I have been canning for a number of years now. I enjoy doing it and it does my heart good to see wholesome homemade food lining our cupboards. I’ve tried to pick up more cases of canning jars every year hoping to fill every one with healthful produce from our garden. From a preparedness standpoint, what has concerned me all along is the once-only use of the metal lids that came with the jars.
A Reusable Alternative
After I became comfortable with canning and knew I would always want to (and maybe NEED to) do this, I started working on a stockpile of replacement metal lids. Still, even after acquiring a case full, I was uneasy because they would inevitably run out at some point, and what would I do if they stopped being available?
Finally, I learned about a safe plastic and rubber reusable system- Tattler Lids. I was very excited about these and bought a few boxes to try.
The Differences
Tattler lids come in boxes that contain a white “lid” and a reddish-orange rubber “gasket.” You need rings from previously used jars since they are not included. After cleaning the rim of the filled jar, you put the gasket on it, a lid on top (or put the gasket in the groove of the lid and then put the two on together), and then screw a metal band/ring over them.
I gave them a trial-by-fire in a marathon canning session when our deep freeze suddenly quit in early summer. I needed to save large amounts of meat in a short period of time.
I found the Tattler lids to be user friendly, much like the metal ones. The directions for them are a bit different than for the standard ones that come with the jars. It is important to read and follow them in order to get a proper seal! One of the most critical parts is NOT screwing the lids on too tightly. Steam must be able to vent during the intense heat of pressure canning. After removing from the canner, it is also important to screw the bands tightly at that time. Use oven mitts!
A Bump in the Road
A week after my meat-a-thon, I decided to use some of the ground beef I had canned. (I had browned it, drained all the grease I could, packed into clean hot jars, and filled with hot water before sealing). I wanted to test the seals, see if the lids did indeed resist warping when removed, and how the rubber rings held up.
I always lift my jars by their lids alone (taking the “ring” off) once they are cool to be sure there is in fact a seal. If the lid remains on, supporting the weight of the contents, I can be pretty sure that everything is as it should be. I had done this with the Tattler lids and noted the “pinged” (pressed down) centers on all of them. It was not as obvious a difference as the metal ones- no ringing “pop” or deep depression on the lid- but it looked sealed.
When I went to use the ground beef, I was dismayed to find that I could remove the lid with just the pressure of my thumb against the seal. I always had to work at prying off metal lids (thus warping them), usually resorting to a bottle opener under whatever lip I could find.
I immediately called a dear fellow prepping friend as I surveyed row after row of canned meat with sinking heart. I asked her if this had been her experience too. She didn’t remember noticing so she went to her own pantry and tried what I described with 2 separate jars. Yep- they pried off fairly easily.
So, what did this mean? That it’s okay or we were both about to poison our families?!
I put the meat aside and emailed the customer service contact on the website. About 8 days later, someone from the company called me to answer my questions.
Essentially, the plastic is more pliable than the metal. This is what makes them reusable and also what makes the lids easier to remove. If the center of the lid was pulled down and could support the weight of the jar as I had determined, it was safely sealed. He said being “bowed up” was often an indication that the lids had been too tightly screwed down and steam could not escape appropriately. Better to leave the screwbands on too loosely in processing than too tightly. Remember, they get tightened when taken out of the canner.
My Assessment
I was not impressed with their customer service, but I am now happy with their product. I have continued to use them and we are botulism-free thus far. 🙂
It’s worth noting that the Tattler lids are more expensive than traditional replacement lids. That can seem a bit much at first but if you factor in that you can use them repeatedly for the rest of your life, the investment is worth it. I would recommend laying in a supply of these.
As far as I know, they are not available in local stores anywhere. I ordered mine through a bulk food co-op we participate in and got a slightly better rate than just buying them box by box online. If you can’t find a source near you, maybe you can get a friend or two to go in on an order and you can at least save shipping.
Anyone else have experience with these? What are your thoughts?
PreppingToSurvive.com 
October 12, 2011 at 7:09 am
Hey Laura – great review. How much do the lids cost and how many come in a box/batch?
October 12, 2011 at 7:47 am
You can order Tattlers from their website – http://shop.reusablecanninglids.com/
You can buy by case or a single package. They sell the metal rings on there as well.
