Which type of jar to use?

Anova Precision® Cooker
1

This might be a stupid question, but I want to make some dulche de leche, creme brûlée, and some other desserts. I can find easily here the mason jars (with lids and bands), the preserving jars (that the lid is just one piece), and clip top. Which type of jars should I use? Anything else that I should be careful with?

2

There’s no stupid questions.

You need to use a lid that permits the escape of gases during cooking. The trick is to just use your thumb and one-finger to barely tighten the lids.

Any jars with clamps or similar closures risk messy and dangerous explosions.

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3

Oh, makes sense. So any jar with any screwing lid would work, then?

Thanks for the trick! I knew about the fingertip tight, but not about tightening the lids with thumb and one-finger.

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4

The two-piece classic mason jar lids allow for gases to escape as the contents expand. VERY IMPORTANT. I can’t echo chatnoir’s direction enough on how lightly you need to tighten these to ensure the gases can escape.

(me, I’ve blown the bottom off of about 10 of those small mason jars…yes, I love making dulche de leche and creme brûlée) :slight_smile: The downside when that happens is you want to drain the bath to keep those food contents from getting cooked onto the internals of the APC.

Good luck!!

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5

Just a note that even the mason jars are subject to thermal shock. They’re glass. Thick glass, but still just regular ol’ glass. For this reason some care needs to be taken not to throw a cold jar full of fridge cold contents into a hot cooking tank. Nor should one remove a cooked jar from the tank and pit it on a cold stone bench or drop it in an ice bath to shock it.

More mason jars are actually lost to thermal shock than to lack of headroom or over tightened lids.

6

Excellent point Ember.
Thank you.

The Community should know that the energy generated through the rapid transition from hot to cold is stored in the vessel as kinetic energy. One day when you least expect it.
Pop!
The jar shatters from the slightest tap.

Be careful.

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7

Ah yeah, I have some experience with canning jam, so I’m well aware of thermal shock and jars breaking out of nowhere, so I’m always careful with the temperatures.

8

Aleh, yes, any twist-on lid will seal appropriately for your purpose.
Now you’ve got it.

It’s one of those fundamental culinary rules when more is seldom better.

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9

Got the jars today! Just waiting for my container to arrive to start making the desserts!

Thanks y’all for the help and tips!

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