My wife, after checking with the local farm extension agent, said that new, stored lids shouldn’t be used if they are over two years old. Something about the seals dry out?
Is this correct or just BS?
No more speculation. I’ll contact the manufacturer tomorrow about the lids. We do a lot of canning.
Yes, they can crack and dry out. You have to inspect older lids, or lids you intend to reuse very carefully. When I reuse lids I throw away more than I reuse. Drying out of the lids can easily occur in dry winter conditions. If in any doubt or if one is leary of reusing lids, then new ones each year is the way to go. However, even new lids can have defects (dents, cuts, etc.) so always inspect them, too.
I always used the same screw tops for years, but the cost of the rubber rim lids wasn’t so bad that I reused them..Just to be on the safe side in case the rubber had deteriorated..
>>>My wife, after checking with the local farm extension agent, said that new, stored lids shouldn’t be used if they are over two years old. Something about the seals dry out?
Is this correct or just BS?<<<
Actually, I think it is somewhere in between. (Remember they have to be to the ‘official’ exact letter with anything they say.) The boiling water treatment before use serves to ‘rejuvenate’ them pretty much.
The seal material does not dry up and crack like it once did. I typically keep at least a year ahead of my needs (about 60-80 cases annually depending on needs)
As far as re-using - What really happens is that it takes a ‘set’ from the indentation from the jar, making the seal thinner where it contacts the jar. While not ‘officially’ condoned, I have done it for years with no more failures than from new lids.