Boil to sterilize

Sterilizing bottle-feeding equipment - BabyCenter Canada

Why sterilize your baby's bottles?

During their first year of life, babies are at their most vulnerable to viruses, bacteria and parasitic infections, which can lead to anything from a mild attack of thrush to the more serious condition of gastroenteritis. This is an illness similar to food poisoning, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea and subsequent dehydration.

Before sterilization was the norm, thousands of infant deaths were caused by this condition. The cases seen now, which are rarely as serious, are often connected to inadequate sterilizing procedures. It is not possible or practical to create a totally germ-free environment for your baby but you can reduce the risks during his vulnerable first year.

Cleaning your baby's equipment

It is not enough to wash bottles in soapy water alone, although before sterilizing they need to be cleaned thoroughly along with the nipples, so that every trace of milk is removed. Make sure that the detergent you used has been carefully rinsed off and run water through each nipple to ensure the hole is not clogged with milk curds. Using salt is no longer recommended for the cleansing of silicone nipples but is perfectly safe with latex ones. Just tip a little salt into the nipple, grind the nipple between your fingers, then rinse thoroughly. Check nipples and bottles carefully and throw out any with splits or cracks because damaged surfaces can also harbour bacteria.

How to sterilize

Boiling
One of the most popular methods of sterilizing is boiling. Place bottles, spoons, nipples, lids and other equipment into a pot of water and bringing it to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. You can cover and store the equipment in a clean place (HC 2010). Nipples tend do get sticky and unusable more quickly than with other methods.

Steam sterilizing

Electric steam sterilizing is based on hospital methods and is quick and efficient, taking eight to twelve minutes, plus cooling time. You must be careful that you only put in equipment that is safe to boil (some parts of breast pumps may not be boilable, for example). Bottles, nipples and so on must be placed upside down to make sure they are fully sterilized.

You can also buy steamers for microwaves but make sure that nothing metal is placed inside them. They take around five to eight minutes to work, plus cooling time. Be careful when removing the lid of steam sterilizers, as the inside can become very hot. Their main advantage is that there is no smell or taste involved and the items remain sterile for three hours if the lid is kept on. Microwave sterilizers are useful for travel and taking on vacation providing, of course, there is a microwave available! You can now find disposable sterilizing bags for microwaves -- perfect for traveling if you don't want to pack a large container.

Avoid leaving sterilized empty bottles out on work surfaces for long, as they will quickly lose their sterility. This is not usually a problem when sterilizers have built-in storage facilities and bottles can be removed when required.

Read about the proper method for preparing a bottle after it has been sterilized.

How long should I continue sterilizing?

In general sterilizing bottles isn’t that useful after a baby starts doing a lot of exploring by mouth (around four months). If you don’t sterilize a bottle, you will need to clean it carefully and thoroughly. But there are a couple of caveats to this advice. If you are making formula and storing it in a bottle for any period of time, then you should sterilize the bottle after each use. Also, always store breast milk in sterilized containers since it is kept for an extended period of time. In short it’s important to have a clean bottle and even more important to have properly prepared and stored milk at any age!Read more advice on when to stop sterilizing bottles for your baby!

References

HC.

2010. Preparing and Handling Infant Formula. Health Canada. www.hc-sc.gc.ca [file accessed in June 2011]

Show references Hide references

How to Sterilize Baby Bottles

Once you’ve done your research and decided on the best bottles for baby, there’s still another step to consider: how to clean them. Whether you’ve chosen glass, plastic or silicone bottles, you’ll have to keep them as pristine as possible to protect baby’s developing immune system. If you listen to advice from your mother or grandmother, you might be fretting over how to sterilize baby bottles—but nowadays sterilizing baby bottles isn’t absolutely necessary, except in certain situations. “This practice is a bit outdated now that the majority of homes in developed countries use treated municipal water,” says Caitlin Hoff, a health and safety investigator for ConsumerSafety.org. “There are, however, some cases in which you might want to sterilize a bottle.” Here, we break down when sterilizing baby bottles is a good idea and the best methods for the job.

