Eli5, why do Mason jar lids typically come in 2 parts, threads and seal, as opposed to nearly every other commonly used household container?

Question

Eli5, why do Mason jar lids typically come in 2 parts, threads and seal, as opposed to nearly every other commonly used household container?

In: 7899

Answer 1

I’m thrilled that redditors understand the concepts of jar canning. The part they are leaving out, however, involves the insane mother who demands that father heat the juice, etc., outside, carry the boiling mixture inside to sit on her stove, and as she fills the jars, she removes the lid and seal from a percolating pot of boiling water, affixes both to the full jar, and then hands it to father for final tightening and removal to the only refrigerated room in the house.

This might sound like a lot, and I know it was way over the top, but we never had a canned good go bad and we always had too much to eat.

I was going to mention my father died way too young (59), but it would be gratuitous to attribute his early death to my mother’s canning procedures. 🙂

Edit: By the way, if you carefully scrape the seal, you might be able to reuse it. Not recommended.