The best mason jars

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  • When it comes to something every bit timeless every bit a Mason jar, you can't shell a classic.
  • The Ball brand proper name still represents everything you could desire in a good Bricklayer jar with sturdy glass, tight-sealing ii-piece lids, and old-school American-made quality.
  • Due to unusually high demand and supply shortage, many Mason jars are out of stock at major retailers. We continue to monitor inventory and update this guide appropriately.

Mason jars are i of those simple items that are wonderful to take but easy to take for granted. Named after American inventor John Landis Mason, Stonemason jars are distinguished by their airtight spiral-top lids (usually with a two-piece pattern), glass structure, and erstwhile-fashioned American aesthetic that hasn't changed much since they were get-go patented in the 19th century.

Glass Mason jars are typically used for preserving perishable food products, and they are handy for many other things besides. Canning homemade goodies including jam, storing dry out food items such as herbs and spices, and serving as airtight containers for keeping things like coffee or pipe tobacco fresh (ii of my personal favorite uses). They're also often used as decorative items, to hold candles, or even for drinking, equally the popularity of Bricklayer jar mugs has shown.

True Stonemason jars should always be fabricated of glass, not plastic, and have a lid that creates an airtight seal. Two-slice Mason jar closures typically feature a rubberized rim underneath the apartment part of the lid. This is securely pressed onto the jar's opening by the ring part of the lid, or "band," which screws downward, thus creating a tight seal. These lids likewise commonly have a "popper" in the center. Afterwards spending time in the fridge, subsequently being boiled for canning, or if the jar contains something that consumes oxygen, a properly sealed hat will pop when opened due to the pressurized air within.

Hither are the all-time Mason jars:

  • Best Mason jars overall: Brawl Mason jars
  • Best with smoothen sides: Ballast Hocking Mason jars
  • All-time with broad mouths: Kerr wide-mouth Bricklayer jars
  • All-time with bail tops: Bormioli Rocco bail height Bricklayer jars
  • Best with handles: Libbey handled drinking Stonemason jars

Prices and links are electric current as of 8/27/20. We updated the formatting of this mail and added a product showcase so you can easily store all our picks. We as well added a selection of related buying guides.

The all-time overall

Ball

Brawl is a 19th-century American icon in the world of home canning, and its Mason jars have stood the test of fourth dimension owing to their groovy US-made quality, tightly sealing lids, and low price.

When shopping for Stonemason jars, Ball is the name you're going to run across the most. The Ball Corporation has been making jars and other abode canning products since 1880 and continues to offer high-quality American-fabricated Mason jars to this 24-hour interval. Your parents, grandparents, and not bad-grandparents probably used Ball jars. You'll even hear many people refer to all Mason jars in full general equally "Brawl jars."

I have a simple rule that I apply to many things effectually the abode: If it's grandma- and grandpa-approved, it's probably solid. I've personally used Ball Mason jars for years, although not for canning jams or other kitchen creations as I'm not much of a home chef. I utilize mine to shop pipe tobacco and java beans. I have most 18 of them (in diverse sizes) for these purposes and they're all well-made with closed lids that take kept their seal later on years of regular use.

If there's one flaw, it'south that the rubberized rim of the lids tends to blot and retain the aromas of the jar's content. I employ the term "flaw" loosely, as this is something that will affect all two-piece lid designs that feature this rubber seal. It's the condom itself that likes to hold onto odors, and this can be a bear to get out.

White vinegar soaks help but don't completely eliminate lingering smells. This may or may non be a trouble for yous depending on what you lot're using your jars for, but yous tin easily purchase new lids separately if it is. On the brighter side, the lids do exactly what they demand to practice and are coated on the underside to foreclose certain foods (particularly acidic ones) from reacting with and tainting the jar's contents.

Pros: Fabricated in America, durable drinking glass bodies, two-piece lid blueprint seals tightly, heat- and freezer-safety, raised measurement markings on the side, and they're super cheap by the dozen

Cons: The rubber seals on the lids absorb and retain odors

The best smoothen-sided Mason jars

Anker Hocking

Whether information technology'south for presenting gifts, attaching custom sticker labels, craft projects, or just showing off your creations on a shelf, these polish-sided Mason Jars from Ballast Hocking offer American quality.

Well-nigh Mason jars you'll encounter, including pretty much all of our acme picks except for this one, have raised markings on the side. These aren't necessarily unattractive; in fact, they do impart a bit of traditional charm.

Only if you lot're presenting your bootleg canned treats as gifts, or just desire a jar without markings for aesthetic reasons, and then smooth-sided Mason jars like these from Anchor Hocking might be a more suitable alternative to standard Brawl and Kerr jars. Smooth-sided jars are also bang-up if you similar to adhere your own sticker labels, as raised markings can leave unsightly bumps and air pockets or tin even make the labels autumn off.

About of the Mason jars I use at domicile have markings (some are also the quilted-style jelly jars), and I find that the raised markings and bumps brand information technology catchy for even masking tape to stay stuck to the sides of the jars. The Anchor Hocking Mason jars also feature gilt-toned lids instead of the usual silver and are also complimentary of markings and branding, which looks a fleck nicer and more gift-friendly.

Other than the smooth-sided pattern and attractive gold lids, the Ballast Hocking Mason jars offer everything else you could desire: They're made in the U.S., the drinking glass is thick and sturdy, and the lids seal down well, although some buyers report that the jars don't provide an airtight seal equally reliably as Brawl jars.

