Mason jars make cute containers
Mason jars, according to a recent article in The New York Times, were invented in 1858 by one John Landis Mason of New Jersey, who gave away his patent and died a pauper. In the meantime, his invention revolutionized the world of food preservation, giving home cooks — previously muddling through with opaque jars and unsafe seals of cork and wax — the ability to can food safely.
Ever since, the appeal of the Mason jar has been strong, and today it reaches far beyond jam or jelly. In our house, we use the “minis” (½ cup) for holding spices, earring backs and tiny screws and as ramekins for making custards. We use the 8-ounce jars as milk and water glasses, and the 16-ouncers for serving iced tea, gin and tonic and Campari and soda. At Christmas, I like to layer dry cookie, gingerbread or soup mixes in the pint jars as gifts. But I had never really thought of a Mason jar as a salad bowl until a new cookbook came along.
“Gourmet Weekday” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012) offers a delicious Greek salad served in a 2-cup Mason jar. The recipe is tasty and the presentation absolutely charming, plus practical as can be. If you've ever tried transporting a salad to a picnic, you'll know what I mean.
Dani Cone, author of “Cutie Pies” (Andrews McMeel, 2011), knows the lure of the Mason jar. She sells what she calls “piejars” — small pies in mini jars — at her High 5 Pie bakery in Seattle. She says they are among the most popular of her treats and “take the cake” when it comes to a “unique-innovative-novelty-cuteness item.”
That about sums up the appeal of the Mason jar — which, by the way, can also be used for jelly.