In this article:
When to sterilize baby bottles
How often to sterilize baby bottles
How to sterilize baby bottles
How to clean baby bottles

When to Sterilize Baby Bottles

Sterilizing baby bottles is an added step beyond traditional cleaning that provides extra protection against germs. And generally speaking, it’s a one-and-done deal. “When you first buy bottles, it’s important to sterilize them at least one time,” says Samira Armin, MD, a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Pediatrics. After all, you don’t know where that bottle was before it was packaged and sold to you, so an initial sterilization is a quick, easy way to ensure baby’s health and safety. “After that, it’s no longer necessary to sterilize bottles or their accessories,” she adds. “Many years ago, when water supplies weren’t reliably clean, baby items required sterilization, but nowadays this is thankfully not an issue.”

That said, there are instances when you might want to sterilize baby’s bottle beyond that first use. According to Hoff, these include:

• If you’re using borrowed or second-hand bottles. With all the gear and supplies that babies require, some moms hit up consignment shops or borrow baby bottles from a friend. In these cases, it’s critical to sterilize pre-used bottles before giving it to your child for the first time. The same goes for bottles that have been used for older siblings in your own home.

• If baby has been sick. It’s no fun when baby’s sick, so the last thing you want to do is risk re-infecting them by using unclean bottles. “If you’re concerned about any lingering germs or bacteria on your child’s bottles, sterilizing them will certainly put your mind at ease,” Hoff says.

• If baby was premature or has health issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sterilization is particularly important if baby was born prematurely or has a weakened immune system.

• If you don’t have access to clean drinking water. If your home isn’t part of a municipality with clean drinking water, you use well water or you’re traveling in a country with questionable water, you may need to sterilize baby’s bottles often; once daily or even after each use would be prudent to avoid buildup of harmful microbes.

How Often to Sterilize Baby Bottles

As long as you have good quality municipal drinking water that isn’t coming from a well, it’s not necessary (or even recommended) to sterilize baby’s bottles too often. “Regular sterilization can potentially damage the bottle and allow chemicals to leach into the milk, especially if the bottle has BPA in it,” says Daniel Ganjian, MD, a pediatrician at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of bisphenol A, or BPA, in baby bottles back in 2012 due to concerns over the chemical’s impact on infant development—but if you’re using older plastic bottles, make sure they don’t have the recycling number 7 imprinted on the bottom.

How often to sterilize baby bottles is really up to you, so do what feels right for your family. If you use a dishwasher with hot water and a heated drying cycle to clean your child’s feeding items, sanitizing baby bottles by hand isn’t called for. Otherwise, for extra germ removal beyond standard washing, the CDC says you can sanitize bottles at least once daily.

When to stop sterilizing baby bottles

If you do decide to sterilize baby’s bottles regularly, it’s okay to stop once baby is older than 3 months, according to CDC guidelines, since baby’s immune system isn’t quite so fragile anymore.

You should also stop sterilizing baby bottles and accessories if you notice any damage, Ganjian says. Glass bottles with cracks or chips should be tossed out, as should plastic bottles with splits, cracks, strong odors or any warping. Bottle nipples that have sustained noticeable wear and tear should always be replaced, since they can be a choking hazard.

How to Sterilize Baby Bottles

Sterilization kills bacteria in bottles through the use of high temperatures or chemicals, Armin says, and one method isn’t superior to another. So when it comes to deciding how to sterilize baby bottles, choose an approach that works best for you and your budget. Read on for step-by-step instructions for how to sterilize baby bottles using various techniques.

Sterilizing baby bottles with boiling water

No special equipment required here! To sterilize baby bottles using boiling water, all you need is water and a pot. And don’t worry—it’s fine to sanitize plastic bottles using this method.

