Yeah, submerge them completely. It basically sucks the air out and creates a vacuum seal on the lid. If you look in the pot while they're processing you can see the air bubbles come up from the lids, and then when you take them out and sit them on the counter you'll hear them popping away. Before you put them up test each lid by pushing it down - if it hasn't popped down it's not sealed and not safe.
Putting the preserve hot into hot jars *can* seal them, as all the heat basically creates a similar environment to the hot water bath, but it's not as sure. I've had jars pop even before I put them into the hot water, but I always do 10-15 minutes in there just in case.
Tip on sterilizing - we always run everything through the dishwasher without any soap, and with the heated dry option. Jars on the bottom, lids on the top.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-09-27 02:15 pm (UTC)Putting the preserve hot into hot jars *can* seal them, as all the heat basically creates a similar environment to the hot water bath, but it's not as sure. I've had jars pop even before I put them into the hot water, but I always do 10-15 minutes in there just in case.
Tip on sterilizing - we always run everything through the dishwasher without any soap, and with the heated dry option. Jars on the bottom, lids on the top.