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9:25 am
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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Hello everyone, I'm hoping for some help and advice.
I'm very lucky to have been given a box full of Kilner jars.....about 10 each of 0.5 and 1 litre ones, plus a couple of bigger ones. They have the lids too, some of which are metal rings and some orange plastic. I think (haven't delved right into the box yet as it's quite cobwebby, having been kept in a shed!) there are a few glass lid inserts too. They don't look as if they're old jars - well, unless they last forever and stay in pristine shiny (if rather dusty) condition!
Although I've done lots of jam and chutney making in the past, I've always used recycled jam etc. jars, never Kilner jars before. I vaguely remember my mother & grandmother having some years ago. Therefore, I have no idea how to use them (other than normal sterilising before use) and where to get the inner lids from. And why is it that they don't have these inner lids? Are they one use only? And why?
Thanks in advance, all help welcome! 
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
10:33 am
Expert
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Sun 19-Sep-10
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i still use my kilner red tops the only problem is the seals can be hard to find and expensive
4:40 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Warm welcome Sue - not sure about the seals, but what about these?
You say 'inner lids' - do you mean the metal one with rubber seal attached and fixed?
I travel to France a lot, and Kilners and seals are permanently for sale in the supermarkets, so are easily available. I haven't searched extensively, but those above, are they the sort of thing you're looking for?
4:59 pm
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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Thank you both for the replies. The metal lids are simply screw top rings with no middle to them....rather like giant polo mints, if you see what I mean!! lol. Apparently, so the lady (from Freecycle) who gave me the jars said, you have to buy the metal inner middle bits of the lids separately, although I'm not sure why they can't be kept, washed and re-used? I wish I'd thought to ask her 
Brightspark, that link you posted shows seals for the jars with clip-on lids, I think they're called Parfait jars? Not the screw top jars which I've been given. But I see there are also the inner metal lids on that website, so thank you for that.
So, from what Kayerunrig has said, the plastic lids can be re-used but need seals?
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
5:13 pm
Supreme Being
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Tue 22-Sep-09
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Hi Sooliz,
You can buy the metal inner lids at many hardware shops, they aren't that expensive, I think they are supposed to be 'one use' due to the fact that if you fully follow the instructions, to preserve things you have to boil the jars with the lids partially closed, which creates a vaccuum, I expect this means the lid will only do this once. Not certain though - what a lucky find, wish someone would donate me a load.
5:21 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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I think you're right, Janet, on our jars like that, they suggest piercing the inner lids to release the vacuum, so that would be why they are used only once, I suspect!
6:03 pm
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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Oh I see.....that would make sense, thanks very much. I hadn't actually got round to thinking what to put in them yet, boiling stuff in them hadn't even occurred to me, I was only sort of thinking of jams/chutneys, maybe pickled gherkins. The lady who gave them to me did say she'd used them for bottling fruit - I've never done that before, there's a challenge for this year!
Thanks again 
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
9:26 pm
2nd Grader
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Fri 31-Dec-10
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Lucky you! My own Kilner jars have white rings and glass lids and date back to the early 80s and I think the orange-ringed ones are even older, so they could even be 1lb and 2lb jars (the markings on the base will tell you.) Finding rubber rings for old Kilner jars is difficult, but Fiona did find a supplier, so it's worth checking the blog archives for details.
As far as re-using the rubber rings is concerned, my mother always used her rings twice - but not more often than that. You need to break the vacuum created in the jar by inserting a pointed knife into the middle of the ring sideways and gently wiggling the knife until you hear a pop, then carefully remove the knife and lift the lid. You should be able to do the same with the metal lids, but if you have to resort to making a hole in the lid, then that's that. (I'm sorry if all this sounds a bit obvious.) Anyway, Kilner jars are definitely worth having and I hope you have lots of fun using yours.
9:13 pm
Councillor
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Thu 7-Jan-10
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Hi Sooliz. I'd look in my local hardware/kitchen shop for lids, etc, but I found this site which might be useful. If you are near Truro or Exeter, it might be an excuse for a visit to a Lakeland shop to see if they have any lids!
blog: Devon Garden
9:35 pm
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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That's a really useful site DG, thank you very much. We live in mid Somerset, so not near Exeter or Truro, no.....I'm sure there must be a Lakeland somewhere in Somerset though, I'll have a google in a minute. As we live in a very rural area, our nearest towns are both around 6 or 7 miles away, and there's definitely not one in either of those. As for a 'local' hardware/kitchen shop.....erm, we don't actually have any local shops, lol (apart from a little Co-op about 4 or 5 miles away) - 6+ miles to the town, as I say. I like the idea of a visit to a Lakeland, if I can find one near enough, it's been a few years since I've been in one. And now I've got the perfect excuse for a visit (husband often needs a bit of arm-twisting/bribery/gentle persuasion to take me on an extended shopping trip, hehe 
).
Thanks everyone for all the help/advice.
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
9:50 pm
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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Brilliant! There's a Lakeland in Taunton, and one in Bath.....Taunton's nearer to us, about 30 mins drive, Bath is about an hour away but it's much nicer there. I feel a day out coming on when the weather is warmer. 
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
10:26 pm
Councillor
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Thu 7-Jan-10
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Sue, I realised after I posted that I was thinking Cornwall and Devon, not the rest of the west country, and didn't know where you are. I agree about Bath being nicer than Taunton, but I haven't been to Bath for years. We were in Taunton on Saturday, meeting friends for lunch, and went into the Cook Shop. I think it is worth a visit. I discovered it last year, though I have known the smaller shop in Exeter for several years. I didn't know there was a Lakeland in Taunton.
I was thinking of my excellent local hardware shop, or the not-local-to-me two in Chagford that are truly wonderful!
blog: Devon Garden
10:50 pm
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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That Cook Shop looks fab too.....don't think I've ever been in it. Mind you, we've only been to Taunton a handful of times, we only moved down here at Easter last year. I must get out more......
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
8:28 am
Mon 1-Nov-10
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two locations sell what you want the email for one is
£11.50 for 20
and
http://www.kilnerjarsuk.co.uk/
£7.00 for 10
these are the correct white seals for these jars not the orange ones.
9:35 am
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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Thank you for that. Half of the jars I've been given are apparently Ravenhead type jars, they look identical to the Ravenhead ones pictured on the kilnerjarsuk site.
I really must get them out of the utility room (or rather, ask husband to get them out and take them out of the very cobwebby box! 
) so I can have a proper look.
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
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