October 12, 2011 at 10:17 am
I have a friend from Iowa who does a lot of canning and he told me those are dangerous to use. I asked him why and he said they don’t make a good seal. I asked him how he knew and he said he had never tried them but his mom told him. (She’s 92). Sounds to me like they are ok.
October 12, 2011 at 10:54 am
It’s very dangerous to reuse normal canning lids, but we’ve had good success with the Tattlers, Arsenius.
October 12, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Best online price I see now is 3 dozen (lid and gaskets, no rings) for $20.95 + shipping directly from the manufacturer.
The box of Ball replacement lids also holds 12 and currently I see the box for about $2.25 + shipping, though some stores will have them in stock locally, at least during “canning season.”
That seems like a big price jump and I too held off buying any until I had heard some good reviews from friends I trusted. The final selling points were the reusability and the lack of BPA in the plastic. The metal lids are reported to contain BPA still, which could leach into food in storage.
Some people shy away from the Tattlers also because they think they can’t write on them to ID and date the contents. I just stick a piece of masking tape on top to write on, though I hear that even Sharpie will come off the slick surface after going through the dishwasher.
I should mention that if you are used to the metal lids very noticeable difference in being “pinged” or not, it is hardly noticeable with the Tattlers. Use the “lift by the bandless lid” test. I will add that info above in the post.
October 14, 2011 at 10:09 pm
I just got another email from our bulk food co-op and noticed that each box of 12 lids is $8.75. If you have a pick-up in your area, you may want to look into that. In addition to those, seasonally there are fantastic buys on fruit, discounts 5 gal buckets of grains, and all kinds of other things perfect for preparedness planning.
If you don’t have one, maybe you could be a local distributor and reap more benefits. Here is the web address: http://www.bulknaturalfoods.com/
October 17, 2011 at 7:38 pm
I’ll have to give these lids a shot one day. Thanks.
November 15, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Ok I have waht is going to be the dumbest question…….
I have just started Canning and being an apartment dweller I have VERY limited space. I have been canning up various pints of this and that and have been using mostly the smaller mouth jars (I.e. not the wide mouth) and I am having an issue wtih stacking the jars one one another, they just don’t seem secure.
Maybe I am being a worry wart but I really don’t want my hard work falling over and breaking.
So now for the stupid question, what is the best way to store/shelve full canning jars?
Jeff
November 15, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Nope, that’s not a dumb question either.
I too get anxious about the jars toppling over and don’t feel safe in double stacking them either. We live within 100 miles of a fault line and that concerns me, but horseplaying children who bump the furniture could send them toppling too.
I wish I had a really good suggestion, but I don’t. What I do is a row of jars on the actual shelf but then I put whatever fits on top. So, I have pints of canned meat or jams on a shelf with cereal boxes on their backs slipped into the space above and repeat on each shelf. It makes for some oddly organized shelves, but space is at a premium for us too.
Something I looked into a while back was wooden crates that stacked (think I found a listing on Craigslist), but they were just prohibitively expensive. I understand and agree the carpenter should get fair value for his materials and skill, but I couldn’t imagine how I could pay $12 each for them. I’m not sure what we will do once we finally build our root cellar. We will have to do our homework on shelving for durability, stability, cost, and usefulness.
Wish I had a better suggestion.
November 16, 2011 at 11:09 am
Thank you for the reply, I am glad I am not the only paraniod person…LOL
On your root cellar, I would think if you had the floor space, you could make 3-4 very shallow “bookshelfs” The first mounted to the wall, and the other 2-3 you could put them in front on rollers or on a track system so the the forward ones could slide out of the way of the ones farther back.
Just a thought
November 16, 2011 at 11:36 am
Thanks. We will keep that in mind.
April 19, 2013 at 5:30 pm
I just tested 5 tattlers and 4 4ever lids. Every one sealed!!
I had to use something grippy to tighten the lids after they came out of the canner. But they worked great! I’m glad I found reusable lids when I did!
June 20, 2014 at 2:49 pm
We stack jars on the shelf and then cut apart a cardboard box. Put the cardboard on top of the jars and then you have a relatively more stable “shelf” for the next row. It won’t help much in an earthquake (or rowdy kids) but if you live away from a fault and store in your pantry or something, this works well.
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