Jar

For other uses, seeJar (disambiguation).

Ajaris a rigid, cylindrical or slightly conical container, typically made ofglass,ceramic,orplastic,with a wide mouth or opening that can be closed with alid,screw cap,lug cap,cork stopper,roll-on cap, crimp-on cap, press-on cap,plastic shrink,heat sealed lidding film, an inner seal, atamper-evident band,or other suitable means. The English word "jar" originates from theArabicwordjarra,which means an earthen pot or vessel.

A jar of yeast extract.

Candy jar, byChristian Dorflinger,1869–1880, glass, diameter: 12.1 cm,Cleveland Museum of Art(USA)

Hexagonal jar decorated with flowers and birds, late 17th century, porcelain with overglaze enamels, height: 31.1 cm, diameter: 19.1 cm,Metropolitan Museum of Art(New York City)

Background

Jars can be used to holdsolidstoo large to be removed from, orliquidstooviscousto be poured through abottle's neck; these may befoods,cosmetics,medications,orchemicals.Glass jars—among which the most popular is themason jar—can be used for storing and preserving items as diverse asjam,pickled gherkin,other pickles,marmalade,sun-dried tomatoes,olives,jalapeño peppers,chutneys,pickled eggs,honey,and many others.

Types

• Bell jar– typically used in scientific laboratories to produce avacuum;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 – aninstrument used in anatomyto 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 such as olives
• French square or Victorian jars – roughly a small cube
• Spice jars – small cylinder orrectangular 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,Pandora's Boxis often referred to as Pithos
• canopic jar

Utility

Jars aresterilisedby putting them in apressure cookerwith boilingwateror anovenfor a number of minutes. Glass jars are consideredmicrowavable.

Some regionshave a legally mandated deposit refundable upon return of the jar to its retailer, after which the jar is recycled according to the SPIrecycling codefor the material.

Gallery

• 
  Preserved food inMason jars
• 
  Reusable jam jar withflip-topor bail closure
• 
  Jar made of PLA-blend bio-flex, abioplastic
• 
  Candy jar
• 
  Peanut butter
• 
  Six types of "earthenware jar" in Spain
• 
  Brown-glazed jar with design of three fish.Yuan Dynasty.
• 
  PP jar of skin cream withpump dispenser

See also

• Canning
• Home canning
• Child-resistant packaging
• Hu (vessel)
• Jar opener
• Tamper-evident
• Tamper resistant
• The asterism Water Jar in the constellationAquarius

External links

• Media related toJarsat Wikimedia Commons
• "Jar".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 15 (11th ed.). 1911.