A jar is a rigid, cylindrical or slightly conical container, typically made of

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

, or

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

, with a wide mouth or opening that can be closed with a

lid A lid, also known as a cover, is part of a container, and serves as the closure or seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as tubs as well as larger lids for open-head pails and drums. S ...

screw cap A screw cap or closure is a common type of closure for bottles, jars, and tubes. Usage A screw closure is a mechanical device which is screwed on and off of a "finish" on a container. Either continuous threads or lugs are used. It must be engi ...

, lug cap,

cork stopper A stopper or cork is a cylindrical or conical closure used to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube or barrel. Unlike a lid or bottle cap, which encloses a container from the outside without displacing the inner volume, a bung is partially ...

, roll-on cap, crimp-on cap, press-on cap, plastic shrink, heat sealed lidding film, an inner seal, a

tamper-evident band A tamper-evident band or security ring serves as a tamper resistant or tamper evident function to a screw cap, lid, or closure. The term ''tamper-proof'' is sometimes used but is considered a misnomer given that pilfering is still technica ...

, or other suitable means.

Etymology

The English word "jar" originates from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

word ''jarra'', which means an earthen pot or vessel.

Creation

Jars are sterilised by putting them in a

pressure cooker Pressure cooking is the process of cooking food under high pressure steam and water or a water-based cooking liquid, in a sealed vessel known as a ''pressure cooker''. High pressure limits boiling, and creates higher cooking temperatures which ...

with boiling

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

or an oven for a number of minutes. Glass jars are considered microwavable.

Utility

Jars can be used to hold

solid Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structural ...

s too large to be removed from, or liquids too

viscous The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water. Viscosity quantifies the inte ...

to be poured through a

bottle A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal stop ...

's neck; these may be foods, cosmetics, medications, or Chemical substance, chemicals. Glass jars—among which the most popular is the mason jar—can be used for storing and preserving items as diverse as Fruit preserves, jam, Pickled cucumber, pickled gherkin, other pickles, marmalade, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, Jalapeño, jalapeño peppers, chutneys, pickled eggs, honey, and many others.

Types

* Bell jar - typically used in scientific laboratories to produce a vacuum; also used in Victorian times for display purposes * Cookie jar - typically ceramic or glass, common in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom * Killing jar - used to kill captured insects * Leyden jar - a historical electrical capacitor * Specimen jar - an Instruments used in anatomy, instrument used in anatomy to preserve specimens * Apothecary jar - historically for storage of medicines; made of ceramics or more typically in modern centuries, clear glass. Typically cylindrical or with rotationally symmetric decorative curves, sometimes with a glass disc foot separated from the main body. Modern glass versions are also used for artistic display of the contents. Modern glass food storage jars come in a variety of shapes, all of which have a circular opening on top for screwing on a lid: * Economy round or wide mouth jars - tall but rotund cylinder slightly rounded at the top and bottom, relatively wide with a wide mouth, commonly used for sauces like a mayonnaise * Paragon jars - tall and narrow cylinder, commonly used for pickled foods like olives * French square or Victorian jars - roughly a small cube * Spice jars - small cylinder or rectangular cuboid * Hexagon or hex jars - regular hexagonal prism * Mason jars - moderately tall cylinder typically used in home canning, sealed with a metal lid * Kilner jar - similar to a Mason jar but sealed with rubber * Straight-sided jars - cylinders with no neck. Squat straight-sided jars are suitable for creams which can be scooped out. Ancient ceramic types include: * Amphora - large, but typically holding under 50 L * Pithos - very large, typically the size of a person and holding hundreds of liters

Gallery

File:PreservedFood1.jpg, Preserved food in Mason jars File:Jam jar.jpg, Reusable jam jar with flip-top or bail closure File:Jar made of PLA-Blend Bio-Flex.jpg, Jar made of PLA-blend bio-flex, a bioplastic File:CandyJaracp.png, Candy jar File:HK Central Kai Bo Foods Buddy's 花生醬 Peanut creamy Butter Skippy April-2012.JPG, Peanut butter File:Orzas in Spain.jpg, Six types of "earthenware jar" in Spain File:Brown-glazed Jar with Design of Three Fish. Yuan Dynasty. Excavated from Hancheng City.jpg, Brown-glazed jar with design of three fish. Yuan Dynasty. File:Jar with pump dispenser.jpg, PP jar of skin cream with pump dispenser

Recycling

Some regions^{[In what country?]} have a legally mandated deposit refundable upon return of the jar to its retailer, after which the jar is recycled according to the SPI recycling code for the material.Soroka, W, "Fundamentals of Packaging Technology", IoPP, 2002,

References

External links

* * {{packaging Storage vessels Glass jars ja:瓶