Fill a large, clean pot with enough water to cover the bottles.
Submerge the freshly washed bottles in the water upside down, making sure there aren’t any air bubbles at the bottom.
Bring the water to a boil.
Boil the bottles for five minutes (check manufacturer guidelines for variations).
Turn the heat off and remove the bottles using tongs.
Place them on a clean, dry dishcloth and allow them to air dry.

Sterilizing baby bottles in the microwave

Another super-easy approach to sterilizing baby bottles? Using your microwave’s steam power! Here’s how to sterilize baby bottles in the microwave without any other special equipment:

Start with a clean microwave.
Fill bottles about halfway with water.
Microwave on high for one to two minutes.
Using oven mitts, remove bottles from the microwave, dump remaining water out and let the bottles air dry.

Another option is to purchase a microwave baby bottle sterilizer. This type of sterilizer also harnesses the power of steam, but it encloses the bottles in a plastic casing to give them a more thorough cleansing. These handy sterilizers are widely available and typically cost about half as much as the better-known electric baby bottle sterilizers.

Sterilizing baby bottles with electric steam

If you know you’ll sleep easier if baby’s bottles are sterilized regularly, you may want to spring for a countertop bottle sterilizer. Steam sterilization can reach higher temperatures than boiling water, so it can kill more bacteria and mold, Ganjian says.

Though they’re a bit more pricey than any of the other options, electric baby bottle sterilizers are probably the quickest, easiest option if you want (or need) to sanitize bottles frequently. Simply follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Plus, they can be used to sanitize bottles, bottle parts, nipples and more. Many moms even use these for small plastic toys and teething rings once baby outgrows the bottle stage. That’s knowing how to stretch a dollar!

Sterilizing baby bottles with bleach

If you’re in a pinch and don’t have access to boiling water, steam or a dishwasher, the CDC condones the use of bleach to clean baby bottles. Here’s how to sterilize baby bottles with this method:

Combine one teaspoon of unscented bleach with 16 cups of hot water.
Submerge bottles in the solution, taking care to avoid any air bubbles in the bottom of the bottles.
Soak bottles for two to five minutes, then remove with clean tongs.
Place bottles on a clean dish towel to air dry. There’s no need to rinse, Armin says: “Any remaining bleach will break down quickly during the air-drying process and will not harm baby.”

Sterilizing baby bottles using sterilizing tablets

Wondering how to sterilize baby bottles when you’re away from home and don’t have access to your normal equipment? Food-grade, chlorine-based sterilizing tablets are just as effective at removing all the same microbes as the other sterilization techniques above. Be sure to follow the instructions on the packaging to ensure proper sterilization.

How to Clean Baby Bottles

Regardless of whether you decide to sterilize baby’s bottles, you’ll still have to thoroughly clean them after every feeding. “Newborns and infants have underdeveloped immune systems are vulnerable to infections by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi, which can all lead to illness. These germs can grow quickly if breast milk or formula is added to a partially used bottle that hasn’t been well cleaned,” Armin says. “Washing items thoroughly with hot water and soap is all that’s required to remove most harmful germs from bottles.” You can choose to wash bottles and their parts by hand or in the dishwasher. Here’s how:

Cleaning baby bottles in the dishwasher

Are your baby bottles dishwasher safe? Good news: Using your dishwasher’s hottest water setting and a heated drying cycle effectively sterilizes the bottles!

Separate all bottle parts.
Rinse the bottles and parts with clean water to remove any milk particles.
Place all small parts (including rings, valves and nipples) in a dishwasher-safe basket to prevent them from falling to the bottom of the dishwasher.
When possible, run the bottles on a hot-water cycle and heated drying cycle or select the sanitizing setting.
Remove the bottles and parts from the dishwasher and allow to air dry on a clean dishcloth.

Cleaning baby bottles by hand

When cleaning by hand, the CDC recommends washing the bottles and their parts in a special container that’s only used for bottles, rather than having bottles come in contact with the sink, to prevent cross-contamination. You should also use a bottle brush or other cleaning utensil that’s set aside just for baby’s bottles.

