Canning

[Chuck]

When I need to water bath can something, I just use my pressure canner by taking out the gasket. No need to buy a water bath canner and a pressure canner.

 

[Durgan]

A water bath canner is simply a pot of boiling water. Any suitable size pot will do.

A pressure canner is a relatively precision device. With a bit of care it will last for ages including the gasket. Presto is the best on the market IMO. Pressure canning is not too common due to wrong hype. In UK pressure canning is unknown for example.

Do I miss something?

 

[Chuck]

A water bath canner is simply a pot of boiling water. Any suitable size pot will do.

A pressure canner is a relatively precision device. With a bit of care it will last for ages including the gasket. Presto is the best on the market IMO. Pressure canning is not too common due to wrong hype. In UK pressure canning is unknown for example.

Do I miss something?

Any suitable sized pot will do as long as there is something like a rack or tray to place the jars on that will fit into the pot. Direct heat will crack the jars. I agree about the Presto being the best on the market although the Miror comes in a close second. It is the best ECONOMY priced canner on the market. The absolute best, although not as easy to use is the All American and you pay the price for it too. At least twice as much.

 

[Durgan]

The All American is absolute over designed. There is no need for such locking devices. IMO.

 

[skinyea]

thanks all I just put in pressure canner not pressure cooker. big difference appreciate the difference

 

[vette-kid]

What you have ordered is neither

 

[Durgan]

Pressure Canning (My Method)
Posted on August 26, 2015 by Durgan
My Method of Pressure canning.
Only plant material is pressure canned.The produce to be canned for long term storage at room temperature is:
Washed,cut into smaller pieces, added to a large cooking pot, covered with water to make a drinkable texture. Cooked until soft, about 20 minutes. When soft, blended into a homogeneous slurry with a hand blender.The slurry is then strained through a food mill or screen usually about 2mm mesh.The residue from the food mill or screen is usually put through a Champion Juicer to recover the maximum nutrients. This product usually a small amount makes a fine soup base or can be mixed with the food mill juice.

The juice obtained is them placed in liter jars,which are placed in the pressure canner. The pressure canner, a Presto, handles 7 one liter jars per batch.The canner is set for about 50 minutes, without the rocking weight in place until steam pours vigorously out the vent. This usually takes about 30 minutes or more.Then the weight is installed and when it starts to rock indicating 15 PSI, the 15 minute timing commences.At the end of the timing interval, heat is turned off and the pressure cooker is allowed to cool naturally.Lids are checked for seal and any not sealed are re-pressure canned with a new lid, or the jar of produce is used within a few days.I reuse the lids if not damaged and the failure rate is similar to using new lids each time, very minimal.

Water in the pressure canner is 3 liters. The gasket surface is lightly oiled by running the finger over the surface with kitchen vegetable oil. This extends the life of the gasket to years before replacement is required.The lid of the pressure canner should never be used like the lid on a normal pot. Such will overheat the gasket and dry it out, and will necessitate early replacement.

The chosen, 15 PSI and 15 minutes, is justified as being an overkill method and the product is not considered, since it is of the same overall homogeneous texture in every case due to being blended into a slurry.

I have processed over 2000 liter jars of virtually most food produce and ingested all with no spoilage or ill effects. Use the method at you discretion.

With pressure canning the jars only need be washed to remove dried material. They do not have to be boiled in water, since the high pressure temperature effectively sterilizes.

 

[skinyea]

That device you bought is a fancy water bath not pressure. The only pressure canner that I have years of experience with the PRESTO 23 quart canner. It is polished aluminium. Used correctly even the gasket lasts a long time.

Pressure cooker or pressure canner are the same except for size. I use the device as a cooker seldom but do use it for some things. For pressure canner you need a pot that goes to 15 PSI meaning it is sealed with a gasket. It need not be fancy. PRESTO is perfect IMO

http://durgan.org/2016/July%202016/8%20July%202016%20Vegetable%20Juice/HTML/dsc_01258%20july%202016%20vegetable%20juice_std.jpg

 

[skinyea]

Presto 01370 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker would this work

 

[Durgan]

https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/PRESTO-01781-23-Quart-Pressure-Canner/dp/B0000BYCFU This is the only one I would buy,

The one you list it doesn't give dimensions. I also dislike the release mechanism. I have no idea what they are trying to pull.

A cooker may not be high enough to take jars. Meaning cooker versus canner. They are identical except for size.

 

[Chuck]

Presto 01370 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker would this work

No, it wont. Here are the two that I have. The Mirro 92122A and the Presto 01781. They are a little bit different but the one I prefer to use is the Mirro because it slightly easier to set and maintain pressure but I think the Presto is the better product, but that is just my opinion. The Presto will process a couple of more pint Mason jars, 20, but the quart jars remain the same at 7. You can use these two canners for water bath canning also. At this time it appears that everyone is starting to can food so any type of canner will probably be hard to find, but spending the extra money for a larger canner, IMO, is the only thing to do. You can do anything with a small canner as you can with a large one but the time involved in cooking multiple batches of food is GREATLY reduced when using a large canner. You have not only cooking time but you also have a cooling time, a time that is used to cool and lower pressure so as to remove the lid.

 

[skinyea]

https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/PRESTO-01781-23-Quart-Pressure-Canner/dp/B0000BYCFU just ordered this.

I very much appreciate everyones help.

 

[Durgan]

I do seven liter jars at one time continuously until a batch of whatever is to be processed is finished. I consider the whole process to be rather simple and not messy. I do the cooking out doors and use pails for moving the material. I strain indoors with the food processor device and mechanical strainer for the residue. Before the season is finished there is about 400 liters, which I drink normally one or two daily. I never do water bath.

I live in the bit of Ontario that is in the Great Lakes area and can grow or purchase almost every plant grown in season. My 3000 square food garden produces far more than I can utilize. It is even hard to give away. Competition is severe pizza and big macs, and pressed chicken,

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

You can can just about anything without a pressure canner - it just takes longer. There were no pressure cookers years ago! Get a copy of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. I'm sure Kerr and Mason also do one.

 

[Durgan]

I consider the suppliers of jars guide to be a very inhibitor on canning. The practice is not so common due to their distributed advice. A pressure canner used properly makes a variety of safe food with little effort, far better than what is produced commercially.

Water bath canning has to be done carefully to some degree to prevent contamination. Many foods done water bath are not particularly desirable meaning they are unappitizing or over spiced with salt, vinegar and sugar.