I need to sanitize some mason jars.
My questions is, can I wash and sanitize them in a dishwasher (my washer has a sanitize function)?
Certainly the glass parts can. My concern is for the lids and their rubber seals. Will the dishwasher wreck them?
I imagine the sanitize part might be ok (just hot water really). But what about detergent?
They should be fine in a dishwasher, whether you use detergent or not.
If you are canning/preserving, then i would not depend on the dishwasher. You want to sterilize, Higher heat. Maybe you can clean after the dishwasher with some chemical? Check that out. But a dishwasher does not sterilize.
Are you sure? I have a pretty modern dishwasher which has a sterilize function. I do not think it relies on hot water but, rather, turns on a heater at the end of the wash which gets things a fair bit hotter than hot tap water.
I could be wrong and I get it pays to be sure when this is important. Still, seems weird to make that button if it doesn’t deliver on its promise.
There are certainly pathogens and spores that can survive. Near boiling point and for an extended time is needed to kill everything. The trouble with preserving is that spores have the chance to reproduce over an extended time. It isn’t like food which is going to be eaten within a few days. You might be giving something months to get going in the nutrients. And doing so in an anaerobic environment. So the spectre of botulism is always in people’s minds.
The dishwasher will get things clean, but it won’t render the jars ready for use.
Rubber seals will however be toast. Plastic seals will likely survive, but rubber is not usually happy with either extended heat or chemical attack. Generally seals are one time use anyway. So get new ones.
So…out of the box assume the lids are clean and ready for use?
Not sure. Whatever the instructions say. Depends in part on what sort of preserving process you are using. The link I gave above seems a bit mute on the subject.
That may be a fact. But probably not common to all dishwashers.
A person would have to specifically investigate if Sanitize = Sterilize in their washer.
That’s what I was thinking, Whirlpool’s sanitize says it meets NSF/ANSI 184 standards . . . which is a MAX temp during rinse of 150 (for residential). Compared to normal canning instructions with around 10 minutes at a boil…
A sanitize feature appears to be great at killing bacteria in your dishwasher, a not unimportant feature, but at least in this case sanitize is most definitely NOT EQUAL to sterilize.
Botulism spores are killed with 250 degrees F. That is what you need to ensure no Botulism spores survive in your preserves. So you would want to kill all spores before canning. As the lack of O2 in the jar will allow Botulinum toxins to create. But destroying the toxins from Botulinum happens at 185 F. So infected food could be safe after heating sufficiently.
If you’re canning, and if you’re using a pressure canner, I’m pretty sure this all becomes moot as it will reach the necessary temperatures during the process, no prep needed. Is that an option?
If so, then boiling will never be sufficient.
For my immediate concern…no.
For what prompted the question my concern is much more short term (product consumed within a week or two). I just want to be careful.
What are you planning to can? And how are you planning to can it?
The lids are not of real concern in preventing botulism. That will only come into play if you practice unsafe canning practices, such as water-bathing a low acid food or a dense food.
The reason to heat the lids in water before using them is to soften the rubber ring so as to achieve a good seal during either water bath or pressure canning. It’s not to sterilize them.
Whichever method you’re planning to use will sterilize the jars and their contents, along with the lids.
Not canning. Putting into little mason jars.
The video below is what I am making (go to 11:50 in the video if it doesn’t start there):
Sorry, videos are right out with my extremely limited bandwidth and internet speeds.
I would simply boil the lids gently before using. That should be sufficient. You’re not canning the meat mixture, so I assume it will be refrigerated and recommended for use in a short amount of time. Is that right?
Yeah…there is no intent at long term storage. Hopefully consumed in a week or two (refrigerated).
But, it is pork and you never know whether people will be careful so I’d like to do the best I can on my side (within reason…I can’t make any promises).
Botulism develops over a long period of time in an anaerobic, non-acid environment. For gift-giving, were I you, I’d attach a little note to the jar that states the limits of storage and consumption.
It looks delicious. I’m sure most will eat it within a week and you’ll have nothing to worry about. 
And this is why most home-canned foods need to be processed under pressure.
I’ve seen that confirmed by several apparently reliable online sources. Further cooking will destroy the bacteria and the toxins, so the danger of botulism lies in tainted preserves or anything else eaten “as is.”
Also, it’s important to know that the tainted food won’t always smell or taste bad (from the Mayo Clinic website):
…taste and smell won’t always give away the presence of C. botulinum. Some strains don’t make food smell bad or taste unusual.
The same website suggests boiling in a pressure cooker to reach 250 degrees F.
