Jar — Mediated Wiki

{{Short description|Rigid, approximately cylindrical container with a wide mouth or opening}} {{Other uses}} {{use mdy dates|date=February 2020}} alt=Yeast extract in a jar.|thumb|A jar of yeast extract. [[File:Christian Dorflinger - Candy Jar - 1942.1090 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|thumb|Candy jar, by Christian Dorflinger, 1869–1880, glass, diameter: 12.1 cm, Cleveland Museum of Art (USA)]] [[File:色絵花鳥文八角大壺有田焼･柿右衛門様式-Hexagonal jar with Flower and Bird Decoration (one of a pair) MET DP281207.jpg|thumb|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)]]

A '''jar''' is a rigid, cylindrical, or slightly conical container, typically made of glass, ceramic, or plastic, with a wide mouth or opening that can be closed with a lid, screw cap, lug cap, cork stopper, roll-on cap, crimp-on cap, press-on cap, plastic shrink, heat-sealed lidding film, an inner seal, a tamper-evident band, or other suitable means. The English word "jar" originates from the Arabic word ''jarra'', which means an earthen pot or vessel.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Abu-Haidar |first=J. A. |title=Hispano-Arabic Literature and the Early Provencal Lyrics |date=November 24, 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1138976016 |page=228}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Glevin |first=James E. |title=The Modern Middle East: A History |year=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0190218867 |page=21}}</ref>

==Background== Jars can be used to hold solids too large to be removed from, or liquids too viscous to be poured through a bottle's neck; these may be foods, cosmetics, medications, or chemicals.<ref>Yam, K. L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-470-08704-6}}</ref> Glass jars—among which the most popular is the mason jar—can be used for storing and preserving items as diverse as jam, pickled gherkin, other pickles, marmalade, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, jalapeño peppers, chutneys, pickled eggs, honey, and many others.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

==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 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.

* 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 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, Pandora's Box is often referred to as Pithos * Canopic jar

==Utility== Jars are sterilised by putting them in a pressure cooker with boiling water or an oven for a number of minutes. Glass jars are considered microwavable.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ahvenainen |title=Factors affecting the suitability of glass jars for heating in microwave ovens. Comparison with plastic jars and paper board tubs |last2=Heiniö |first2=R.-L. |journal=Packaging Technology and Science |year=1993 |volume=6 |pages=43–52 |doi=10.1002/pts.2770060108 |issue=1}}</ref>

Some regions 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Soroka |first=W |title=Fundamentals of Packaging Technology |work=IoPP |year=2002 |isbn=1-930268-25-4}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{wiktionary}} * {{commons category-inline|Jars}} * {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Jar |volume=15 |short=x}}

Category:Storage vessels Category:Glass jars Category:Utility vessels Category:Crockery