do people bother sterilising jars

[Cuckmere couple]

in the oven or with water.....or not at all

 

[REDWOOD]

I do but some don't, it's a bit like some people wash their hands after the loo and some don't
I give them a rinse and put them in the oven

 

[alfazer]

My style is a hot cycle through the dishwasher and they come out clean, dry and warm; ready for filling.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

ta

what temp and how long in oven...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Rinse and oven at 100 for 15minutes
Lids too

 

[Eyeman]

My style is a hot cycle through the dishwasher and they come out clean, dry and warm; ready for filling.

I need to dry mine overnight on a rack despite using the max drying option on our dishwasher as there is always some moisture inside.

 

[madasafish]

Handwash, dry, oven Gas mark 2 for 20 minutes. leave on tray to cool.

Lids? Kept in sealed packet and never washed, used straight from packet.

Honey contains Hydrogen Peroxide, a natural sterilising agent. If it did not,
some beekeepers as hobbyists would be killing their customers

 

[victor meldrew]

Rinse and oven at 100 for 15minutes

Lids too

Likewise save for the lids .
The flow in seal may look ok after the heat treatment as does its sealing properties but the seal contains polystyrene which , on heating releases some nasties !


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[Beefriendly]

Putting my microbiology head on 100C is not enough to kill most bacterial spores.
And some studies on dishwasher sterilization cycles showed that many failed to achieve the required temps.

Overkill is 180C in oven for 15 minutes...which is what I do.
Lids...depends if you buy them in bulk or small packets. Bulk lids come sterile and so you can keep them that way. Smaller batches (less than 1600) will have been handled at some stage. The most effective, but long-winded way, is a pressure cooker at 15lbs for 15 minutes and dry in the oven.
Do NOT sterilize lids at 180C, the plastic seal get burnt.

Notably, the Hydrogen peroxide antimicrobial activity in honey, H2O2 release via glucose peroxidase only occurs when honey is diluted, not in the jar.
It's the osmotic stress of less than 20% water that prevents anything from growing in mature honey. BUt osmophilic yeasts exist which can work in 23% water.

 

[Millet]

Just a thought but does honey not sterilize the jar as soon as it is filled.

 

[Beefriendly]

Just a thought but does honey not sterilize the jar as soon as it is filled.

No, it mainly prevents any microbes already present from growing. They may well be there as spores/etc biding their time to do their bit when the honey gets diluted as it absorbs water due to its hygroscopic properties

 

[Amari]

in the oven or with water.....or not at all

Surely honey is not sterile so why sterilise the jars - I don't. 'Factory clean' is good enough for me.

 

[victor meldrew]

Surely honey is not sterile so why sterilise the jars - I don't. 'Factory clean' is good enough for me.

Until they have been peed on in a mega warehouse !


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[Millet]

No, it mainly prevents any microbes already present from growing. They may well be there as spores/etc biding their time to do their bit when the honey gets diluted as it absorbs water due to its hygroscopic properties

Got ya..

 

[Amari]

Until they have been peed on in a mega warehouse !
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Try walking along the aisles of your local supermarket. The veg, fruit, cheese, cakes, meat, fish etc is not sterile! Urine is sterile unless you have a urinary tract infection.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

in the oven or with water.....or not at all

Considering the temperature of the liquid glass used to make the jars and the speed of the packaging plant coming off the forming machine there's a very low risk of contamination.
The lids represent a greater risk but I put lids and jars through a dishwasher on hot was and dry.

 

[alfazer]

I need to dry mine overnight on a rack despite using the max drying option on our dishwasher as there is always some moisture inside.

I find my dishwasher leaves them dry if I open it around 60minutes after the end of cycle. If I leave them in there for a few hours more they seem to gather moisture inside.

It's worth experimenting with your timing.

 

[Beefriendly]

'Factory clean' is good enough for me.

Not registered as a food producer with your local council's Food Standards Agency's national food hygiene rating scheme...are you?
Simply not allowed.
Full stop.

 

[thorn]

Rinse and oven at 100 for 15minutes
Lids too

Ditto, though I find I need the oven a bit hotter to dry the jars. I tried using the dishwasher one year, but it was too small to do sufficient numbers.
I boil the lids for five minutes.

 

[For want of a better word]

Not registered as a food producer with your local council's Food Standards Agency's national food hygiene rating scheme...are you?
Simply not allowed.
Full stop.

We are.. inspectorate was happy with our industrial dish/ bottle washer if used with recommended dishwasher fluid and finisher... also commented that the rating scheme was really only for take aways / restaurants and their ilk.. not for low risk honey bottlers... providing we did not bring any soil or meat/fish/dairy products into our processing and bottling area.

Some leeway must be allowed for the one or two super hobbyist who bottle perhaps 50 jars max... and give most of it away to friends!

Just had delivery of a pallet of jars from Compaq... hope there is enough... need another shed!

Yeghes da