Start with clean hands.
Separate the bottles and their parts and rinse each piece under running hot or cold water to remove any milk particles. Don’t set the bottles down in the sink.
Fill a clean basin with hot water and soap.
Scrub the bottles and parts with a bottle brush, taking care to thoroughly clean all the way to the bottom of the bottle.
Clean inside the nipples, making sure to flush water through the tiny holes at the tips.
Rinse again under running water.
Air dry on a clean dishcloth.

Updated February 2020

Expert bios:

As a health and safety investigator for ConsumerSafety.org, Caitlin Hoff educates families about important consumer topics that impact the general public’s health and safety. She holds a certification in CDC Health Literacy for Public Health Professionals.

Samira Armin, MD, FAAP, is a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Pediatrics. She earned her medical degree from St. George’s University in 2009 and specializes in newborns and healthy eating.

Daniel Ganjian, MD, is a pediatrician at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He earned his medical degree from the University of California, Irvine, in 2004 and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society, a designation given to just 10 percent of American physicians.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

Plus, more from The Bump:

16 Best Baby Bottles

How Much Should a Newborn Eat?

Pumping Breast Milk 101

Sterilization of jars and lids. How to sterilize jars and lids for seaming

Home sterilization of jars and lids is a mandatory procedure for cleaning each empty jar before filling it with contents and sealing with a lid. Sterilization is carried out so that the jars from the inner surface are cleared of microbes and harmful viruses. Without preliminary cleaning and sterilization, homemade seams in jars are unsuitable for long-term storage - blanks for future use.

Mushrooms, vegetables, fruits and berries can be prepared for the winter in different ways: by drying, freezing or canning in glass jars.

Home preservation will last a long time if the dishes are sterilized. The syrup in the jam will be sweet, pickled cucumbers will remain crunchy throughout the winter. Recipes for harvesting jam, tomatoes and cucumbers for the winter require preliminary sterilization of bottles, empty bottles and jars with blanks.

How to sterilize jars and lids

Sterilize empty jars for jam or before pickling tomatoes, pickling cucumbers at home for the winter, in order to thoroughly clean them, destroying microorganisms and pathogenic bacteria inside the container.

Salads for the winter, Korean snacks, homemade squash caviar, before being rolled up for the winter for longer storage, must be carefully prepared. This preparatory process consists of thoroughly washing the jars and lids with baking soda or mustard powder and then sterilizing them.

Empty, clean jars are sterilized at the first stage, and in the process of conservation, if necessary, blanks are sterilized. The time allotted for such a procedure directly depends on the volume of the container. The smaller the volume of the jar, the shorter the time for its sterilization.

In order for the blanks to stand for a long time (ideally all winter) and not a single lid swells, the preservation jars must be chosen correctly before sterilization:

With smooth edges, without notches, cracks and crevices. It is better not to use a container with chips on the neck for home preservation.
Juices, fruit and berry compotes and vegetable preparations cannot be preserved in jars and bottles for chemical liquids and non-food products.
Canning lids are screw-on (screw), with rubber bands inserted inside the lids and glass with clips.
Preservation lid is used only new and of proven quality. Sealed lid with an elastic band - products in accordance with GOST with tightly inserted elastic bands.

Simple recommendations before sterilizing jars will help you choose the right utensils and properly sterilize your jars before canning.

How to sterilize jars at home

There are many effective ways to sterilize jars at home. The fastest and easiest to use at home in front of you - quickly and easily.

How to Sterilize Jars in the Microwave

The microwave is a very convenient and safe place to do things like sterilization. In terms of time, sterilization of jars in the microwave is considered the fastest.

So, on the bottom of clean jars of a small capacity (0.5-0.7-1 liter), pour a little water (2 cm will be enough), place them standing in the microwave.
We transfer the microwave to a power of 800 watts. Everything. As the water boils away, the jars are sterilized in the microwave, then they can be removed and used for blanks.

