Pressure Canner Question

[sapper77]

I really want to get into pressure canning this year. I have a lot of store bought canned foods and #10 freeze dried cans, but want to start turning my garden into food stores. Who makes the best (most reliable) presure canners? I don't want to skimp when it comes to food safety.

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[nextgenar]

I've used presto canners for years without any trouble canned everything fruits and vegetables to tuna, deer meat and soups, without any issues, the presto canners do use a rubber gasket in the lid so it will need to be replaced every few years. So if your looking for a canner for more of the survival type issues you should look at the "All American" canners, they don't use gaskets just a tight metal to metal fit with strong screws to hold them shut. Both types can be found on Amazon for fairly reasonable prices.

 

[Tangent123123]

I did some research before I purchased our pressure canner and for the longest lasting they suggest the metal on metal seal. You will have to Vaseline them up the first couple times to keep the seal from sticking but no big deal.

I bought my wife one of the "All American" canners as well and it's a top quality product that will cost you a little more but is well worth every penny.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Years of using Prestos. It's good to have an extra rubber seal on hand!

 

[lowly monk]

I agree with all of the advice. I also would like to offer Sharons site. Only one thing she suggests using no broth with meat. I found it helps.
Home Canning and Preserving, Meat, Vegetables, Fruits, Jam or Jelly.

 

[jluck]

If you want the best go with he All American!

 

[simpleguy]

All American's are nice, personally I've got 50-60 year old Prestos that are pretty darned stout and the rubber seals you buy for them are the same as the rubber seals you buy today.

So here's my advice:
Option #1: Most expensive, buy the All American, now you have a family heirloom to pass on. However, you will need to either WAX(melted parafin wax) or vaseline the metal/metal contact surface so it doesn’t stick together as someone above has mentioned.

Option #2: Less expensive, buy used(garage sale, ebay, craigslist, etc.) buy and old pressure canner(newer ones are no where near as thick/stout). First thing I would do after cleaning it is buy a new rubber gasket, you can find these online darned near anywhere (buy a couple of these, they’re cheap/easy insurance).

Regardless of what you buy, make sure you have spare gauges.......every year around canning season you hear about how your canners need to be tested. Local county extension offices have canner testing clinics every year. What they are testing for is the accuracy of the pressure gauge to make sure it's still in 'spec.' meaning it reads the number of pounds of pressure it's supposed to. Everyone has a story of a friend of a friend’s, mother’s uncle, who canned up some venison and got botulism poisoning…..no on needs that….. Gauges are $10-20bucks each. Buy 2 (2 is 1 and 1 is none, 3 is where you need to be.) Even if you can’t get to the county extension office to get your gauge checked out you can change it yourself with a wrench and a little teflon plumbing tape. When in doubt, change it out.

 

[GOG]

Thanks for the tips simpleguy.

 

[Sodbuster]

All American canners. The parent company also makes the hand crank and electric powered canners for #10 cans. The All American comes in multiple sizes so you are able to can as much or as little as you want or your budget can handle. LOTS of YouTube videos with All American pressure canners. Their instructions and manual that comes with the canner is simple to use as well. I have the 921 and plan on upsizing sometime in the next year or so and have 2 canners I can run at the same time.

Sodbuster

 

[simpleguy]

All American canners. The parent company also makes the hand crank and electric powered canners for #10 cans. The All American comes in multiple sizes so you are able to can as much or as little as you want or your budget can handle. LOTS of YouTube videos with All American pressure canners. Their instructions and manual that comes with the canner is simple to use as well. I have the 921 and plan on upsizing sometime in the next year or so and have 2 canners I can run at the same time.

Sodbuster

Good info on the #10 cans, thank you!

When you get to canning with 2 canners I suggest getting one of these........ <broken link removed>
These go on sale for around $100 at Fisherman's Marine a couple times a year. I've cut the legs down so the whole thing is 8-12" or so off the ground. It allows us to can outside. We set up our stove/canners just outside the sliding glass doors where we can monitor them. Canning outside is really nice in the heat of summer when you don't want to heat your home further and even better when canning stinky stuff like tuna, all the smell stays outside.

 

[Rick4070]

I have read that glass topped or ceramic topped stoves shouldn't be used to can using the common granite ware boiling water bath canners,the ones with concentric "rings" formed in the bottom. Only flat bottomed canners should be used, and the pot shouldn't be more than 1" larger in diameter than the burner.
Lots of info online about this.
I tried using our new glass topped stove to boiling water bath can some stuff, and the water took a very long time to heat to boiling, those burners have sensors that turn the burner on and off, unlike the coil type burners.
And then I read about the problems...
So, now, I use a propane burner similar to what has been mentioned.

 

[Dirty Harriet]

I love my All American! I liked the fact that it doesn't have a rubber seal; nothing I will have to replace. I use olive oil as a lubricant on the lid. I can chicken, tuna, chili, soup, tomato sauce, etc. I have seen the warnings about pressure canning on a glass top stove, but I have never had a problem or ever heard of anyone else having a problem.

 

[Rick4070]

I have had the same problem with slow heating of a boiling water canner both with a brand new, less than a year old Jenn-Air glass topped range, and an even newer Samsung glass topped range.
Both took over an hour to heat the water to boiling...