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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Recommend your pressure canner
... anyone? Bueller?
I'd love any personal pros/cons of weighted vs. dial gauge canners, preferred brand, preferred size, etc. I'm hoping to get one tall enough to also use it for water-bath canning in quarts, so if you have one that works (or doesn't), would love to hear about it.
TIA!
Re: Recommend your pressure canner
We have the All-American 15-1/2-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner, bought from Amazon. We wanted something small enough to be manageable, but large enough to do quart jars. We researched the he!! out of this purchase, and All-American was the clear winner in terms of reliability.
I don't think you can use a pressure canner as a water-bath canner. The pressure canner's lid screws on so you can build the pressure, I don't think it's safe to leave it on, but unscrewed, to use it as a water-bath canner. I would very much recommend buying a dedicated water-bath canner. We bought the Ball Water Bath Canning Kit. It comes with the canner itself, plus all the accessories you need.
I already water bath can in a large stock pot, but would love to be able to do more quarts in each batch in a larger pot. I was under the impression that the only requirement for water bath canning was making sure your jar lids are covered by at least an inch of rapidly boiling water... so I'd need a pot with at least 3-4 inches of space above a lidded quart jar. Don't have to cover the pot with a lid when you're water bath canning, so I'm not sure why I couldn't just use the pot wtihout the pressure lid.
I'm also thinking a combo dial/weight gauge might be the way to go. You're right about All-American... I'm still working up the courage to drop that kind of money on it, but I'm glad to hear you think it's a winner!
thanks!
Really? I use the Ball Blue Book which seems to be the most common how-to book for canning. For water-bath canning, it has specific instructions on when to put the lid on and take it off. For example, "after processing time is complete, turn off heat and let canner sit for 5 minutes with the lid on." I've never canned without a lid. How do you not get water and steam everywhere? You also have to keep the heat up at a higher temperature to keep water boiling without a lid, which wastes energy.
I have this . . .
http://www.amazon.com/All-American-921-All-American-Pressure/dp/B00004S88Z/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313955462&sr=8-1
And it is a beast! I have used it both as a pressure canner and regular water-bath canner (lid on, but not screwed down). I've used it to can 7 quart jars, and 19 pint jars, I love that it is a metal-metal seal so I don't have to worry about gaskets. It's pretty much breakable, I'm sure it will outlast me. It is pricey (although I got mine off craigslist), but I wouldn't get any other brand. All-American is the way to go.