Pros: Fabricated in America, durable drinking glass bodies, smooth-sided jars with no raised markings or branding, attractive gilded-tone lids

Cons: The lids are not every bit reliably airtight every bit those of Brawl and Kerr Bricklayer jars

The best wide-mouth Mason jars

Kerr

For juices, soups, sauces, and other liquid contents, big wide-mouth jars similar these Kerr Mason jars are merely the ticket for make clean and easy pouring.

Every bit nosotros've stated, Mason jars have a ton of uses, from canning homemade appurtenances like jams and jellies to storing wet and dry cooking ingredients. Owing to their closed lid design and oestrus-resistant glass construction, Stonemason jars are besides smashing for holding liquids like homemade soups, sauces, and juices.

Standard Stonemason jars might be a fleck small for this endeavor, nonetheless. At the very least, the somewhat narrow mouths of nigh jars tin make pouring liquids unnecessarily messy and hard. In this instance, what y'all need are Mason jars with wide mouths like these ones from Kerr, which feature a larger opening that makes it easier to add and remove wet or larger contents (while also making the jars easier to clean by mitt).

If the Kerr jars and their packaging looks eerily like to that of Ball jars, it'due south because they're basically the same: Both Brawl and Kerr brands are at present owned and manufactured by the parent company Jarden. That ways that the Kerr Mason jars boast all of the tough American-made quality of their Ball counterparts, so you can purchase with confidence.

Like other Brawl and Kerr jars, these are also rubber for heating and freezing and are bachelor in diverse sizes to suit your demand.

Pros: Made in America, solid construction quality with tightly-sealing lids, wide mouths make it easier to pour liquid contents cleanly, replacement lids are readily bachelor, and they're heat- and freezer-safe

Cons: The larger ones are slightly more expensive than their normal-oral fissure counterparts

The best bond-top Mason jars

Bormioli

If you lot don't need jars specifically for canning and you'd rather not deal with ii-slice lids that can get lost or worn out, then the bail top blueprint of the Italian-fabricated Bormioli Rocco Fido jars are a great add-on to any kitchen.

Traditional Bricklayer jars with screw-top lids are great for canning and storage, but not so user-friendly for providing quick access to daily-use items that yous desire to grab speedily. For that, you lot might want to consider something with a captive-lid "bail acme" design like the European-made Fido jars from Italian maker Bormioli Rocco, which feature a handy closure that tin can be opened and airtight in seconds with one hand — while still offering an closed seal that'll keep contents fresh.

Purists may assert that these technically aren't "Stonemason jars," as they eschew the traditional 2-slice hat for a captive hinged closure that seals with a rubber gasket. Admittedly, they're non wrong, merely we've decided to include these anyway equally the Bormioli Rocco Fido jars serve much the same purpose as airtight containers for your goodies with a lid design that many will find more convenient.

The safety gaskets seal very well, the lids are weighty and sturdy (equally are the glass bodies), and the metallic bails are solid and easy to open and close. If there'southward i drawback to the bail top chapeau pattern, though, it's that the jars can't really exist used for traditional canning that involves boiling the jars with their contents within. Yous'll demand standard Mason jars for that.

For pretty much every other kitchen use, notwithstanding, the Bormioli Rocco Fido jars are bang-up, and the flip-open lid makes these especially suitable for keeping things like candies, nuts, and other treats within like shooting fish in a barrel accomplish on a table or counter.

They're available in a ton of different sizes, too (marked in metric since they're European), including ones considerably larger than nearly American Mason jars. They're a bit more expensive due to their design, but non unreasonably so for Italian-fabricated glass jars that can concluding a lifetime.

Pros: Made in Italy, robust glass structure, the bond top pattern is convenient and the prophylactic gaskets provide an airtight seal, available in a ton of larger sizes, and they look corking

Cons: They're not nearly every bit cheap equally standard Mason jars, and the bail peak design prevents these from beingness boiled for canning

The best with handles

Libbey

The Libbey County Fair Mason jar mugs have all of the rustic charm of Mason jars along with a sturdy handle for safe and comfortable drinking.

The design of Mason jars hasn't changed much (if at all) since the 19th century, but their continued popularity has led makers and users alike to suit these handy containers for a myriad of different uses. Perhaps the nearly popular among these innovations are Mason jars that feature added handles, converting them into safe and user-friendly drinking glasses.

And why not? Mason jars are made of drinking glass, have wide openings and they simply look great. The County Fair handled mugs from Libbey take all of the classic charm of Mason jars, but with a simple, sturdy drinking glass handle attached to the side. On the front, a raised design depicts a rooster motif along with lettering that reads "Canton Fair Drinking Jar," a overnice departure from the standard raised branding you usually see.

Like almost Libbey glassware, the County Off-white Bricklayer jar mugs are made in the United States. They're very well made and, being glass, are safe to drinkable from (no BPAs or other chemical components that can leech into your drinks similar with plastic containers). They're as well generously sized at 16 ounces, although they don't come with any lids.

Thankfully, nevertheless, standard Ball or Kerr Stonemason jar lids exercise work with these if you'd like to steal your jar upwards to take your beverage with you or keep it fresh in the fridge.

Pros: Made in America of durable glass, a thick and sturdy handle for safely and comfortably drinking from the jar, a squeamish country-style raised design that sets them apart from other Mason jars, and standard Bricklayer jar lids can fit onto the threaded opening

Cons: They're more expensive than standard Mason jars, and lids must be purchased separately

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