling, I decided to move them up there. I have them in clusters, with varying styles in an interesting arrangement, with a vintage teapot, food scale, my water-bath canner and a chicken-wire basket and bushel basket. It has a wonderful simple-life, country feel.
I want to put a shelf across the TOP of that large kitchen window and put them up there, eventually. I think they’d look so pretty there, but I think my collection has gotten too big for that now!!
As far as my canning ones, I’ve saved the boxes they came in and stash them on a high shelf in my pantry. But they could even be stacked and covered with a cloth to make an end table!
I love this idea! Thanks for sharing, Jenny! Our kitchen cabinets also stop short of the ceiling. I have some pottery up there right now, but I bet I could re-arrange and make them look pretty (I’m not a natural decorator, though! haha). Right now, I just toss them in a drawer…but that drawer is so full. We live in a townhouse with little storage space…but I think I can creatively find a place to store them!
I love using Mason jars for storing dry beans, juice and leftovers – especially half-used onions! The glass is easy to clean and the tight lid keeps the stink out of my fridge. My only problem is where/how to store all the jars. We have very little storage space in our kitchen. How do you store all your extra jars?
One that I didn’t see on the list which I found on pinterest last fall is the pie in a jar. Using a half pint size jar you press pie dough along the sides of the jar, add your filing, top with remainder of dough or crumb topping and freeze. When you want pie, put the jar from the freezer into the oven for 50 minutes at 375 and you have a single serving pie! I’m planning on making a bunch of these this summer when our raspberry bushes are harvested. Yum!
stephanie, are you related to langfords in utah?
I love Mason jars (actually, any glass jar) too. They have such a nice minimalist asthetic. I use them for drinking (a quart jar helps me drink more water), food storage, storing homemade skin care products, to hold pencils and pens, to culture kefir, and as vases.
New subscriber via Weekend Reading post at Organizing Your Way. Love the ideas for Mason jars!
Congratulations! Pinned this article to my Pinterest board and got a whopping response.
You’re welcome. 🙂
I have found the plastic storage lids at small hardware stores like True Value.
We use mason jars for several of the ideas listed! LOVE them! That salad idea is really neat, I think I’ll try it!
I just started mixing together, in pint jar, honey & butter to make Honey Butter (less mess, than the children buttering their toast & then adding honey) and then I store it in that same pint jar.
I also make a Butter Spread (butter/coconut oil & olive oil) that I store in the pint sized jar. I use a wax pencil to mark on the plastic lid. Wanting to get my spices switched over to the small 1 cup sized jar & use the plastic lids (they come in 2 sizes, I’ve found mine at Walmart) to store spices in a kitchen pull-out drawer.
I bought honey in bulk (plastic bucket) used some & decided it needed to be stored in something smaller (some to keep in kitchen & the rest in our extra food storage/out of the way). I sterilized canning jars (in the oven) and then scooped up the honey & storing it in quart sized canning jars (labeled it with masking tape, what was in it & the date stored in jar).
Being that the honey is in glass, if it crystallizes, I can easily heat it up in the future…to re-liquify it.
Thank you for this post it was informative and inspired me to go out and get some mason jars! I’m curious, any info on the plastic for the screw on lids for the jars? Do you think they have toxins in them? Thanks! 😀
I have the same question!
The platic ball jar lids are BPA free. Even the two piece cannong lids have BPA in the lining, but the plastic lids don’t. Plus in my book! I harly use the two piece anymore.
I bought a couple of boxes each of the regular size lids and the wide mouth lids. I love them. They are of hard plastic that doesn’t discolor even with the toughest food like red sauce. They are shiny and they stay that way. I use them on jars for the freezer and have never had one break. Don’t hesitate to buy them, you won’t regret it.
I too am a lover of mason jars. I have several antique ones in different colors. They are my pride and joy. I too use them for many things, but you gave me more ideas. Love your site!
As I try to keep track of my water intake, I use Mason jars with measurements marked on them. The fact that they are sturdy and cheap (I never buy any… just use recycled pasta sauce jars, etc) is a bonus with kids who frequently break my “nice”, store-bought drinking glasses. But my favorite way to use Mason jars is for blender jars. The threads fit most blender bases and the jars are perfect for making personal smoothies/shakes for each member of the family. Better than everybody getting stuck with the same exact recipe made in the larger blender jars.
I too, love mason jars. I use them for everything in the kitchen. I also use any jars (pickle, sauce, etc) But I was not happy with all the writing on the lids so I spray painted all my lids (even the mason jar lids) with chalkboard paint. My friend liked it so much she’s bringing her lids over to paint them also. It’s handy and looks nice =]
Great idea! Did you ever have it come off, though? (contamination?)
