Le Parfait jars are great for using when preserving, as their rubber seal and clip mechanism ensure a perfect airtight seal. They can often be picked up cheaply second hand and with a bit of cleaning and reconditioning come up as good as new.

Le Parfait are French jars which have been designed specifically for canning and making preserves. Their thick glass enables them to withstand boiling in a water bath during the canning process.
I also find them useful for when you want a presentable looking jar, rather than a reused jam jar, or if a good seal is essential, as during all the shaking while making sloe gin.

They come in a useful range of sizes, from the tiny 125gm terrine jar, through to a large 2 litre version, enough for a litre of gin and a decent quantity of sloes.

I recently picked up a 1 litre jar for £1.25 in a charity shop and the images below show how I gave it a new lease of life.

The clever bit about the hinge and clip mechanism is that it is removable, which makes for easy cleaning.

First pinch the hinge to remove the lid from the body...

... then slide off the small retaining ring ...

... leaving the clip mechanism free to be removed from the body.

The 3 separate bits can then be cleaned ...

... I find scrubbing them with a stiff brush usually does the job, although wire wool could be used if there are any stubborn patches.

The all important rubber seal can be slipped off the lid, I usually replace these with new ones, although they will withstand boiling if you wish to steralise them. The one in the picture below is the wrong sort anyway, so I'll replace it.

The glass lid and jar can now be run through the dishwasher, or cleaned in hot soapy water. The glass should be checked and not used for the for canning if there are any chips, as they can cause the jar to break under pressure.

Putting the jar back together is just a matter of reversing the process, slip a new seal over the lid and put the hinge back in its groove ...

... then replace the clip mechanism on the jar, making sure the clip is the correct way up.

After pinching the hinge to return the lid to the body the sparkling jar is ready for use.

Useful links

Replacement Le Parfait seals on amazon.
Le Parfait website with history and instructions.