Pressure Canner

[ziggy]

Hoping one of you experienced hands has some advice on purchasing and using a pressure canner. I’ve been researching online and have found some interesting facts, but having never used one there is lots of info I haven’t found. Just found out electric ones are not FDA approved and canners require at least 16 quart capacity to work. But what is it I should look for, they seem to have a wide price range and seem to all be basically the same. Also interested in how difficult keeping the minimum pressure for canning salmon is. I see they recommend if it drops below say 10psi you have to start all over with the timing is it difficult to get the heat right to hold the pressure for 90 minutes to complete the process? Any recommendation on brands?

 

[Rain City]

Order a bigger one off amazon. And then also order the wobbler pressure weight thing. No brainer after that

 

[Bent-Tip]

All American 925 25 Quart Pressure Canner Free Shipping| AllAmericanCanner.com

All American Pressure Canner 925 25 Quart. Exclusive, precision machined metal to metal sealing system.

www.allamericancanner.com

I've got this one. It's an older model but it was easy to swap out the flip top pressure valve that it came with and put the wobble weight on it.
Two parts. The weight and the bung. Or any new one would come with a wobble weight already. No extra bung required.

 

[jim morrow]

I've had the All-american model 925 for about 35 years now. It has a large capacity. It does 2 layers of pint jars, 18 total, or 7 quart jars, or 36 cans of salmon. Nice for a salmon in the mid teens, as you only get 8 oz. per can. Nice for big batches of Tomatoes, pickles, etc. It is listed as 25 quart capacity.
I have always used the petcock valve.
When it heats up, you have the element on max. Then when it gets to 10 psi, turn it down slowly, a bit at a time, to regulate it. It will overshoot, up a few pounds, then come down, go up again some, then level off. You use the element and or the petcock to regulate it. Vigilance is your friend. Do not leave the kitchen very far or for long! The element will be low by the time you are finished.
When using jars, you have to wait until the pressure collapses to zero before opening the petcock or lid. cans can have the pressure drained after the 90 min cook time.
safer than the hot water bath which takes 3 hours for salmon.
I don't know what FDA has to do with them.

 

[ziggy]

I've had the All-american model 925 for about 35 years now. It has a large capacity. It does 2 layers of pint jars, 18 total, or 7 quart jars, or 36 cans of salmon. Nice for a salmon in the mid teens, as you only get 8 oz. per can. Nice for big batches of Tomatoes, pickles, etc. It is listed as 25 quart capacity.
I have always used the petcock valve.
When it heats up, you have the element on max. Then when it gets to 10 psi, turn it down slowly, a bit at a time, to regulate it. It will overshoot, up a few pounds, then come down, go up again some, then level off. You use the element and or the petcock to regulate it. Vigilance is your friend. Do not leave the kitchen very far or for long! The element will be low by the time you are finished.
When using jars, you have to wait until the pressure collapses to zero before opening the petcock or lid. cans can have the pressure drained after the 90 min cook time.
safer than the hot water bath which takes 3 hours for salmon.
I don't know what FDA has to do with them.

I could be wrong but I believe both the FDA and USDA approve canning products. Not sure if there is a specific breakdown. What surprised me is that Electric Canners had not as far as I can find out passed testing. Seemed a little odd.

 

[Daveroo]

I just started canning a couple of weeks ago. I did some research. The All American canners are definitely the top of the line ones to get. However, I wasn't sure if I was going to commit to this so I didn't spring for the expensive All Americans. Instead I got the Presto 23 quart one. I looked online and Amazon, but found a local source just as cheap if not cheaper. Here's a link to it:

Presto 23Quart / 21Litre Pressure Canner (induction compatible)

Presto 23Quart / 21Litre Pressure Canner/Cooker (induction compatible)

wellscan.ca

 

[Fishalot]

I have an old Presto for sale if you are looking for one. My canning days are over.

