Product Description

While it should be noted that vacuum packaging is not a substitute for canning, you can keep food fresh up to 5 times longer with this method. Use your FoodSaver vacuum sealer and this lid to keep the contents of mason jars fresh longer, saving you time and money.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1510 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: White
• Brand: FoodSaver
• Model: T03-0006-01
• Released on: 2005-01-01
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds

Features

• Compatible with FoodSaver vacuum packaging systems
• Lid fits all pint- and quart-sized Mason jars
• Seals in freshness for 5 times longer shelf life
• Great for sealing sauces, jams, liquids, and dry goods
• Re-vacuums jars easily

Amazon.com Review
For those who cook large quantities of food for storage, FoodSaver vacuum packaging systems offer excellent protection against food spoilage and freezer burn. This jar sealer attachment fits on pint- and quart-sized Mason jars and is for use with any FoodSaver machine that has an accessory port. The lid forms a tight seal on Mason jars while tubing (sold separately) inserts through the top and removes air from the jar with the help of a FoodSaver machine. The jar sealer works equally as well in packaging liquid foods, such as jams, sauces, or mustard, as it does for dry goods, such as brown sugar or spices. The sealer can even re-seal the same container multiple times (in case someone keeps dipping into the stored jars of raspberry jam). Vacuum packaging with this lid can keep food fresh three to five times longer than keeping it in a plastic food storage container in the refrigerator; however, it is a different process from canning and should not be confused with traditional canning methods. --Cristina Vaamonde

Customer Reviews

Read R. Chiu's Review!
Whoa. 3 stars because this is indispensable but what a crappy design (or crappy instructions, depending on your view).

I received my sealer and had totally forgotten about the reviews; couldn't get it to work and figured I had a non-standard size jar or something. After tracking down more instructions online and failing at that, I came back to these reviews and found that R. Chiu's method worked like a charm. One note is that I just had to pull out the tube during the "seal" phase -- it didn't matter if I did it just before seal or not. In fact, I tried Tom S.' method of testing the vacuum and got good results either way (maybe better when removing the tube during seal but I'm using a Rival sealer) ... basically the jars are at 75-85% vacuum and the rest air.

Now I'm going to try the 2-lid method and then head over to Yahoo groups to see if the Foodsaver tips are any better. All-in-all, I suppose this is no worse than your typical technological song-and-dance. Always something....

Trick to Mason Jar Sealer
If possible heat the contents of the jar to a temp higher than where you plan on storing the jar. The trick is using 2 lids making sure that there is no moisture between them. Seal and disconnect the hose at either end to release pressure but do not add the ring at this time. In the beginning the upper lid will seal to the lower. Wait a few minutes and the upper lid can be nudged off the lower using the edge of a butter knife, too much pressure will break the seal on the jar of the lower lid. Now you can put the ring on and store. For used or old lids you may need wet the rim of the jar but not between the lids.

Customer svc gave useless instructions + You don't actually need it
[For "why you don't need it," jump to third paragraph.] First of all, this thing came without instructions of any kind. After a variety of unsuccessful attempts to get a vacuum in the jar, I finally called FoodSaver customer service. The agent said the sealer did not come with instructions because not many people have trouble using it. (They obviously don't read the Amazon reviews.) She instructed me to put my FoodSaver appliance on "vacuum and seal" rather than just vacuum, to have the jar ring screwed on while I was vacuuming and, if all else failed, to just leave the sealer on the jar (like a lid--without a vacuum). To her first suggestion, I asked if she understood how the FoodSaver appliance works, and had to explain that the "seal" setting only applies if you are using a bag or roll; I later discovered that the second instruction was just plain wrong (after days of frustration trying different jars, different lids, screwing the ring to different tightnesses, "seasoning" the lid with oil, etc.); and finally, if I can't get a vacuum in the jar, how on earth does it help to leave the sealer accessory sitting on top (and thus unusable with any other jar)?

Turning to Amazon reviewers for wisdom, I tried the two lid technique mentioned by one reviewer. (Put two lids on while vacuuming; the bottom one will form a seal.) Couldn't get that to work (but at this point, I was still following FoodSaver's incorrect instructions to use the ring under the jar sealer). So I tried the canister technique suggested by another reviewer. (Put the whole jar, lid and sealer into a Foodsaver canister and suck the air out.) Lo and behold, a vacuum formed in the jar!

Some Amazon reviewers have explained the principle of how this sealer works--the lid floats while the air is being pumped out, until the vacuum device is turned off and air rushes in to push the lid down onto the vacuumed jar. (Thank you!) From that information, I realized that I DIDN'T NEED THE JAR SEALER AT ALL. Sure enough, I screwed the ring snugly (but loose enough to let air flow) over the lid on the jar, put the whole thing into a FoodSaver canister, and vacuumed. When I let the air back in and opened the canister--viola--I had a vacuum sealed mason jar! This technique hasn't failed me yet. The down side, of course, is that you need an empty Foodsaver canister sitting around that is large enough to hold the mason jar. But if you don't want to bother with this troublesome jar sealer, you might try it. (Due to strain on the canisters, which are also reputed to fail, I wouldn't recommend doing this every day.)

Before returning the jar sealer to FoodSaver for a refund, I decided to give their customer service another chance to explain the proper sealing technique. This time, I got an agent who laughed at the idea of using the ring while sealing, and suggested that I try the two lid method again WITHOUT the ring. This actually worked--twice. On the next 20+ attempts (until I gave up), the jar sealer just laughed at me. So I give this device zero stars for lack of instructions, poor engineering, ignorant customer service and the fact that it is not really necessary, and one star because Amazon won't let me record zero stars.