Canning Supplies: A Beginner's Checklist
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Canning gear lists can get long fast. Here's the short version, sorted into what you need on day one and what can wait.
The must-haves
- A canner. A water bath canner handles jams, pickles, fruit and acidified tomatoes. Low-acid foods like green beans need a pressure canner. Not sure which? Start with water bath vs pressure canning.
- Jars. Real canning jars in the sizes your recipes call for. See mason jars for canning.
- New lids and bands. Flat lids are single-use; bands get reused. See canning lids.
- Jar lifter. For moving hot jars. NCHFP says to position it securely below the neck of the jar (below the band) and keep jars upright.
- Wide-mouth funnel. Keeps the jar rims clean, which matters for a good seal.
- Headspace tool / bubble remover. NCHFP says to remove air bubbles with a flat plastic spatula, not metal. The LEONICE, Supa Ant and Norpro kits include a bubble remover/headspace tool; PrepWorks' funnel has headspace marks instead.
- A tested recipe. The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning is free from NCHFP. Ball also publishes recipe books.
Nice to have
- A magnetic lid lifter
- A jar wrench
- Labels and a marker for the date
- Clean towels to set hot jars on
- A food mill or tomato strainer for sauces and juice
- The right salt, citric acid and firming agents
Starter tool kits
Buying the small tools as a kit is usually simpler than piecing them together.
LEONICE's kit is the bigger bundle: a canning rack, ladle, 4 measuring spoons, tongs, funnel, jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, bubble remover/headspace tool, jar wrench and 24 labels, per the listing. The rack is handy if your pot didn't come with one.
LEONICE Canning Supplies Starter Kit with Rack
- Canning rack, ladle, 4 measuring spoons, tongs, funnel, jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, bubble remover/headspace tool, jar wrench, 24 labels, per the listing
- Stainless steel tools
Supa Ant's kit covers the core tools in stainless steel: wide funnel, magnetic lid lifter, bubble popper/headspace measurer, jar lifter, jar wrench and tongs, with a storage box, per the listing.
Supa Ant Stainless Steel Canning Starter Kit
- Wide funnel, magnetic lid lifter, bubble popper/headspace measurer, jar lifter, jar wrench and tongs, per the listing
- Food-grade stainless steel; dishwasher safe; storage box included
Norpro's boxed set covers six tools: tongs, a vinyl-coated jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, extra-wide funnel, jar wrench and bubble popper/measurer, per the listing.
Norpro Canning Essentials Boxed Set, 6 Pieces
- Tongs, vinyl-coated jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, extra-wide funnel, jar wrench and bubble popper/measurer, per the listing
- All in one box
PrepWorks keeps it to three: a spring-loaded jar lifter, a magnetic lid lifter, and a funnel marked for 3/4-, 1/2- and 1/4-inch headspace, per the listing.
PrepWorks Canning Essentials Set
- Spring-loaded jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter and canning funnel, per the listing
- Funnel fits wide and regular mouths with 3/4-, 1/2- and 1/4-inch headspace marks
- Dishwasher safe
If you'd rather buy a funnel on its own, RSVP's is 18/8 stainless with a 2.75-inch neck sized for wide-mouth jars, per the listing.
RSVP Endurance Stainless Steel Wide-Mouth Canning Funnel
- 18/8 stainless steel, per the listing
- 2.75-inch neck sized for wide-mouth jars
- Two side handles; dishwasher safe
Don't have a canning pot yet? The Granite Ware 8-piece kit pairs a 21.5-quart pot with five of these tools.
Recipe books
Use tested recipes and follow them exactly, including jar size and processing time for your altitude. The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (2015 revision) is free on the NCHFP site. Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving is Ball's own recipe collection.
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
- Ball’s recipe book for canning and preserving