Steam jar sterilization at home

The old, proven way to prepare jars is steam. In such cases, we use a kettle, saucepan, bowl. The method in a saucepan with water is suitable for sterilizing jars of any capacity. Sterilization time for 1-liter jars is 10 minutes, for 3-liter jars - 15.

Everything is done very quickly and easily at home from improvised kitchen tools.

To do this, put an iron sieve on a pot of boiling water, with the jar neck down on it.
The final steam treatment is completed when water drops start to run down the sides of the can.

How to sterilize jars in the oven

It turns out that you can not only bake pies in the oven, but also “fry” jars. Sterilization of jars in the oven does not require the presence of the hostess. The method is simple and good in that it saves time that the hostess can use to prepare the lids.

To sterilize jars and bottles in the oven in a cold oven, put the glass container neck down on the wire rack. After that, we heat the oven to 150 ^o C. We keep the jars for 15 minutes and take them out of the oven sterilized. Everything is fast and simple.

Sterilization of jars in a steamer

Everyone knows the true purpose of a steamer, namely to cook delicious, healthy meals. In addition to its main function, the steamer can also act as a sterilizer. To do this, as in the previous method in the oven, put the jar neck down in a double boiler and turn on the cooking mode for 15 minutes.

During the harvesting season, quick recipes for harvesting for the winter that do not require sterilization are of key importance. Filled with vegetables, fruits, juices, jars with contents are poured two or three times with brine, sweet syrup and hermetically rolled up with lids.

Not everyone uses quick recipes at home. Many housewives out of habit, others for the sake of reliability, for greater confidence and safety, sterilize blanks, not trusting double filling. We offer the most reliable and easiest way to sterilize jars with blanks.

How to sterilize jars with blanks

We cover the bottom of a wide saucepan with a towel, place the jars on it while standing, so that the walls do not touch each other. Next, pour warm or cold water into the pan, bring it to a boil.

The time of sterilization of jars with blanks from the volume of the jars themselves is from 10-15 minutes or more. The exact sterilization time is usually indicated in the preservation recipe. Carefully take out the jars with blanks and twist them with lids using a seaming machine.

How to sterilize the lids

The last step in the harvesting chain is the lids.

Like the jars, wash the lids with a washcloth and a soapy or soda solution. Then lower into boiling water and “cook” for 2 minutes.

For sterilization, the surface of the lids must be free of rust, dents. We remind you that the rubber bands must strictly correspond to the diameter of the lid itself.

How to sterilize canning jars / So that they do not blow off the lid - an article from the "How to store" section on Food.ru

Why they explode

The main thing for conservation is cleanliness. Products and containers for long-term storage must be sterile. Washing them with soap is not enough, no matter how hard you try. Even with the slightest contact with the external environment, bacteria can remain on the bottom and walls of the jars and on the lids.

Once there, they will begin to multiply actively even in tightly sealed containers. Over time, mold will appear on stewed meat or vegetables, the brine will become cloudy, compotes and jams will ferment.

The gas formed inside rips off the lids, and fragile glass jars burst and “explode”. If the process is started, no cold will save the pantry crop.

To prevent this from happening, and lecho, cucumbers and tomatoes delight you all winter, jars and lids must be properly sterilized. Then they can not deteriorate for months.

There are several sterilization methods, the most common being hot. They involve either steam or boiling water. But before choosing the right one, you should put things in order in the kitchen cabinet.

Important

Remember that an exploding can with a blank is half the trouble. Much more dangerous is botulinum toxin, a substance that can be formed in canned food if the rules for long-term storage are violated. Most often, in stew or mushrooms. Food contaminated with it should not be eaten. The toxin leads to botulism, a serious disease of the nervous system.

Which jars and lids can be sterilized

In canning, glass jars of various sizes are commonly used. The maximum is three liters. Those that are smaller are suitable for pickling vegetables; compotes are rolled into large ones for the winter. Containers for blanks should be free of chips and cracks, clean, made of transparent or greenish glass.