 

[Foxsea]

Canners often show up in the online classifieds for $50 - $100. I have both a Presto and a All American. I prefer the AA - no rubber seal. It does 25 - 1/2 pints in a batch. As for regulating the heat, it's pretty easy with the weights. For salmon, 10 psi for 1 hour and 40 minutes. I put a quarter teaspoon salt and a half teaspoon vinegar (breaks down bones) in each jar. The cooking is the quick part. Sterilize everything. Keep the jar rims clean. Do not overfill the jars. Use the metal trays to keep the jars separated. After cooking, allow lots of cooling time. You need tongs - the jars are still very hot. Check the seals and wash the jars before storing. Do it right and your salmon is safe and tasty for 3 years or more.

 

[ziggy]

I have an old Presto for sale if you are looking for one. My canning days are over.

What model? Location?

 

[fish brain]

Canners often show up in the online classifieds for $50 - $100. I have both a Presto and a All American. I prefer the AA - no rubber seal. It does 25 - 1/2 pints in a batch. As for regulating the heat, it's pretty easy with the weights. For salmon, 10 psi for 1 hour and 40 minutes. I put a quarter teaspoon salt and a half teaspoon vinegar (breaks down bones) in each jar. The cooking is the quick part. Sterilize everything. Keep the jar rims clean. Do not overfill the jars. Use the metal trays to keep the jars separated. After cooking, allow lots of cooling time. You need tongs - the jars are still very hot. Check the seals and wash the jars before storing. Do it right and your salmon is safe and tasty for 3 years or more.

What happens if the jars touch?

 

[wildmanyeah]

Some old lady on YouTube said that the FDA team that tested canners and did testing was basically defunded 6 years ago and that’s why these electric canners are not approved.

 

[Foxsea]

What happens if the jars touch?

In short, nothing. I've canned fish for decades and the biggest concern is to sanitize everything. The hardest part is waiting...and waiting.

 

[Rain City]

In short, nothing. I've canned fish for decades and the biggest concern is to sanitize everything. The hardest part is waiting...and waiting.

I've read the opposite. When pressure canning it kills all the bacteria so sanitzing isn't necessary. I still try and keep it all as clean as possible of course.

 

[Bent-Tip]

I've read the opposite. When pressure canning it kills all the bacteria so sanitzing isn't necessary. I still try and keep it all as clean as possible of course.

I've heard that too but for my experience keeping everything clean especially in and around where the lids seal is paramount.

 

[Wondermur]

I grew up in New Zealand where nobody knew they could die if they didn’t have 10psi when canning salmon, and consequently nobody did die… in usa everybody is super scared of dieing of botulism or similar as there are a dozen or two deaths a year? Cause someone didn’t preserve there alligator or squirrel they found on the side of the road at 10psi. (All while not getting vaccinated and packing a .45 on their hip in case someone they don’t know visits their house)

In nz we just bottled in a water bath for 4 hours with more vinegar than is used here. (Salmon and trout).
I have been wanting to get a used All American pressure canner for years but haven’t been quick enough to grab a used one off cl. So I just water bathed salmon here for years and ate the salmon that is 5 years old and lived each and every time which must have been good luck?
Last few years I have used a regular pressure cooker that probably runs at 6-7psi and an InstaPot that I don’t know what pressure it runs at. I can do about 9 500ml wide mouth bottles at a time. I just run them at pressure for 2 hours and hope the extra 30 mins and a table spoon of vinegar will save my sorry butt. For added excitement I sometimes wait for the lids to go a bit rusty before I eat the salmon.
This year in July to one-up myself in breaking health rules I took some whole sockeye I found in the bottom of the freezer from 2018 and trimmed off the edges and took the mushy balance and bottled it as described above.
Someone please sell me their All American canner before I die a horrible death from my poor canning behaviour?!

On a positive note I now have nothing older than 4 months in my salmon freezer
The rest of it I turned into salmon candy including a professionally vacuum sealed half chinook that can only have come from ShearwaTer in 2017. Turned out awesome but that is for another post.

