It's not a major problem, but one of my 10 jars of chicken did not seal. I've never had that happen before so I'm a bit baffled. It's standard canning practice to wait til the canner cools down and all the pressure releases, and then to open it and sit your jars out to cool. The recommendation is to leave the jars undisturbed for 8-12 hours. So, it was about midnight when I got the canner open and the jars set out. At that point I could kind of tell that most of the jars seemed to have sealed. I double checked them about 5 minutes after my eyes opened this morning. And one jar didn't seal. So, I immediately moved it to the fridge. The other 9 are sealed just as they should be.
So, I will have to eat some chicken in the next few days. I've already been thinking about making some chicken salad. That, I guess, is my "punishment" for one jar not sealing. I don't mind that kind of punishment at all! I think it will taste fabulous--it sure smelled good in my house last night during my canning session.
I would like to know why this happened so I could have the extra jar on my shelves. But, the truth is that many canners are posting about jars not sealing like they're supposed to. They seem to feel that is the fault of the manufacturer. In truth, the manufacturer has changed the material used to make the seal part of the lids. And, most of us feel it's this change that is causing so many jars to not seal. Most of the canners I am familiar with have been canning for 20 or more years. Several of them are certified master canners. We all use the same instructions, perform all the recommended steps. So, I guess at least I'm not alone. And, I've gone back over the steps I performed and I know I did what should have resulted in 100% success. So, I'm just going to stop thinking about it and enjoy my upcoming chicken salad.
Today I am working on tax returns. I have to tell you, it is SO aggravating how many people give me 98% of what I need to do their returns. I can't in good conscience call 98% good and print out a return. So, I end up having to chase down people for that one little detail they missed. It sure gums up the works around here!
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