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2:19 pm
1st Grader
New members
Mon 25-Oct-10
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Hi all, has anyone tried using ex-peanut butter jars (Sunpat and the usual supermarket brands) with plastic screwtop lids for their chutney/jam? We get through a lot of peanut butter and I'd like to re-cycle the jars, but wonder if the lids make a good wenough seal?
Many thanks
Frankie
3:05 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Hello Sarah/Frankie14, I have used jars with plastic lids, mostly for jams - Nutella jars, for example - but I can't really advise you because we end up using the contents fairly quickly, or they are given to friends (none of them have complained!!).
As chutney contains vinegar, it sounds an excellent idea actually !! 
Although it's worth a try on a couple of jars, perhaps. Chutney is often better after keeping a while, a bit different from jams which can be eaten sooner, so the 'seal' part is important.
I'm sure someone else will come along and advise you.
Good luck!
4:21 pm
Supreme Being
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Sun 30-Jan-11
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I have used all sorts of jars with both metal and plastic lids, for jams and chutneys. However, I noticed a couple of weeks ago that one of my few remaining courgette chutney jars from last autumn had a layer of mould, and that was in a peanut butter jar. It's the only one that seems to have gone that way, though and, when tested, the lid didn't seem to be a very tight fit...when I thought it was screwed up to its limit, it kind of carried on past there, if you see what I mean. So that's probably why it happened.
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
5:12 pm
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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I always use the cello lids and wax disks and have rarely had problems. I know they look flimsy, but they work ( and are mega cheap...)
Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/
8:02 pm
1st Grader
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Mon 25-Oct-10
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Thanks everyone - will use wax discs and give it a whirl!
Sarah
9:56 pm
Expert
New members
Sat 21-Aug-10
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I used the plastic lidded peanut butter jars a lot last year. Only trouble I noticed was that my plum curd seemed to dry out. This year I bought a few metal lids to replace some of the plastic ones thinking they would seal better.
Never assume anything - except an occasional air of intelligence.
10:22 pm
Supreme Being
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Tue 22-Sep-09
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I'm with Kate on this, I use the cello discs (dipped in brandy) then put a metal or plastic lid on top rather than an elastic band. This generally works pretty well. One of my friends uses a lot of honey that comes in jars with plastic lids and it seems to work fine when I re-use these.
8:37 pm
Councillor
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Thu 7-Jan-10
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I have used jars with plastic lids for chutney, and at other times cellophane, and had the chutney dry out eventually. So I am with Janet and now use the cello disks and then a plastic or metal lid.
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10:06 am
Supreme Being
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Mon 21-Sep-09
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Yes I do that too but in the past I used to melt parafin wax over a disk of tissue paper dipped on brandy. I liked this method because the chutney never dried out but it grossed my friends out....... 
"The beautiful is as useful as the useful...perhaps more so."
from Les Miserables
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