Kilner Jam Pan & Twist Top Jars
Preserving seasonal fruits and vegetables into jams, relishes, chutneys, sauces, and so on, is such an age-old tradition that has survived the test of time.
It’s resurgence into present day highlights its importance and the many benefits it prevails; from well-being due to eating fresh seasonal produce that is preserved for consumption all year round; to reducing waste by preserving the abundance of seasonal bounty.
This pretty much sums up my experience growing up in an Italian household where my parents grew & consumed vegetables and fruit as per the season, preserved what extra harvest we had in order to enjoy it throughout the year, and to avoid what we couldn’t expend – go to waste. I have continued this manner of living on a smaller scale for my little family and relish in knowing that I too now provide a healthy lifestyle for them.
To achieve this, there are a few things you will need! Of course, there’s that glorious seasonal produce, and in addition, you’ll need some important kitchen utensils to aid in efficient preserving.
I myself have been desiring a preserving pan for some time now, especially after regular employment of my large all-round pot to make jams, relishes and the like. It has performed to the best of its ability, however, it’s like asking a Tap Dancer to perform a Ballet – it’s just not as graceful! It was therefore, no surprise at my excitement when I had the opportunity to engage with the poplar
Kilner Jars. I used the Kilner Stainless Steel Jam Pan and Kilner Round Twist Top Jars 725ml.
At first sight the
Kilner Stainless Steel Jam Pan looks the part with features such as;
- Interior measurement markings
- Encapsulated base
- Pouring lid
- Easy drip handle
- Stainless Steel manufacturing
I particularly enjoyed its size – standing at 8 litres, it held a great capacity of produce which elevates the need to cook supplementary batches. Additionally, the easy drip handle was very useful and didn’t seem to take on much heat, allowing me to grab it off the stove top without a tea towel (or perhaps I have just gained a tolerance for holding hot items and not noticing with years of working in pastry kitchens. Ha!)
Its pouring lid is excellent and eliminates the need to use any additional utensils (which could aid in eliminating bacteria) to scoop out preserved mixture. You can just pour straight into a funnel which sits over your Kilner Round Twist Top Jars.
However, if I had to choose my favourite function of the Kilner Stainless Steel Pan, I would have to say its versatility. Ultimately, there is the preserving of fruits and vegetables into jams, relishes, chutneys, sauces, etc, but yet, you can also Heat Process your jars using this splendid Pan. This is a process necessary when making tomato passata where you need to submerge your jars of tomato passata preserve in boiling water for 1 hour. The Kilner Stainless Steel Pan is large enough to achieve this procedure. Fantastic!
Which now leads me to the Kilner Round Twist Top Jars 725ml. These jars have a very stylish vintage look to them and come in a range of sizes. I especially like the 725ml size so I can store much preserve in each and not take up too much pantry space with fewer jars.
These Kilner Jars are constructed from quality glass that efficiently embraces the hot ready-made preserves which can be poured straight into them. Consequently, each jar features a coated pressure seal lid that provides an excellent seal for home preserving – very important!
In order to review both the Kilner Stainless Steel Jam Pan and the Kilner Round Twist Top Jars, I made my favourite Tomato Relish recipe. It’s the perfect time to make Tomato Relish or anything with tomatoes as they are at their peak right now (from January right through to March). So go ahead, following the recipe below and see for yourself how versatile and efficient the Kilner preserving products are which will allow you to enjoy seasonal eating all year round.
Tomato Relish
Ingredients List:
- 1kg Tomatoes, ripe, skinned
- 2 each Brown Onions, skin removed, roughly diced into 1cm pieces
- 2 each Zucchini, roughly diced into 1cm pieces
- 1 each Yellow Capsicum, deseeded, roughly diced into 1cm pieces
- 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tblsp Tomato paste
- ¼ tsp of Hot English Mustard or English Mustard powder
- 300ml Apple Cider Vinegar
- 150g Castor Sugar
Instructions:
You will need two 725ml Kilner Round Twist Top Jars for this recipe. If you would like to make more – just double the ingredients above and add on an additional two Jars.
To sterilise the Kilner jars, wash them in soapy hot water, rinse off soap suds and place on a clean tray. Place in an oven of 140C for 15 mins or until ready to place in your tomato relish.
To skin tomatoes, place them in a large bowl and cover with boiling water for about 40 seconds or until tomato skins begin to peel off. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl of cold water which will allow easy peeling of the tomato skins. Discard tomato skins. Roughly dice the tomatoes and place in Kilner Stainless Steel Pan.
Add in all the remaining ingredients and place Kilner Pan over medium to high heat, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.
Turn up the heat and cook steadily for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until the mixture begins to thicken. Make sure to stir frequently.
Place clean funnel over sterilised Kilner Jar and pour or ladle in the Tomato Relish mixture. Seal jars immediately.
Store up to 6 months. Once opened, keep refrigerated.
Serve on an antipasto platter, cheese plate, in sandwiches, as a condiment to meat, chicken, fish, lamb dishes and with pasta.
Buon Appetito!
