The Best Mason Jars for Sous Vide Cooking Effectively

Sous vide cooking is one way to get some of the best and most tender foods ever. But when it comes to hot water bath cooking, many people emphasize using plastic silicone bags.

Those people undersell the usage of canning jars, so we’ve got a few of the best ones available. 

Sous vide cooking with canning jars can be tricky, but we will go over that process later in the article. For now, here are some of the best jars you can use for the sous vide process. 

The Three Best Mason Jars for Sous Vide Cooking 

If this is your first time cooking with mason jars, follow online sous vide recipes closely. However, you need the jars before you can start cooking. Here are our suggestions:

Verones 30 Pack of 6 oz Mason Jars

When it comes to making sous vide food, the overall size of your container shouldn’t be too big. After all, the water circulation should be reaching contents inside. Arguably, the best size is about a medium-level jar of around six ounces. 

These jars have a proven track record of high-heat resistance, with many people cooking and baking with them. The smaller size ensures that they are suitable for most sous vide operations, but they could be slightly bigger for some items. 

The lids of these jars are also not suitable for use with other jars, so be sure you separate these if you have pre-existing glass containers. However, you might find it best to keep jars for sous vide as unique, as they have a different use from most other glass jars.

If you are looking for a large, repetitive set of study jars, Verones has you covered. If you are looking for something a bit smaller, option two is your better choice. 

Pros	Cons
The perfect size for many sous vide cooking process.	Not suitable for large amounts of food.
Sturdy and heat resistant regarding many high-temperature situations.	Not interchangeable with other jar sizes.
Great for containing smaller vegetables.
Best Mason Jars for Sous Vide Reviews

Starside 40 Pack of 4 oz Mason jars with Gold Lids

Starside makes an excellent collection of cute, little mason jars perfect for any occasion. The jars are 100% BPA-free and food-safe, and the gold lids make them stand out if you want to separate your sous vide jars and your regular jars. 

Of course, if you want to cook anything sizable, you’ll find yourself struggling a bit. For example, corn on the cob in this sous vide container is a bit of a tight squeeze. 

These jars come with labels and a market, giving you a complete setup for long-term storage needs. The packaging is also excellent, making these hard to break. 

With its smaller size, the only other drawback comes from the hard-to-screw lids. You’ll find yourself struggling a little bit to get them on. 

Despite some nagging issues, these jars are excellent and reasonably priced for what you get. For a large amount of smaller items, this can be great for your sous vide cooking experience. 

Pros	Cons
Sturdy and food-safe glass.	Not great for larger items.
Gold lids help this batch of jars stand out.	The caps are a bit picky to screw on.
Great for cooking large batches of small items.
Best Mason Jars for Sous Vide Reviews

Cibeat 16 PACK Mini Mason Jars Glass Canning Jars

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For those looking for a healthy mix of both large and small, Cibeat has you covered with the 16-pack of mason jars. These jars are closer in design to the Verones option above, with a standard glass topped with silver. 

The lids are standard-sized, making them more suitable for mixing in with your current collection. So you don’t have to worry about keeping these jars in a corner somewhere. Instead, you have to worry a bit more about not having enough jars.

Compared to the other two, 16 jars is still a lot. However, you’ll find yourself not able to batch cook large quantities of smaller items. Instead, you are better suited for small amounts of larger items. 

The lids behind these are closer to standard mason jar sizes, but they are still tricky to stack. Also, this company is a bit less careful regarding packing, so double-check the jars closely. It isn’t common to have broken jars here, but it is possible during any shipping process. 

Pros	Cons
Great a mix of different types of batches.	The larger jar can be difficult to get consistent heating in.
Great quality glass.	The jars are not regular mason lids, so they don’t stack well.
Reasonably priced considering the collection.
Best Mason Jars for Sous Vide Reviews

What Should I Look for in Good Quality Mason Jars for Sous Vide? 

When selecting the best mason jars for your sous vide cooking, here are some things you should keep in mind.

What is the Best Size Canning Jar for Sous Vide Cooking? 

When using glass canning jars for cooking food, size is essential. You want to make sure that the food and jar match up, so the best canning jar size depends on what you cook. 

Larger containers are best suited for more giant vegetables. Whole tomatoes, corn on the cob, and large quantities of dried beans are great for cooking. However, you’ll find that forcing your cobbed corn into a smaller jar will result in a ruined meal. 

Having a small item in a large jar is more likely to cook it effectively. However, the extra space is a bit wasteful, especially if you need to cook large quantities of small items. Grape tomatoes, small deserts, and grains are usually best for these smaller jars of around four ounces. 

Picking Canning Jars that Avoid Thermal Shock

Thermal shock is the breaking of jars when you place your glass in a heated pot with water. To avoid thermal shock, you need to be sure that your jars are food grade. 

Because mason jars are thick and built to last, you don’t typically have to worry that much. However, check the company claims on the product description. Otherwise, scroll down to see your fellow customers and their experience. 

To avoid thermal shock, be sure to place your glass jars into the water bath soon. Ensure the jar heats up alongside your water bath to prevent the sudden heat change that comes with broken jars. 

