I forgot to boil my jars and washed them in antibiotic soapy water. Is this okay?!
Answers: I was canning apple sauce with sugar and cinnomon and I only washed the jars in very hot soapy water. I rinsed them well in hot water and jared the sauce. Is this going to be okay???
Canning jars need not be sterilized if the canning time is 10 or more minutes (either boiling-water or pressure method), but they do need to be clean.
Here is the link to USDA's National Center For Home Food Preservation.
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/
yes.
I guess you'll find out.
Kidding.
Actually I would think they should be just fine.
Wash glass jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well. When you can most food by the boiling-water_bath method and all foods by the pressure-canner method, it is not necessary to sterilize jars before canning. The jars, as well as the food, are sterilized during processing.
You should sterilize jelly containers in boiling water for 10 minutes before using them. Then keep the containers hot -- either in a slow oven or in hot water -- until you use them. This will keep them from breaking when you fill them with hot jelly.
No if you are going to have them sitting on a shelf for a while. The reason for the sterilization is to ensure that the product will be safe to consume when opened. I can not say if they will be safe to eat or not. I always sterilize my jars for every thing that I am going to can.
Boiling is to sterilize the jars. If you just used hot water and dish detergent they probably will be OK, but not for as long.
Everything I could find states the jars and lids should be boiled.
i guess it depends on how hot the water is. if the water is steaming hot, then it should be hot enough to kill bacteria. a good gauge for hot water temperature would be beyond what the human body could tolerate. my lady makes preserves all the time. she usually uses boiling hot water from a kettle to clean her jars and cans. hope this helps.
If you do the water bath method of canning, you should be ok, as the boiling water SHOULD kill off any nasties living inside. However, in the future, if you plan to skip the boiling process, go to your local wine and beer making supply store, and purchase Sani-brite. It is used to sterilize wine making supplies, and effectively kills any nasties.
I guess you'll find out.