Do not use the container if:

notice that it has changed color;
you have used it for non-food purposes;
you cannot wash off the remains of the previous workpiece even with a 1% solution of soda ash and remove the smell even with water with vinegar and lemon juice (keep at least 20 minutes).

Seal glass jars with simple polyethylene or tin lids with thin rubber bands inside. The former can be used repeatedly, the latter always buy new ones for homemade preparations. They must also be free of visible damage: rust, scratches, dents or other defects.

Before sterilization, do the following:

wash both with detergent, you can use natural - soda or mustard;
Rinse jars and lids thoroughly in clean water to remove household chemicals or soap;
leave to dry upside down on a towel.

Tip

Pasteurization is another way to prepare jars and lids for canning. The procedure takes place at lower temperatures - up to 70 degrees on average. Pasteurized canned blanks can be stored much less.

In a saucepan

Pros: less likely to burn yourself with steam.
Cons: a large batch cannot be processed at once.

The simplest method used by our grandmothers. In a deep saucepan of large diameter, put dry, clean jars upside down as much as you like. If the jar is large and won't fit, lay it on its side. Pour cold water over both the saucepan and the glass container halfway. Put on the stove, turn on medium heat and wait for the allotted time.

Saucepan sterilization time:

1 liter - 10 minutes;
1.5 liters - 16 minutes;
2 liters - 20 minutes;
3 liters - 30 minutes.

Tip

The dishwasher should not be used for sterilization. Most models only heat water up to 70 degrees - enough to wash away food residues, but not enough for complete disinfection. Dishes are sterilized at 100 degrees and above.

Steamed: over a saucepan, kettle, in a steamer

Several devices, but the principle is the same - we will sterilize jars over hot steam. The most convenient of these options is to take a grid for cooking manti or a special nozzle for a pan, which is called a “sterilizer” in hardware stores. But a simple colander, wire rack or sieve will do. With their help, you can process 2-4 cans of medium size at the same time.

Fill the saucepan halfway with cold water. You can also throw metal covers there. We install a grid on the container, turn on the fire and wait for the water to boil. With the advent of the first steam, you can put the jars upside down on the grate. Glass containers must be dry. After a certain time, you will see large drops of water on the glass. This is a signal that the sterilization is over, everything is ready.

Steam sterilization time:

0.5 liters - 7 minutes;
1 liter - 10 minutes;
2 liters - 15 minutes;
3 liters - 20 minutes.

In a similar way, you can sterilize the jars over a steamer or kettle with boiling water (over a regular, non-electric one). Half-liter jars are put directly on the spout. Those that are larger are lowered with their necks into the main opening of the kettle, where you usually pour water. If its diameter is too large and the jar strives to “drown”, put a pusher on the bottom of the kettle, with which you make mashed potatoes, and place the container on it.

Advice

Inspection of jars and lids that you want to sterilize is not all. Canned foods can also become breeding grounds for bacteria. Only selected vegetables and fruits are suitable for harvesting. Rotten, sluggish and spoiled it is better to throw it away immediately. Even one small apple with a wormhole can ruin an entire three-liter jar of compote. And, of course, wash them well before cooking.

In a slow cooker

Pros: no need to watch.
Cons: Requires a special grid.

Empty glass jars can be sterilized in a slow cooker in a similar way. But only if you have a steamer attachment.

Pour a few glasses of water into the multicooker bowl. Throw the lids into it, install a nozzle with a mesh on top, then dry jars with the neck down.

Turn on the "Steam" mode - the multicooker will set the desired time by itself. As a rule, it is 15-30 minutes. If you are sterilizing small jars, the time can be set manually.

Multicooker sterilization time:

0.5 liters - 6 minutes;
1 liter - 10 minutes;
2 liters - 15 minutes;
3 liters - 20 minutes.

After the device beeps, let the container cool for a few minutes before removing it from the grill.

