The Best Canning Lids? A Review • The Prairie Homestead

My pile of empty jars is growing…

The larder is emptying…

It can only mean one thing:

Canning season is right around the corner.

As the tomatoes ripen and the cucumbers grow, it’s wise to take a quick inventory of your canning supplies. (Because there’s nothing worse than being mid-canning project, only to realize you’re missing jars or lids!)

I’ve had a lot of questions about canning lids lately.

After the Great Lid Shortage of 2020, everyone seems to be more attentive to their lids.

I’ve tried a number of canning lid brands over the years and definitely prefer some companies over others. So, it’s time for a canning lid review.

But first, let’s talk about the elephant in the room….

Can You Use Canning Lids More Than Once?

“Wait… if my jars come with lids, why do I have to bother buying more?”

It’s a common question. However, while canning jar rings are absolutely reusable, the lids are not.

Regular canning lids are designed to only be used once for actual canning. This is because once the lid is heated and sealed to a jar, its ability to seal again is greatly reduced.

While I occasionally run across folks who insist on reusing lids, I personally don’t. Canning is too much work to mess around with poorly sealed jars.

So while I *will* reuse the spent lids for other types of storage, I don’t use them for other canning projects that require a seal.

(That being said, there ARE reusable canning lids on the market. I’ll talk about those below.)

Beware the Amazon Lids

While I’m not always worried about purchasing “name brand” items, canning lids are one instance where buying generic doesn’t pay off. A number of generic lids popped up on Amazon in 2020 and they produced poor results. When in doubt, stick with a name you know and trust.

Also, I’ve been hearing reports of a newer company selling lids that buckle and even explode when pressure canned. So yes, the brand of lids you use does matter.

The Resource I Wish I Had When I Started

If you are a canning newbie, my Canning Made Easy course is for you! I’ll walk you through each step of the process (safety is my #1 priority), so you can learn to can confidently, without the stress. CLICK HERE to have a look at the course and ALL the bonuses that come with it.

This is the information I wish I had when I first started canning. All of the recipes and safety information are double and triple-checked and we cover water bath and pressure canning.

It’s the next best thing to you coming over to my house and canning right along with me.

My Canning Lid Review

Ball, Kerr, & Bernardin Canning Lids

Ball jars and lids are made in the U.S. under the Newell Company (formerly Jarden), which is a giant corporation that also owns Kerr and Bernardin canning companies. All three of these companies are quite popular in the canning world.

Canning Lid Material: Tin-Plated Steel
Cost Per Lid: approximately $0.55 per lid
Bulk Options: Kerr & Bernardin come in boxes of 12 lids. Ball lids come in boxes of either 12 or 24 lids.
Sealer: Plastisol
Company Headquarters: Newell Company, Atlanta, Georgia (each individual company also has headquarters found in different U.S. states)
Place of Manufacturer: USA
BPA-Free: Yes

Harvest Guard Canning Lids

Harvest Guard is a reusable canning lid company. Their reusable lids consist of two parts: plastic discs/lids, and rubber rings/gaskets. However, you also need to keep using the metal rings from your traditional canning adventures, so you have to keep holding on to those even if you make the switch to only using reusable canning lids. They also recently announced that they would only be selling one-time use gaskets.

Canning Lid Material: Food-grade plastic known as Acetal Copolymer
Cost Per Lid: approximately $0.68 per lid
Bulk Options: You can buy the gasket parts in a package of 100. You can buy a package of both lids and gaskets in quantities of 50 each.
Sealer: The gasket is food-grade nitrile rubber
Company Headquarters: Located in Fruita, Colorado
Place of Manufacturer: USA
BPA-Free: Yes

ForJars Canning Lids

ForJars is a fairly new company that started in the last few years. These lids have been gaining popularity thanks to their high sealing rate. Currently, their lids are manufactured in China, but they are currently working to move all of their manufacturing to the USA.

Canning Lid Material: Stainless Steel composition
Cost Per Lid: approximately $0.33 per lid
Bulk Options: ForJars has many options for purchasing their lids: 12 count, 24 count, 50 count, 100 count, and even 1,000 count options are all available on their website.
Sealer: Food-grade silicone
Company Headquarters: Located in North Port, Florida
Place of Manufacturer: China (but hopefully soon in the USA)
BPA-Free: Yes

My Personal Pick?

For the last year, I’ve been using ForJars lids exclusively and I love them. I’ve met the owners twice and they’re the real deal. The lids are heavy-duty, very affordable, and have sealed more consistently than any other brand I’ve ever used.

While I’m certainly not opposed to reusable lids (and was so thankful for them during 2020!) I found the higher rate of lid failure to be frustrating. (In fact, I just noticed another jar of beans where the Harvest Guard lid had unsealed in storage…)

I *am* keeping my stash of Harvest Guard reusable lids as a back-up, but using For Jars for regular use.

Want to try For Jars lids?

Shop them at http://theprairiehomestead.com/forjars and use code PURPOSE10 to save 10% on your order.

Need more canning help? I’ve got you covered!