Norpro Canning Lid Rack

I have plenty of useless gadgets and hesitate before adding to my collection. That said, for a canner, this gadget is helpful and well worth the space it takes to store it. I have always struggled to retrieve the canning lids from the pot of simmering water but no more. The wooden handle remains cool so lifting it in and out of the water is safe and easy -- and the lids are now perfectly accessible. Please note that the hang tag attached to the rack states the lids should be kept in boiling water. This is incorrect. According to the makers of the two piece canning lids, they should never be boiled before being placed on the jar to begin processing. Their instructions are to bring the water to a 180 degree simmer and to maintain that temperature. A candy thermometer works great to track the temperature. I see no discoloring of the rack after a marathon pickle canning session. The rack was submerged in 180 degree water from 9 AM to 10 PM and it suffered no damage and worked as efficiently as I'd hoped. If in the future I experience any problems, I will update the review. This rack would make a terrific gift for any person who cans. Update 11/18/2011 After a full year of use the rack still looks great -- no discoloration or hard water residue. I don't know how I got along without this handy tool. 2nd Update 8/6/2014 Four Years later... I continue to use this rack and it still looks great. I am impressed with its longevity and continued usefulness. 3rd Update 10/24/2015 Five years later Still used as an essential tool for canning -- working perfectly and remains undamaged by use and age.

Great Experience! The item arrived exactly as described and right on time. Shipping was fast and the packaging was secure and professional, ensuring the product arrived in perfect condition. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. Very satisfied with the overall purchase experience!

Like the idea and that they can drain and dry. Easy to use.

I canned without one of these last year, and while it can be done, this thing was worth the money. I no longer have to mess with the tongs and the lids sticking together in the pan. I used to boil a kettle of water seperately on the stove to use in my pressure cooker while I was sterilizing my lids in a shallow saucepan. Then I'd basically waste the water out of the "lid" pan and dump the boiling water from the kettle into the canner. This took two of my burners and valuable canning space. Now I use a larger pan for my lids (especially for wide mouth) since you need about 2-1/2 quarts of water to cover this thing with lids in. Now I save myself a step by simmering the lids, capping the jars, and then dump the water from the "lid" pan into the canner. Water saved as well. The color of the metal does darken with use, and I wish this was stainless steel. I think it will last awhile anyway since all you do is dip it in water, but stainless would have been nice. It holds more than enough lids for a full load. Everyone who cans with me wants one. Great item. Not a necessity, but it gets the job done faster and easier with less burnt fingers!

Handy little gadget! Works like a charm. Wish I had this sooner for the flat lids when I am canning. It keeps the lids from sticking together

This is the best for putting lids in and then the boiling water. No more lids sticking together! Love it!

I use this all the time! Great all in one holder.

I'm not a typical canner -I'm more into using mason jars and the lids with a vacuum-sealer attachment FoodSaver T03-0006-01 Regular-Mouth Jar Sealer . But I still need to wash the lids and it is a pain to wash them in the dishwasher. If you put them into the silverware caddy they don't get really clean -especially if you put more than one into each cubbyhole. They also tend to get blown out by the water stream and end up in the bottom of the dishwasher which is a pain to dig out and if there is any water down there they ca rust. My solution was to use this on the top rack. I simply cut the wooden ball off the top and just bent the handle over the edge of my top rack. it's in the back corner of the top rack and doesn't waste much space. I use the jar-sealer so much in my kitchen that I always have at least one dirty lid every wash -often as many as 3-4. The lids get clean and don't fly out of the rack when up top. I usually space the lids out and only fill every other slot since I rarely need all the slots. This works really well for me. It's a great use for this item. When I can the old-fashioned way I just use the magnet and drop the lids into the bottom of a boiling pan. I suppose I could buy another one of these things because I can't use the one I bent over very well and if I kept bending the handle back and forth it would end up breaking. If you are regular canner you still need to wash the lids unless you throw them away every time (wasteful) so think about using one of these in the dishwasher.