(…but don’t do as I do. Side note: I also look upon expiry dates of food and medication as hopeful suggestions from the company that wants me to chuck it out and buy the fresh stuff)
I like to think of this behaviour as living life on the edge but my family thinks it is mostly my stupidity…

 

[Foxsea]

I've read the opposite. When pressure canning it kills all the bacteria so sanitzing isn't necessary. I still try and keep it all as clean as possible of course.

Sanitizing is not sterilizing. Pressure canning does kill all bacteria and spores. As Bent-tip notes, the jar rims must be scrupulously clean or seals will fail. I wash everything in the dishwasher first, then avoid contaminating the jars when packing them. The rims get wiped with clean paper towel before the lids go on.

 

[Foxsea]

I grew up in New Zealand where nobody knew they could die if they didn’t have 10psi when canning salmon, and consequently nobody did die… in usa everybody is super scared of dieing of botulism or similar as there are a dozen or two deaths a year? Cause someone didn’t preserve there alligator or squirrel they found on the side of the road at 10psi. (All while not getting vaccinated and packing a .45 on their hip in case someone they don’t know visits their house)

In nz we just bottled in a water bath for 4 hours with more vinegar than is used here. (Salmon and trout).
I have been wanting to get a used All American pressure canner for years but haven’t been quick enough to grab a used one off cl. So I just water bathed salmon here for years and ate the salmon that is 5 years old and lived each and every time which must have been good luck?
Last few years I have used a regular pressure cooker that probably runs at 6-7psi and an InstaPot that I don’t know what pressure it runs at. I can do about 9 500ml wide mouth bottles at a time. I just run them at pressure for 2 hours and hope the extra 30 mins and a table spoon of vinegar will save my sorry butt. For added excitement I sometimes wait for the lids to go a bit rusty before I eat the salmon.
This year in July to one-up myself in breaking health rules I took some whole sockeye I found in the bottom of the freezer from 2018 and trimmed off the edges and took the mushy balance and bottled it as described above.
Someone please sell me their All American canner before I die a horrible death from my poor canning behaviour?!

On a positive note I now have nothing older than 4 months in my salmon freezer
The rest of it I turned into salmon candy including a professionally vacuum sealed half chinook that can only have come from ShearwaTer in 2017. Turned out awesome but that is for another post.

(…but don’t do as I do. Side note: I also look upon expiry dates of food and medication as hopeful suggestions from the company that wants me to chuck it out and buy the fresh stuff)
I like to think of this behaviour as living life on the edge but my family thinks it is mostly my stupidity…

Water bath canning is not suitable for meat. This is what it comes down to for me and my family: you can’t see, smell or taste botulism. It is not a risk worth taking to save a few bucks on a pressure canner. I have eaten 5 year old, pressure canned salmon but the flavor is nasty by then. 2 or 3 years is fine.

 

[Wondermur]

Sanitizing is not sterilizing. Pressure canning does kill all bacteria and spores. As Bent-tip notes, the jar rims must be scrupulously clean or seals will fail. I wash everything in the dishwasher first, then avoid contaminating the jars when packing them. The rims get wiped with clean paper towel before the lids go on.

Even I do this and I clearly suck at canning…

 

[Wondermur]

Water bath canning is not suitable for meat. This is what it comes down to for me and my family: you can’t see, smell or taste botulism. It is not a risk worth taking to save a few bucks on a pressure canner. I have eaten 5 year old, pressure canned salmon but the flavor is nasty by then. 2 or 3 years is fine.

Hmmm. I can’t notice the difference in taste after 5 years, could that be the tablespoon of vinegar?

 

[Foxsea]

Hmmm. I can’t notice the difference in taste after 5 years, could that be the tablespoon of vinegar?

That's because dysgeusia—the medical condition where you can't taste, or you can't taste properly—is a key symptom of COVID-19 infection. But COVID-19 isn't the only medical condition that might cause your sense of taste to disappear.