Glass Jar Options to Freeze Food
Glass jar options to freeze food; How to freeze in a glass jar; what kind of lids you should use; the multiple uses of a mason jar
Container options
There are many great options out there as far as containers go to freeze your food. The only disadvantage, from an environment point of view, is that most of them are made out of plastic but there are glass jar options that you should consider.
Plastic container options
The common options are the ones most of us know already:
- Rubbermaid brand freezing plastic containers
- Ziploc brand bags and containers
By now, you probably have heard that plastic is a product that stays forever and that it not sustainable. Because of this, I’ve mainly focused my research for this post on glass containers and the best way to freeze food with them.
Glass container options
Option 1: Gass Lock containers
I love using these containers to store leftovers as well as for storing fresh fruits. I’ve rarely used these to freeze foods, but I’m now thinking I should. The advantage of using these containers is that once the frozen food in it is thawed, it can be reheated in the glass container. Less dishes to clean!
Option 2: Glass jars
I’ve been meaning to look up mason jar as a container option for freezing food. They are very versitile because they can be used for canning, storing dry food (possibly in your newly organized pantry), storing sauces and dressings in your refrigerator as well as for freezing. On top of being practical, mason jars are also cost efficient. A whole case (12-pack) of 1L jars ranges from $10-$15 which is about $1 per jar.
Quick Tip: Don’t be fooled (like I was) by the name of the jars having the work “decorative” in it. It doesn’t mean that these jars can’t be used to store food and can only be used for decorative purposes. No! (face palm) It actually refers to the fact that there is a design on the jars, that’s all.
Because these jars are made of glass, there are things you should consider before freezing your food in them and here is what I found.
Types of glass jars
According to Linda from Garden Betty, you should use only straight-sided mason jars and fill them to the freeze-fill line. (Yep! Those horizontale lines on mason jars actually have a purpose, who knew!) By leaving space between your content and the lid of your mason jar, you will be less susceptible to having the content expand too much and break the glass.
If you do choose to use jars with “shoulders”, Linda recommends to fill them to no more than 1 inch BELOW the shoulders. To be safe, I would recommend you use the jars with shoulders for your dry foods and keep the straight-sided ones for freezing. Bonus: Using the same type of mason jars will give you a consistent look.
Glass jar lid options
What I found interesting about my research on this is that it was recommended, on several occasions, to use plastic lids on mason jars when freezing. Why? Because the metal lids that are typically used with mason jars tend to rust when they are used to freeze.
In one of the posts I was reading, the writer, Kathryn from the blog Going Zero Waste mentioned iLids. She says that these lids “are made of recycled Polypropylene#5 and can be recycled when their life is complete. However, that should take a long time”.
I did find some different options on Amazon in case you are interested.
Other uses to glass jars
There are many type of covers and lids (for other than freezing) to make mason jars even more versatile and practical. They can be used for drinking, storing dry foods, spice jars, liquid hand soap, etc.
I also found these pretty jars with a chalk board lids. These would be really pretty in a pantry, especially if you are looking to achieve a look similar to the one I have my pantry.
I hope you found this blog post as interesting as I did to research it. Having glass jar options to freeze food is always a bonus “tool” in the kitchen. I love when I find items (in this case mason jars) that have multiple purposes and can be used anywhere in the house. Have you ever used mason jars to organize your frozen and/or dry foods? Let me know in the comments below.