LOVE these ideas and I save a lot of mine for these reasons!
Janette
I only use Mason jars for all my storage. They are wonderful to freeze in. Buy the white plastic lids, fill the jar to about 2″ from the top and freeze whatever you want to save. The jar goes directly from the freezer to the microwave, no problem.
There are no ugly, unsafe, discolored plastic containers in my kitchen. I love the way my freezer looks when I open the door, all the jars of food lined up like perfect soldiers. I can see exactly what I have at a glance.
The tiny jars are perfect for that 1/2 can of leftover tuna, a little bit of roux for the next batch of gravy, those few olives that are left, cloves of garlic, etc.
Can’t live without them. You can find the fancy decorative ball/mason jars at estate sales and tag sales. Love Love Love them.
I have really enjoyed reading all of your wonderful suggestions. I have many, many jars already in use but you have inspired me to look for even more ways to use the humble mason jar.
I have 5 of them in a row on my counter. 2 filled with nuts, 1 green pumpkin seeds, 1 organic popcorn kernals, 1 dried cranberries. These not only look pretty, but they are what got me off the nibbling-bad-things habit. With these in plain sight, I’d nibble on the healthy option instead! Wish I knew how to send you a pic. 🙂 (I love mason jars for yogurt and tea as you do, too!)
I just found your site, and really enjoyed looking around. I have to say that I totally agree with your love of Mason jars! We switched off plastic last year, and since then I can’t get enough jars. I never thought to look for them for free- Thanks!
My Food Saver has a Mason jar attachment, so I can vacuum seal my jars. Great for coffee, grains, chips, crackers etc.
I like mason jars for dry goods storage (being mouse-proof is a big deal in an old house). I use a trick from stained glass for labeling the jars – Sharpie. It will come off of the glass pretty easily. This also allows me to date the jar contents without marking up the lid.
HELP….I’m new at this canning stuff, but I just read on here that you can “freeze canning jars” is that true? I always thought that if you put glass in the freezer it would crack. Is that just like Kerr and Ball jars or can I use like old Ragu jars in the freezer too? Thanks!
If the jars are shaped like drinking glasses–no “shoulder” between the bottom and the top–they can go in the freezer. The jars that curve in at the top, with the lid a smaller diameter than the wider sides of the jar, are not freezer safe.
I use canning jars all over my kitchen too from the pantry to leftovers. I just made a wonderful salmon stock but one of the jars cracked in the freezer… I have had several do that when full of liquid but I guess it’s because I didn’t leave enough room. I’ll keep a closer eye on that!
I put all different sizes in the freezer, mostly I use the “classico spaghetti sauce” type jar (with “shoulders”). You do need to make sure to leave an inch or three of space to allow the liquid to expand as it freezes. The only time I’ve had jars break is when I’ve tried to rapid-thaw the contents by immersing the jar in too-hot water, or when I’ve put a jar with hot contents straight into the freezer.
I so love canning jars for their amazing versatility! I have purchased an abundance of jars at yard sales. Many are the old bail style wire and glass lids, which are fabulous.
A local hardware store also has begun carrying the 1/2 gallon sized jars. My canner isn’t large enough for them, but they are indispensible for food storage! It is such a easy step toward greater simplicity and guests always oooh and aaah over the decorative appearance!
Just like you, we use Mason jars for just about EVERYTHING in our kitchen! I’ve accumulated well over a thousand so far, and by the end of canning season they are all full … so for a short while, I don’t have much wiggle room. Agreed, never, never turn down canning jars! I shop for them at garage sales, mostly I get good finds in the rural areas. (I even bought a bunch once which included a dozen or so that were still filled with 10-yr old applesauce! The owner said, “Are you sure you want these!?” I said, “I’m sure!!”) When you visit garage sales, be sure to ASK if they have old canning jars they want to sell! I’ve only actually seen them out on the lawn for sale a few times … usually, I just ask, and they say Hmm … come to think of it, I do have a few boxes in the garage …
You can also bake small pies in the pint or half-pint (wide-mouth) size, and then just screw the lid on and husband can carry to work!
And, I recently found THIS incredible lid, which blows my mind!!! http://dotalanecdotes.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-like-convenience-mind-blowing.html
Oh yes – AND layering jell-O or trifle treats in jars …. so convenient!!!
http://dotalanecdotes.blogspot.com/2011/12/jell-o-in-jars.html
We also use the jars for gifts, like layered brownie mixes …
I’ve used them for candleholders, and I have one which oddly enough has a hole in the bottom so I use it to store all my sharpies!
At the grocery store recently, I was purchasing a few new packages of jars that were on sale. In one of the packages there was a shattered jar; so I asked the manager if he’d negotiate a discount for me. He dropped the price by about half again, so I was pleased!
