Are Mason Jars Freezer Safe: Do They Break In The Freezer

The Mason jars are an excellent tool for storage because they are durable, cost-effective, and can be placed anywhere in the kitchen. Further, they travel safely; and you can take almost anything with you, including soups, coffee, beverages, stew, etc., on the go due to their tight sealing lids.

The mason jars are perfect for freezing food, but you have to do it correctly to prevent a mess of shattered glass in your freezer. You can safely freeze food in the wide-mouth Mason jars by managing liquid expansion and temperature control. However, if you end up breaking the Mason jar in the freezer, carefully remove it from the freezer and throw away both the jar pieces and the contents in it.

Do you want to freeze food in Mason jars but are afraid of its shattering? Well, you are at the right place. Continue reading to find out how to freeze the foods in the mason jars correctly. Additionally, you will learn which mason jars and lids can be frozen. We will also discuss whether you can freeze liquids, smoothies, or sauces in mason jars.

Why Do Mason Jars Break In The Freezer?

The Mason jar breaks in the freezer if you do not leave space in the Mason jar for expanding or put warm liquids in the freezer. The sudden temperature change can cause breaking the Mason jar in the freezer. However, you can take the following precautions to ensure that food in a mason jar freezes properly.

Make sure you choose the correct Mason jar size for your food.
Since liquids and food will expand after freezing, overfilling a mason jar can result in a cracked mason jar. Therefore, be sure to leave some room when filling the Mason jar with food. You need to fill the jar 2 inches below the lid if the Mason jar is straight and if the Mason jar has shoulders, then 2 inches below the shoulders.
Always cool down your soups and sauces to room temperature before freezing them in the mason jars.
Do not tightly seal your Mason jar filled with food while placing it in the freezer. You should lightly place the lid at first and let the food partially freeze before tightly sealing it.
Depending on the food you are freezing, you can freeze it for 2 weeks to 5 months.
Always use wide-mouth mason jars for freezing food compared to regular mouth jars.
Do not put your frozen mason jars at high temperatures in the microwave. You need to defrost them in the fridge overnight and then let them sit on the countertop to come down to room temperature. Otherwise, your Mason will break in the microwave due to sudden heat shock.

Which Mason Jars Are Freezer Safe?

Mason jars made of tempered glass are usually freezer-safe compared to mason jars made of untempered glass. Because untempered glass has tiny air bubbles that expand or contract when temperature changes and can shatter at extreme temperature conditions.

However, tempered glass does not have any air bubbles and can withstand higher/lower temperatures; compared to untempered glass and regular glass. Also, if a Mason has a freezer-safe label at its bottom, you can place it in the freezer. Further, do not put the Mason jars with metal lids in the freezer. Instead, use long-lasting plastic lids to avoid any rusting.

Additionally, it is recommended to use straight mason jars without shoulders for freezing food because the expansion of the food can be tricky in mason jars with shoulders.

Moreover, Mason jars are generally freezer safe, but you need to make smart choices to prevent exploding the glass in the freezer. Therefore, you always have to follow the above-discussed care tips to freeze contents in the mason jars.

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Can You Freeze Wide Mouth Mason Jars?

Not all wide-mouth mason jars are freezer safe, and if made of glass could shatter in the freezer. It is advisable to check the freezer-safe label or manufacturer manual before using them in the freezer. On the other hand, some wide-mouth glass mason jars are specially designed with freezer and dishwasher-safe properties and are suitable to use.

However, you can conveniently use the wide-mouth mason jars made of BPA-free plastic in the freezer. These wide-mouth mason jars come with air-tight lids and can store food in the freezer for a long time.

Can You Freeze Mason Jars With Liquid/Smoothies?

It would be best not to freeze liquids in mason jars unless they are filled less than 1 inch below the shoulders. People usually forget the liquid expansion and fill the Mason to the top. As a result, there would be no room for liquid expansion, and the Mason jar would shatter into pieces when the liquids and smoothies solidify.

Mason jars are great for freezing liquids and smoothies, but the freezing process isn’t as simple as it seems. Further, people also oversight the fact that the liquids should be at room temperature before placing them in the freezer because sudden temperature shocks can also explode the glass Mason jar.

Moreover, you can freeze almost all kinds of liquids, including soups, stews, smoothies, juices, etc. Further, if you want to freeze liquids in the canning jars, you will still need to follow these instructions to avoid any disaster because canning jars are the same as mason jars.

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Can You Freeze Glass Jars Of Spaghetti Sauce?

You can freeze both homemade and store-bought spaghetti sauce in glass mason jars that are freezer-safe. But you should not freeze the spaghetti sauce in the glass jars that you bought it in because they are not safe to place in the freezer.

Therefore, always pour the spaghetti sauce into the freezer-proof jar to avoid breaking the glass jar. Moreover, you can freeze tomato base spaghetti sauce for up to five to six months in the freezer, but cream-based spaghetti sauce can only be stored for one or two days.

Can You Freeze Mason Jars With Metal Or Plastic Lids?

You can freeze the Mason jars with plastic lids, but it is not a good idea to put the Mason jars with metal lids in the freezer. Because metal can rust when exposed to moisture in the freezer for a long time.

Therefore, you should use plastic lids or polypropylene lids (recycled plastic) when placing the mason jars in the freezer to avoid rusting.

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Conclusion

Mason jars are a sustainable alternative to plastic in daily life, but you need to be safe and smart while freezing the food in the mason jars. You need to leave headspace when filling the jar with contents and cool down the food to room temperature before freezing any kind of food.