Choosing a pressure canner? ... Got it!

[freemotion]

The jars can touch. I can fit 10 reg mouth jars per layer UNLESS they are the cheaper Golden Harvest brand. I don't buy those anymore, just the Ball Mason jars.

You can only fit 16 of the wide mouth pints. I only use my wide mouth jars now when I know I have less than 20...then I grab the wm jars to save the reg mouth for the bigger canning jobs.

So, how many days will you let your jars sit on the counter so you can admire them properly?

 

[ORChick]

The jars can touch. I can fit 10 reg mouth jars per layer UNLESS they are the cheaper Golden Harvest brand. I don't buy those anymore, just the Ball Mason jars.

You can only fit 16 of the wide mouth pints. I only use my wide mouth jars now when I know I have less than 20...then I grab the wm jars to save the reg mouth for the bigger canning jobs.

So, how many days will you let your jars sit on the counter so you can admire them properly?

These were all either Ball or Kerr jars. I did actually get 10 on the lower level, but it wasn't straightforward. They were touching; I thought, even if they shouldn't it probably wouldn't be too bad as it was just stock.
Thanks for the heads up about the wide mouth jars
They can't stay out too long. I don't have a lot of counter space, so for now they are on trays on the dining table; as we probably will want to eat a meal there at some point today they will need to go . But yes, I know what you mean about the admiring. I'm sure my first load of apricots (yes, I think it was apricots) way back when I started WBC was out for at least several days - and they were a heck of a lot prettier than chicken stock!

 

[moolie]

I hope this isn't too much of a hi-jack, but my Mom recently gave me her Presto pressure canner, and everything is in good shape except for the rubber seal (maybe?)

Is it supposed to feel a bit loose, or totally fill the groove in the lid where it sits?

If the seal is no good anymore, where would I find a new one?

My Mom used it a lot in the 70's and 80's but hasn't done anything with it since we all left home.

 

[freemotion]

It should fill the space snugly.

Get the phone number for Presto and call them up, credit card in hand. They will send you the proper ring very quickly, along with the overpressure plug and any other gaskets you need.

I wouldn't use it since the rubber is so old, it won't likely get up to pressure. I just replaced my gaskets and they were $9 each and shipping was reasonable.

You can also get your local Ace Hardware store to order that stuff for you, but they don't carry all the parts, just the gasket. So call Presto for advice before ordering them locally.

 

[moolie]

It should fill the space snugly.

Get the phone number for Presto and call them up, credit card in hand. They will send you the proper ring very quickly, along with the overpressure plug and any other gaskets you need.

I wouldn't use it since the rubber is so old, it won't likely get up to pressure. I just replaced my gaskets and they were $9 each and shipping was reasonable.

You can also get your local Ace Hardware store to order that stuff for you, but they don't carry all the parts, just the gasket. So call Presto for advice before ordering them locally.

Thanks Free! I will call tomorrow (once I've googled a Canadian number for them!)

Ok, more hi-jack--what are the over-pressure plug and gaskets?

What I've got in the box are the pot, an aluminum rack inside (a flat round piece of aluminum with some holes in it), the lid with the black rubber seal, and the "rocker" weight (what my Mom called it--it has two parts, a 10 lb and a 15 lb weight).

I know there is a booklet in with my cookbooks that used to be in the box...

 

[freemotion]

Mine has a pressure guage with its own rubber washer thingy, and there is a hole in the lid with a black rubber plug that is designed to blow if the pressure gets too high...it is a safety feature that may not be on the older models.

You need to replace anything that is rubber, so whatever is on your canner....it might just be the gasket for the lid.

 

[moolie]

Ah, ok--yes, there is an overflow valve with a rubber part to it so I probably need to order that as well. I just checked where the rocker weight sits and it all seems to be metal, but I will ask them if there are any other parts that might need replacing when I call.

Thanks so much!

 

[ORChick]

So, has this happened to you? This evening I was cooking dinner, and realized that some chicken broth would be a good addition. So I looked through the freezer, thinking I might have missed a bit in the great *thaw* of the other day. Nope. So I had to open one of the newly canned jars, and was strangely reluctant . I was thinking: OK, I had them sitting out on my dining table this morning, and then wiped them off, labeled them, and took them downstairs to the shelves I had re-arranged so that they would have space. And then, when they were all neatly arranged, I had to come in, and disarrange them for tonight's dinner . Odd sort of feeling .

 

[freemotion]

YES! I yell at dh if he reaches for a jar that is on the counter, and even if it is only a week or two old! Poor guy. He always looks so hurt and puzzled. I tell him it needs to "develop flavor" and that takes time. I am making a soup today and realized I would have to open one of this week's jars of broth.....

 

[moolie]

My seal/gasket and overflow rubber bit is on order ($9 plus $3 shipping) and should be here in a week or so!

I've been reading on various threads here to start pressure canning by canning beans to keep it simple and ensure everything is working properly? Just an overnight soak, a heat up, and then into the hot jars for processing?

One more question, I have lots of jars, but they've all been used for jams etc. for years and I wonder if I should be using newer jars for pressure canning? We've always used metal spoons to scoop out jam, and I've read on here that one needs to be more careful with canning jars and not use metal utensils? Super grateful for any advice on this, more jars will be an investment (that I can pick up slowly over the next few months) and I'd like to keep them in pristine shape so they last as long as possible.

I'm so excited! I've only ever canned by the boiling water method before (jams, summer fruits, tomatoes and sauce, pickles and relishes) so this opens up so many more options!