I use these canning lids sometimes, too, because they are reusable; they are available from Amazon, as well! http://dotalanecdotes.blogspot.com/2010/12/reusable-canning-lid-home-canners.html
We use our half-gallon sized jars for our raw milk cow-share here in Virginia! I’ll skim off the cream sometimes, and put it into the pint jars 🙂
I have some gallon-sized jars (not mason) as well, which are wonderful for kombucha, dry goods, etc.
Great article! I love mason jars and you definitely gave me a few more uses for them. Thanks for sharing!
What kind of lead Mason Jar has? The one that has 2 parts?
Neat ideas – great site. I’m still finding new uses for my jars and only have about a dozen in 3 sizes, so don’t have a ton of them.
Just a FWIW for those who plan to get the plastic lids, they are NOT water tight like the 2 piece lid. If you ever have to store some liquid in your fridge and want to lay a jar on its side, you will have a mess to clean up later. I do like using them for other things though and use both the plastic and the 2 piece lids.
Are mason jars a specific kind of jar or could you also wash out a spaghetti sauce jar and use it as one?
Great ideas! Have you seen the reCAP lids? I found them here http://recapmasonjars.com/ and have really found them to be an asset! I love displaying God’s creativity by putting my legumes in all their variations in Mason jars and storing them in a row across the top of my cupboards. Saves space inside and looks homey, but they are useful and don’t collect dust. 🙂
You can find them at TRADER JOES filled with pasta sauce. Just soak the jars in warm water for a bit, and the labels scrub off easy. And you’ll know which ones they say mason at the top. I use them for drinking water. Still don’t know if they are safe as far as lead goes.
I use the 1/2 gal. size in my pantry, using a large “fender washer” and a large screw, through the center of the metal lids. I hang them from the under side of the shelves. This way, the lid stays securely in place and I just screw and un-screw the jars to them. I keep beans, pasta, cornmeal, rice etc as well as syrup, vinegars and some other liquids that do not require refrigeration. It looks really nice in the pantry and i can still use the shelf space below the jars for canned goods etc. I also use the really small jars in the same way for spices.
If you own an Oster blender, you may appreciate knowing that you can screw off the blade from the glass pitcher and put it on a regular mouth mason jar, attach it to the blender as you would the pitcher and blend away…. This is great for making smoothies, processing nuts, making crumbs, etc. – you simply take off the blade and replace with a lid to store. We burned up 3 Magic Bullet motors before we came up with this – you may want to give it a try! – ENJOY –
That is so awesome! I just checked and it worked on my Cuisinart too. Now I just have to find something to blend.
LOVE LOVE LOVE your site… I will be promoting it when my new sit is up and running. Thank you.
Do you have to sterilize mason jars/lids if you are using them to store dry pasta, flour, sugar, etc? What about when you are cooking a cake in a jar?
Thanks:)
You don’t need to sterilize them for dry storage, just wash and dry them as you would with any other dish or food storage container. Same goes for cooking or preparing food in one.
I have a question for anyone whos willing to answer. I recently bought some ball canning jars and i read and watched a video and heard some scary things about botulism and was wondering is it safe to drink from them? If so what do i have to do before im able to do so?
Hi Vanessa,
Botulism is a potential risk in canned food…not the jar the food is canned in. Wash and dry used jars, and you should be good to go for drinking.
Incidentally, the risk of botulism in home-canned food that was canned using proper guidelines is practically zero. Read up on the proper guidelines at the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s website: http://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html
i re use mason/ canning / pretty pasta sauce jars – love them !!!!
this idea may not be 100% safe -( however, i have been doing this for a number of years with no problem !!! ) —– wash , rinse ,dry the lids from jars like
mayonaise , peanutbutter , etc – some of these will fit the mason jars —
good on a pinch !!!! just make certain the lid is deep and has a
good * twist * screw –
We use the jars for homemade finger paints for the kids. We also use the back sliding glass door for the canvas many times because it washes off and doesn’t hurt the environment. Storing the paints in the jars is really pretty. We also store our homemade playdough, crayons, and legos in mason jars. Its a great way to get preschoolers sorting by having different colored or sized items in different jars–easy for them to see the results.
Besides the obvious things mentioned… here’s what I use mason jars for. Rubber bands, twist ties from bread wrappers, tea balls ( I have several different sizes), fruit carving knives – used to do the tiny details when carving squash and fruits, matches, bamboo skewers, those condiment packets from fast food places, I grow my herbs in them on the window sill. assorted faucet parts like washers, bushings, etc, and tooth picks.
You can also use a wide mouth quart size mason jar to attach to many blenders so they become a “bullet” type blender. I have a Breville blender and it works great!
