Dealing with stuck canning rings

Got a stuck canning ring that won’t come off after canning so you can check your seal?

Sometimes sugars or other solids from food can seem to cement a canning ring on.

Don’t fight with it. Soak it.

Stand the jar upside down in some warm water, and in a few minutes the canning ring will loosen so that it can be removed with normal, gentle force.

With the ring off, check your seal by gently lifting the jar by its lid.

If you got a seal, wash your jar, then let it dry, label and date it, and store that jar away without its canning ring on.

All canning rings should be washed before storing them away, but ones that were stuck on seem to always require an extra good wash.