I Just Discovered a Brilliant Trick for Making a Mason Jar 100x More Useful
If you’re anything like me, you love the practical magic that the humble Mason jar provides. Whether I’m buying sets of them at Costco, snatching up Ball keepsake jars, or using them to make sauerkraut, it’s easy to see the versatility and style of these 165-year-old little jars.
In addition to canning and storing food, I love to drink from Mason jars, too, whether it’s iced coffee, smoothies, or even chilled sweet tea. It seems that brands have caught wind of this in the last few years and now sell lids that are perfectly sized for Mason jars, making them more convenient to drink or pour from. But I just discovered this simple trick that saves you money and hassle.
How to Turn Any Mason Jar into a Tumbler (Without Buying a Lid)
It’s pretty easy to score a drinkable Mason jar lid, but if you have a penchant for kitchen hacks, you might just love this idea content creators Jeff and Lauren recently shared in a viral Instagram reel.
It’s an idea that’s been around for a bit (thanks to Reddit!), but this video breathed new life into it. “Nobody told me!” the caption reads, as the plastic lid is removed from a container of grated Parmesan cheese, dunked into a bowl of water for cleaning, and dried with a cloth. The lid is then put directly onto the Mason jar, showing the half of the top with the three holes is perfect for holding a straw, transforming the beloved jar into an adorable tumbler.
While I can’t speak to how well the lid will keep your drink secure or insulated, and, of course, it’ll vary from brand to brand, I do think this trick is brilliant. The Parmesan lid — which you might clean a little more thoroughly, as pointed out in the comments — essentially acts like a Stanley tumbler lid, giving you options to drink from the wide-mouth side, or the smaller slot that’s ideal for a straw.
This is a great trick for when you finish your next bottle of Parmesan, finding a clever second act for the lid you’d otherwise recycle. This upcycling hack is technically free if you already have a container like this, instead of having to buy a new set of lids for your Mason jar collection. Sounds like a win-win-win to me!