How to sterilize jars in the oven

Pros: You can sterilize 4 to 6 jars of different sizes at the same time.
Cons: lids with rubber bands will have to be boiled separately.

In the same way you can also sterilize jars in a gas stove oven. But if there is no timer, you will have to periodically check their status yourself.

The oven must be cold. We arrange clean, dry jars on a wire rack or baking sheet. Their position does not really matter - the bottom can be either from below or from above. Important: if the jars were slightly damp, a white coating may appear on the glass during the sterilization process in the oven. This is not a problem, such containers can also be used for further preparations.

Turn on the stove at 50 degrees, after five minutes you can increase it to 140. So the heating will be gradual and even - the risk that the glass will crack is minimal. If the stove has additional operating modes, select convection.

The glass door of the oven, along with the jars inside, will soon fog up. The stove can be turned off when they are completely dry. As a rule, it takes from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the container.

Time to sterilize jars in the oven:

0.5 liters - 10 minutes;
1 liter - 15 minutes;
2 liters - 20 minutes;
3 liters - 25 minutes.

Don't take hot jars out of the oven right away, as sudden temperature changes can cause them to burst, especially if the room is cool. Let the container cool in the oven for 10 minutes with the door slightly open. Take out the jars carefully: use a dry towel or potholder.

Important

Only tin screw caps can be sterilized in the oven. Polyethylene and disposable with thin rubber bands around the perimeter, this method is not suitable - they will melt from intense heat. Boil these lids separately.

Microwaveable

Pros: convenient and fast.
Cons: glass can break, tin lids cannot be sterilized.

The microwave does not heat the air, but the food or liquid inside. Therefore, it does not make sense to sterilize empty jars in it. Before sterilization in the microwave, we fill the jars with water: half a glass for a medium size, a whole glass for a three-liter one.

Place the cans on the turntable, leaving a space between them. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes. As soon as the water in the microwave begins to boil, large drops will appear on the inside of the jar. For sterilization, this is enough: carefully remove the jars with kitchen gloves, put them upside down on a dry towel.

How to sterilize jars in a couple of minutes cold

Pros: can be used for plastic dishes.
Cons: not always available on the farm.

All the methods of sterilization described above are called hot. Not to say that they take a lot of time - it takes up to 30 minutes for one game. But if you don’t have even half an hour, you don’t want to mess around with water and high temperatures, use improvised means. You can sterilize jars with alcohol, manganese or vinegar.

The most popular method of cold sterilization is with alcohol or vodka. Pour about a glass of strong liquid into a clean, dry jar. Close tightly and shake - so that the bottom, walls and neck of the jar are thoroughly rinsed.

Pour the liquid into the next jar and repeat. With one glass of vodka or alcohol, you can process the entire glass arsenal for blanks.

Replace alcohol with 9% vinegar or essence. The scheme is the same, but there is a condition: vinegar must first be diluted with boiled cold water. A liter will require a tablespoon of vinegar or its essence.

Important

It is not necessary to rinse the jars after this sterilization. Vinegar, like alcohol, evaporates from the surface fairly quickly. While you are preparing the brine or marinade, there will be no trace of them - only safe, disinfected glass.

Was there no alcohol or vinegar in the household? Look in the first aid kit, perhaps there was some manganese lying around. Its aqueous solution is also suitable for cold sterilization, however, it will take a little longer.

Dissolve manganese crystals in a liter of boiled cold water until pink (not purple). Pour the solution into jars, fill the remaining volume with warm water. Close the jars with lids and leave for 10 minutes.

Then, to disinfect the neck as well, turn the jars upside down and wait another 5 minutes. The manganese solution should be drained, and the jars should be poured with boiling water from the inside before further use.

How to sterilize jars with blanks inside

Some spin recipes do not sterilize empty jars, but already filled with vegetables. This is how, for example, lecho or vegetable caviar is prepared. This can be done in water in a saucepan on the stove or in the oven according to the schemes described above. The only difference is that the bottom of the dish should be lined with a kitchen towel folded in two.