I’m glass jar crazy myself…have boxes of them…I keep all my dried beans, lentils, spices, seeds in them…the ones I’ve gotten from my SF Smucker Jam days I now use to make my own low sugar freezer jam & banana butter (m-m-m-m – good on top of toast and p.b.)…they’re wonderful to make “gifts in a jar” for friends and family…top with some pretty gingham and they’re so cute! Thanks for your many ideas…they are now on my desktop in a Word document!
Some time ago, jar dome lids and bands came in all sorts of colorful patterns. Does anyone know if they are still available?
I love mason jars as well and use them for a million things around the house. When I juice fresh produce I store the juice in sealed mason jars in the fridge for the next day. I also keep my kale fresh in the fridge in a mason jar with fresh water.
They are great for flowers, for mixing up food items, storing parts, making stone-milled oatmeal, making pudding (kids will love shaking their own pudding), etc. You can often pick up free jars on Freecycle. I also love the Weck jars, I found at Crate & Barrel. I got rid of all my old Rubbermaid and Tupperware and use only jars for storing leftovers. No more waste or possible BPA leeching.
Well Hello. I had no idea there was anyone out there who loved canning jars as much as I do. My dad laughs at me and says he has never known anyone with more canning jars. I have even seen jar light fixtures and it’s on my projects list. Fun reading, thanks.
Hi! I’m wondering about lead in glass. I recently learned its in almost all glass (a way it’s made) & was wondering what your thoughts are. I know a lot of plastics can be bad, but have found some I love that are close to glass in make-up but w/out toxins. Any thoughts/advice on safe glass? Online research states older mason jars def. have lead & should be avoided. Do you know any safe brands? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Mason jars fit some of the old blender, so if you want to blend something that you want to store for awhile after, just screw the mason jar onto the blender blade thingy and pop it on!
Thank you so so much for sharing that. My blender is kind of an older model with a heavy glass jar (about 3 lbs). I didn’t really like using it because of that and having to take off the gasket and jar nut every time. But now, with using the mason jar, it is light and I have to remove the jar nut to get to the drink, and I don’t have to fumble around with cleaning a large, heavy blender jar in the sink. This works so well for me because I pretty much use the blender only for smoothies, so a mason jar is a perfect drinking size.
And, thanks so much for that post on mason jars to the author!
I make candles in them. When cleaning up the kitchen after a meal, a candle by the sink takes the drudge out of the work
I use one in the bathroom and fill it with powder in the scent to match my perfume. Add a powder puff on and the powder doesn’t loose it’s scent and with a colorful puff it’s decorative.
I have one in my bedroom to drop loose change into.
Great ideas! I use wide mouth quart mason jars for paint when painting rooms in my house. If I need to stop painting I just cover the mouth of the jar with plastic wrap and secure with the ring. Keeps the paint ready to use when I return to finish the job. Easy to clean even when the paint dries! The paint will easily peal off!
I love mason jars and use them for numerous things… the ones that come to mind are storage (dry goods and bone broth especially), for salad dressings for packed lunches (Hubby and I are both Paleo and our most common lunch is a salad with canned fish. The smallest sized mason jars are ideal for salad dressings), pen/pencil storage, knitting needle storage, hair tie storage (infact storage of anything that will fit in the jar and if it is too tall, I just leave the lid off….) we also use them as drinking glasses. My pantry is full of mason jars as is my fridge!
Classico spaghetti sauce comes in a mason jar – reuse.
I use the jars for storing powdered healthy foods I buy which come in a bag , I store it in jars for easy opening.
Hi! Great resources, thanks so much for compiling this list! I just purchased the half gallon Mason jars and wanted to ask – do they need to be sterilized if I’m not canning? I’d be using them for pretty much every other use under the sun. I ask because they are so large they won’t fit in any pot I have that I would normally use to sterilize! Thanks so much for your help, Alyssa
And they have come out with the Heritage collection that is blue. So beautiful! Ball says they will be releasing other colors in the future too! 🙂
It sounds like our household! We use mason jars for just about everything…over & over again! They’re certainly for much more than preserving! http://pinterest.com/fillmorejars/boards/
I use the wide mouth pints and smaller in my bathroom for, q-tips, cottonballs, floss pics, etc. Looks pretty in the glass jars.
I use a few mason jars for gifts. Weither its a birthday, or christmas or a special meaning day for someone. I clean the mason jar and lid (orcourse) and I fill it with candy or wrapped chocolate pieces etc. whatever is the person that I am giving the gift to favourite treat. Then I also put in a gift card to somewhere where I know they will use it ( movie, clothing store etc.) I have it slightly sticking out of the candy so they can see it. I decorate it with a ribbon around the lid and sticker on top saying who it is to and from.
Everyone whom I have given this to has just loved it. 😀