Water-bath canning is quick and easy.
Almost anyone can do it.
And unfortunately, almost anyone can make canning mistakes.
It happens!
The important thing is to learn from your errors and ensure you don’t repeat them.

Canning Gone Wrong? Here’s How to Prevent Common Mistakes
These are the most common canning mistakes I’ve made (and that I’ve stopped making once I learned a little more).
Mistake 1: Using the Wrong Jars
When I first started canning, I thought I could use any glass container that once held canned food.
If it’s good enough for a commercial canning outfit, it’s good enough for me, I figured.
Unfortunately, this approach meant the loss of an entire batch of canned pickles.
Commercial canners use specialized crimping equipment to pinch the lids on their jars. The glass has a very different shape than versions made for home canners.
If you try to reuse them, the lids won’t seal tightly, and your batch will fail.
How to Fix It
Always use jars made for home canning projects. They’ll be sold empty with the rings and seals you need affixed to them.
If you’re new to canning, don’t buy used jars at thrift stores or garage sales. You may purchase the wrong item without realizing it.
Mistake 2: Using Cracked or Chipped Jars
Once you’ve been canning for a while, you’ll build up a backlog of jars you used once and set aside for the future. If you’re not careful with these jars, they can develop cracks and nicks.
Cracks in your jars can expand in the canner and dump out your contents in the water bath. You’ll lose an entire jar’s worth of contents with this mistake.
Jars with nicks don’t always seal properly, so the lids may never secure tightly. You’ll have to eat those contents right away instead of storing them.

How to Fix It
Always wash your jars in soap and hot water before you use them. I like to inspect my potential jars with both my fingers and my eyes. I set aside anything that looks even slightly damaged.
I also sterilize my jars in my water canner before I use them. If they have tiny cracks I can’t see, they’ll break open in the canner while empty (and I won’t lose anything).
Mistake 3: Over-Tightening Rings
When I first started canning, I screwed my rings down so tightly that it was hard to get them off when the batch was done.
I thought I was doing the right thing and ensuring my lids stayed firmly in place while under the bubbling water.
Screwing lids too tight can keep the lids from sealing properly. The air inside the jars can’t escape, so the suction holding the seal down never forms.
You can lose an entire batch due to failed seals.
How to Fix It
It takes time and practice to tighten rings just right. I use a two-step method. I screw the lid on until it’s holding the jar, and then I reverse my twist by one counter-turn.
With this method, my rings are almost always perfect.
Mistake 4: Not Cleaning Jar Edges
I always use canning funnels and ladles when I fill my jars. These tools ensure that most of my prepared product ends up in the jar (and not on my countertop).
These tools should also keep the edge of my jars clean, but it doesn’t always work.

Debris on the edge of your jars can keep your lids from sealing to the jars. Even sticky bits you can’t see with the naked eye can cause problems. Your jars may not seal properly, even after you’ve let them rest.
How to Fix It
After you’ve filled your jars, dampen a paper towel and run it across the edge of all jars. Only then can you apply the lids and rings safely.
This step takes just a second, and it’s critical.
Mistake 5: Over-Filling Jars
All recipes come with instructions about headspace. When I was new to canning, I thought this was a suggestion and not a rule. I was wrong.
Packing your jars too tight can lead to plenty of problems. Your contents can bubble out of the jars during canning and make all of your jars sticky and coated with debris.
The leaking food can also keep the lids from sealing as the edges of the jars get contaminated.
How to Fix It
I use a basic ruler to measure all of my jars after I’ve filled them. You can also purchase a canning headspace measurement tool (like this one) for an extra layer of protection.
Mistake 6: Skipping a Gel Test
People new to canning often experiment with jams and jellies. These recipes are relatively simple, and the fruit needs very little preparation.
However, they all require a gel test.
A gel test is a complicated step performed right before you ladle the product into the jars.
Skipping it can mean canning products when they’re not cooked enough, so the product is more like a syrup than a jam.
If you try to eyeball it, you could also can a too-cooked product that’s more like cement than a condiment.

How to Fix It
I always follow the cooking time listed on the recipe. If I am following a recipe properly, I shouldn’t overcook my product (or try to can it before it’s ready).
I also use a spoon for my gel test. I dip the spoon into the product and hold it up to the light.
When the drip is slower than it should be if the product weren’t a gel, this item is ready for the jars.
Some people also use a plate test.
To do this, drop about a teaspoon in the center of a plate and run your finger through it.
If the two sides don’t immediately reconnect, the product is ready for the canner.
Mistake 7: Changing Your Recipe
I’ve been tempted to change the ingredients and ratios in recipes.
For example, I had a bunch of fresh dill for pickles, and I thought I could use as much as I wanted to make my final products even tastier.
As Pennsylvania State University explains, tinkering with the acidity of canned items can make them unsafe. Adding extra (including fresh herbs) can also add unwanted bacteria.
If you change your recipe too much, the item may look cloudy or moldy inside the jar.
As a worst-case scenario, it could also make you sick if you eat it.
How to Fix It
You can add or alter the amount of dried spices and herbs in a recipe. You can’t change other ingredients unless the recipe expressly says you can do so.
If you don’t like the way a recipe sounds when you read it, don’t change the ingredients. Just find a recipe you will like.
Mistake 8: Tipping or Tilting Your Jars
I have very small hands, and it’s not always easy for me to use a standard jar lifter.
If I don’t have a good grip before I pick up the jar, it can tilt and tip as I move it from the canner and onto a cutting board to rest.
Tipping a jar puts pressure on the lids. If the jars tip or shift too much, the lids may never fully seal.
How to Fix It
Ensure that you have a good grip on the jars before you move them out of the canner. Use both hands on the jar lifter if you need to do so.
Just make sure you’re holding the jars straight up as they move.

Mistake 9: Poking or Pressing Your Lids
When I was new to canning, I was often impatient. I found it hard to just let my jars seal in peace.
I would test them really early, and sometimes, I’d poke at the center of the lid to see if I could make it depress.
Artificially “sealing” your lids like this can mean that your final product isn’t safe to eat—and you may not know it.
How to Fix It
This is a simple problem to fix. Place your completed products in a protected spot for at least 24 hours. Don’t touch them at all during this time.
If the temptation is too great, put your jars somewhere out of the way (like the basement) so you’re not tempted to mess with them.
Mistake 10: Storing Jars Too Early
If I’m canning plenty of things at once, I’m eager to move my completed products into long-term storage.
Sometimes, that meant I moved things onto my shelves within 8 hours of canning them. Later on, I found that the lids hadn’t really sealed, and I had to throw out my food.
If I had left my jars for a proper wait period, I could have refrigerated the items that didn’t seal and eaten them within a few days.
I lost that chance when I moved them and left them at room temperature for more than 24 hours.

How to Fix It
Always leave your canned items in place to rest for 24 hours before you test the lids. Even if you think they’ve sealed, always wait to be sure.