You will also want to make sure that the water level completely encapsulates the jar. Otherwise, the top half of your jar will be at a much lower temperature than the bottom half, leading to higher potential breakage. 

Remember that the jar is not the lid, so you don’t have to cover the top. Canning jars tend to float in hot water, so just make sure there is enough to cover your jar (not the lid).

You can also prep your jar by running them under hot tap water. The hot tap water isn’t quite as hot as water under a sous vide machine, but putting your jars in early is just as good. 

ALWAYS be sure that your lid isn’t too tight. You want a bit of air to escape from the jar, as the pressure inside can build up if it is too well sealed. So tighten the lids, so there is no water, but not too tight. 

With glass, you’ll want to pay extra attention to that water line. 

What are Mason Jars Best at Cooking?

Sous vide cooking is suitable for a combination of meats and vegetables. However, using glass jars for cooking sous vide is a bit different. 

First, you’ll find that glass jars are better suited for cooking desserts, vegetables, and grains. Meat isn’t great for mason jars because they need some of that “direct contact” from airless silicone bags. 

An egg mixture, custard mixture, cheesecake mixture is an incredibly excellent option for your first attempt. Dessert is one of the most satisfying ways to start with hot water, mason jars, and sous vide cooking. 

Which is Better for Sous Vide? Plastic Bags or Mason Jars?

Many people will tell you that cooking in plastic is the way to go when it comes to sous vide cooking. From an overall perspective, it is much easier to handle sous vide cooking when it comes to plastic. 

With the suitable food-grade plastic bags, they are much easier to handle regarding vacuum sealing. Many standard vacuum sealers will work, and they aren’t too expensive to manage.

Sous vide cooking in plastic is also much better for meat, but plastic bag cooking isn’t a slouch for vegetables either. Cooking in glass is better in one way: health. 

The problem with plastic bags (despite the best efforts) is that they degrade faster. You cannot avoid plastic chemicals; even those that are food grade can be concerning.

Also, liquid sauces and glass jars can be helpful. But pay extra attention to the water level to be sure your meat doesn’t dry out.  

Provided you focus on getting to the precise temperature, what you choose should only really depend on cooking. If it is meat, choose bags. Otherwise, mason jars will do fine.  

Best Mason Jar Brands 

When it comes to the best brands of Mason jars, Ball is one of the companies that come to mind. Ball owns the top slots of Mason jars. If you search “mason jar” on Amazon, you’ll find them. 

In the interest of giving smaller companies a bit of a spotlight, we like to focus elsewhere. So when it comes to glass food storage containers, here are the brands we featured:

• Verones – Verones is a small Amazon brand that offers a vast collection of mason jars in its store. They also sell bronze statues on the top of this Amazon store, which is odd against mason jars. Hey, who are we to judge?
• Starside – Starside is a small Amazon brand that has yet to establish a storefront. They sell a variety of glass containers and products for all sorts of needs. 
• DeeCoo – DeeCoo is another small Amazon brand without a storefront. Other products they sell include unbreakable cereal bowls, ramen bowls, and plates. All of these have unique designs if you want to add a bit of flair to your dish set.

We hope the best for these small companies going forward. They are known for offering solid products, so give them a shot when considering future canning jars. 

Sous Vide Mason Jars FAQs

What Temperature Will Break a Mason Jar?

Temperatures exceeding 300 degrees Farhenheit will break a mason jar. Because sous vide typically doesn’t exceed the lower 200s, there is no risk that sous vide will break a mason jar provided you don’t cause thermal shock. 

Can You Reuse Sous Vide Water?

Yes, you can reuse the water in sous vide cooking. However, you’ll want to change it out periodically to prevent potential problems that come from leaving water out. Otherwise, change out your water weekly. 

If your bag breaks, do not reuse the water for the next cooking session. Cross-contamination is a significant issue in cooking you should not ignore. 

Can You Microwave Mason Jars? 

Newer style mason jars have microwave-safe labels on them. However, not all canning jars are suitable for microwaving, so check the manufacturer’s details. 

You cannot microwave the metal lid on mason jars in any case. You can ruin a microwave by placing any metal inside. 

Can You Use One-Piece Mason Jar Lids with Sous Vide Cooking?

You can use a one-piece mason jar lid if you follow the prior rules for tightness (not too tight). By ensuring there is just enough room for air in your mason jar, you avoid dangerous situations. 

Do Any Other Sous Vide Accessories Work With Mason Jars? 

While standard sous vide racks and containers don’t make any sense here, mason jars can be used with a small number of accessories. 

Containers without built-in racks are best in this case, so be sure to keep that in mind. However, a dutch oven or stockpot will work just as well. 

Otherwise, non-standard items like sous vide balls are fine. However, there is no need for vacuum sealers when using mason jars. 

Final Thoughts 

Verones may hold the “number one” slot, but the best mason jars depend on what you need. Verones just happens to have the best overall price given the quantity. This company also produces the “happy middle” size. 

You might also want the smaller containers with the gold lids. Those gold lids will help your sous vide mason jars be separate from the non-sous vide jars. Otherwise, option number three above is perfect if you need a mix of jars. 

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