canning question

[heggs1]

Is a pressure cooker the same thing as a pressure canner? Any advice/ what not to do would be appreciated. TY, Heather

[beaglebiz]

you can use the cooker as a canner, however, you might be limited to just a few small jars. Instructions came with my presto pressure cooker (I also have a canner), and I use it for when I do just a few small jelly jars of something (like mushrooms)

[Jennifer L.]

It's mostly a size thing. For example, you could have a pressure cooker that's only four quarts in size, and I don't know if you could can anything in it it would be too small. Maybe three pint jars would fit. A pressure canner is bigger and takes 7 quarts on up to quite a big number. I've always had one that does the 7 quarts, and something of that size could be used to cook as well as can without too much trouble, if you were making a large batch of something.

Jennifer

[Michael Kawalek]

Originally Posted by heggs1

Is a pressure cooker the same thing as a pressure canner? Any advice/ what not to do would be appreciated. TY, Heather

The quick answer is NO! A cheap pressure cooker may operate at only 5 psi of pressure, which is NOT safe for typical pressure canning recipes. Canners are typically larger, so they can hold the bulky jars, but also operate at a pressure between 10 and 15 psi.

Now, if you have a pressure cooker that operates at least 10psi, and it holds the jar size you want, you may use it for canning. But you must follow explicitly the instructions that come with cooker, and adher to recipes designed for the pressure your cooker operates at.
Michael

[Bonnie L]

It would be better to get a canner. You can cook in a pressure canner, but you really shouldn't pressure can in a pressure cooker.

Presto canners are light-weight & would be easy to clean after pressure cooking, but you would be looking at large amounts.

I've seen a lot of pressure cookers for cheap at thrift shops.

[fin29]

A small pot (as in a pressure cooker) doesn't have enough mass to properly process foods based on current extension processing times, which are developed to include the heat up and cool down times as part of the processing time. They heat up too fast and cool off too quickly because they're small and hold less water. I probably wouldn't sweat it if I were processing high-acid foods, but you should never process low-acid foods in a pressure cooker unless your cooker can hold 4 quart jars or more, even if the cooker comes with instructions to do it with fewer.

[beaglebiz]

the presto pressure cooker has a 15 lb weight, and has instructions for canning. maybe the op needs to read the specs on the pressure cooker they are considering...apparently some are the same and some are different

[fin29]

I'll take the word of an agency tasked (for better or worse) with protecting public safety over a pot manufacturer who wants me to believe their product is worth more than it is. It's a matter of thermodynamics, and variations of pot construction, brand, or materials can't negate the laws of physics.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publication...recookers.html

[babysteps]

Two years ago I bought a presto (15 lbs) canner for $65, new. I already had many jars and had been canning fruit and tomatos in boiling water bath for several years, but I wanted to can my green beans. The thing was well worth the price. I read a lot before I purchaced. Go to the library and check out books on food preservation. Once you get the hang of it you'll love your canned food. You may already know any tomatoe product, jam, fruits and anything pickled can be done in boiling water bath, but if not read up on that too.

Good books:
Putting food by
Preserving the harvest
From apples to zucchini 150 recipes for preserving the harvest by Andrea Chesman.


+++++++++++
After reading and about 14 quarts of green beans I really understand and love my canner, however, many folks know I had to leave 55 quarts of food behind when I moved from IN to WY . Pro moving companies will not move food in glass jars in the winter.