Best pressure cooker (or new device) for canning in volume

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BBLife

BBLife

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Wife has been looking so I think a Christmas present is in order. She has been thinking electric in that they should be easier to set a constant temperature and more "automated" but the thought of a power outage for an extended period making it rather worthless. I'm thinking maybe getting her one and also a backup. Regardless, what would be "the best you can buy regardless of price" that I could get her?

Now just have to figure out a good "fun" present to put in the pot when she opens it... ;)
 
Magus said:
Kind of off topic, kind of NOT, check this site out I found finding the pot!
https://meatprocessingproducts.com/...80428015329622&utm_content=MidValue - 100-599
HOOO-WEEE! Jackpot on food prep tools!
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I have a 40 Gallon cauldron that I made a swing arm for to swing over a firepit or over to a propane flame so I can get a fast boil with a hot fire and then regulate with propane. Next is to go to a metal shop and have a lid made for it out of stainless steel (1/8"). When I got it my first thought was I could boil massive amounts of water "cheap" with wood to cook down greens like Poke that need a couple boils. I always considered cooking Poke as being a high cost item because of the energy needed to boil it a few times. This way I can do high volume with free wood that is all of the farm and stock up on precooked greens really quick. One pot of turnip greens could stock the freezer for the winter and I love me some turnip greens!
 
I think a stand alone electric pressure canner could be useful for small volume canners. My wife has an electric pressure cooker that seems to work okay. I looked for one and saw something that is coming available next year but it was expensive at ~$350. The idea of a canner where you could program it and walk away is nice, it would take away the hours of sitting watching a pressure gauge....

The negative thing about an electric pressure cooker it the power requirements, I assume that it would be in the 1500 watt range and it would need power for about 3 hours at a time, per batch. That would mean that you would need to have at least a 2000 watt generator or if using solar/batteries you would need at least 4500 watt-hours (400 amp hours at 12V) of energy storage to can 1 batch in a power outage...
 
UrbanHunter said:
I think a stand alone electric pressure canner could be useful for small volume canners. My wife has an electric pressure cooker that seems to work okay. I looked for one and saw something that is coming available next year but it was expensive at ~$350. The idea of a canner where you could program it and walk away is nice, it would take away the hours of sitting watching a pressure gauge....

The negative thing about an electric pressure cooker it the power requirements, I assume that it would be in the 1500 watt range and it would need power for about 3 hours at a time, per batch. That would mean that you would need to have at least a 2000 watt generator or if using solar/batteries you would need at least 4500 watt-hours (400 amp hours at 12V) of energy storage to can 1 batch in a power outage...
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I think I'm leaning on getting her a nice electric so she can learn and also not destroy a lot of food while figuring it out. But, to your point, I'll buy her a larger one that we could do over propane and then a huge one that we can do over propane or wood if it came to that. Christmas I think will be the electric one.
 
I keep telling everybody, methane is the way to go! if you can make hog slop, you can brew methane! Lots less work than wood you could heat your house with.
 
snappy1 said:
I have 2 Presto pressure canners with weighted jiggler. Very easy to learn and no Guage to watch.
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So how do those work? My wife wants one, if I could find one that makes me comfortable with her using it, I'd be a happy camper, lol.
 
@Curmudgeon. I read the directions and then had a friend stay on the phone with me the first time I canned. There are really good you tube videos to familiarize one, also. I have a 16 qt with the weight and a 23 qt with a Guage and a weight. I usually have them both going at once.
 
All American, all the way. I had a 930 and it was a thing of beauty. What a joy.

Big though, as in really big. I went with the 930 as I figured a Max run, and thinking I could always just run it less full. Boy, it takes a lot of half-pint and pint jars to fill that bad boy, a lot of them! I canned in pint and halves as I was single. Figured any jar I opened had to be eaten in one sitting in a no refrigeration situation. Wouldn’t do me much good to have a lot of Quart jars of stuff that would take several meals to eat in the North Carolina summers. 😊

If you are going big, check the measurements and your stove, or where you plan on using it. The 930 is really tall and if you have a hood over the stove, it might not fit under it.
 
snappy1 said:
All Americans are the best, but they are too heavy for me!
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I second some of these comments. I got my wife the big or biggest one. Which is great if you are canning a half a beef or something and only have a day or 2 to do it. When we moved it didn't fit under the hood well. It is also really heavy with water in it. I later got her the medium size one. She uses that much more frequently.
 
Curmudgeon said:
So how do those work? My wife wants one, if I could find one that makes me comfortable with her using it, I'd be a happy camper, lol.
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Be careful and get the right weight! or BOOM! Granny just put a tin cup on hers.
 
Investors got a 23 quart Presto with the jiggler. Presto has a video on YouTube showing the weight Jiggler in action. I pull up that video every time I can to compare what’s going on while I’m canning.

I also have a Presto digital Pressure Canner and I love it! It is great for small batch canning and I don’t have to be in the same room with it.
 
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