When I first started canning, the jars and tools available were basic. You bought them at a hardware store or off a seasonal display in the grocery store. The styles of jar lifters, wide mouth funnels and other jars didn’t vary between brands (though each line did have their own signature color) and it didn’t occur to any of us that there could be jars beyond Ball, Kerr, and Golden Harvest.
But then, things started to change. As interest in canning grew, more people were looking for sturdy, high quality tools. And the cookware stores took notice. One of the first stores to respond to the demand for canning and preserving tools was Williams-Sonoma. Last year, they launched their Agrarian line, which featured a variety of tools, jars, equipment designed for canning, curing, preserving, and other DIY food endeavors.
One of the best things that’s happened as a result of the Agrarian line is that it’s brought a great deal more variety to the US canning jars and tools market. It’s now easy to get canning equipment made by Weck, Kilner, and others. This isn’t to say that the tools already available here aren’t perfectly good, but it’s always fun to try out other stuff.
Recently, I had the opportunity to use a few things from canning tools in Williams-Sonoma’s Agrarian line. For the last six weeks, I’ve been using the Kilner Stainless Steel Jam Pan and the Kilner Stainless Steel Funnel in my preserving, along with some of the 1 liter Kilner Preserve Jars. The jars are perfectly nice, though not significantly different from those made by Ball/Kerr/Golden Harvest, but the jam pan and wide mouth funnel are now two of my favorite canning things.
The funnel is great because the portion of the funnel that fits into the jar is a bit smaller than the conventional ones. This makes it easier to use with jars with smaller mouths. The lip of the funnel is also quite wide and shallow, which minimizes splashing. It’s a very well designed piece of equipment.
I’m also totally in love with the Kilner Jam Pan (this design is also known as a maslin pan). It’s got an incredibly thick base, the belled shape is perfect for quick evaporation, and the measurements up the side make it easy to determine exactly how many jars are going to be necessary to can up the batch you’re making. I’ve not burned or scorched a single batch in this pot, but if it were to happen, thanks to the stainless steel surface, I could scrub away until the burnt portions were gone.
Thanks to the nice people at Williams-Sonoma, I have a set of these Kilner canning tools to give away. The winner will get the jam pan, wide mouth funnel, and a set of four 1 liter canning jars. Here’s how to enter:
Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite kitchen tool you use in your canning and preserving. Do you use your grandmother’s jar lifter? Or have you jerry-rigged your own lid wand? Maybe your jam pan was purchased with money saved from recycling soda cans. Whatever the story, I want to hear it!
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Friday, July 19, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, July 21, 2013.
Giveaway is open to US residents only.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.
If you don’t want to leave it to chance, right now all of Williams-Sonoma’s canning and preserving tools are 20% off (and there’s free shipping all day Monday).
Disclosure: Williams-Sonoma provided me with the tools pictured in this post for photography and review purposes. They’re also providing another set of the same implements and jars for this giveaway. They did not pay for placement and all opinions expressed are my own.
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Free Canning Demo at Williams-Sonoma at the Bellevue