First try with a pressure canner... Question??

[Firefyter-Emt]

Ok now... my yellow beans were getting a bit heavy in the bush, so I managed to swindle (ask nicely) the pressure cooker from my Mom. She has (had) a 12 quart cooker that was not getting used. I DID leave her with two other smaller ones so...

Anyway, I wanted to make a small batch of two quarts first. I cut the beans into the 1" or so lengths (less ends) and filled the jars with boiling water leaving a 1" head-space. I set my simmered lids onto the clean jar tops and snugged the rings onto the jars. I placed these into the pot with about 4" of water from the very bottom. I then turned it to high, sealed the lid, and let it start to steam.

I read that you should let it steam for 10 minutes to vent the pot, once done I placed the weight on top. (10lb) Now this is where I may of overcooked them... I read (Mom confirmed) that you count down from the time from when it starts to rock. Well, it took close to half an hour before it started to rock every now and then, but it was blowing steam quite a bit in this time. Once I felt it was rocking and sputtering a few times a minute,I gave it 25 minutes... When cool, I noticed the beans look just fine, and the jars popped a nice seal, but the water in the jars was down about 3+ inches and some beans are not in the water. Were these over cooked? Should the cooker not be blowing steam? I remember growing up the cooker blowing off steam and the weight rocking around, but then again, we always joke that my Mom used a smoke detector as an egg timer!

Here are some photos a minute or so after being removed from the cooker:

If these cooked too long, are they safe to store like this? Re-process with more water and seals? Just use them like this and do it better next time?

Should the canner be pushing a lot of steam until the weight is rocking and sputtering?

 

[freemotion]

JMO, but I would only pressure can with a pressure canner, it is designed to be more accurate. But I do tend to be a rather cautious person in many ways. I don't like canned food enough to risk illness or death over it....if I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go HAPPY!

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

It was a pressure caner, it was one of the older style with the jiggler weight on top. I know I said pressure cooker, I assume it was the same thing, Right?


FYI: a quick google search seem to indicate Pressure Cooker would be the right term. Mine looks muck like this one found on the net. My handles are a bit different, but it's almost the same one and made by the same company.

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

FYI... I did just find something that I may of done wrong too... I let it vent by removing the weight from the top. It appears that you should let it cool with the weight in place?


Hmmm, this might just be my problem!

"When the timing process is completed, remove the canner from heat and let the canner depressurize. Do not force-cool the canner. Forced cooling may result in food spoilage. Cooling the canner with cold running water or opening the vent port before the canner is fully depressurized will cause liquid to escape from jars and seal failures. Force-cooling may also warp the canner lid on older-model canners causing steam leaks. Time the depressurization of older models. Standard-size, heavy-walled canners require about 30 minutes when loaded with pints and 45 minutes with quarts."

 

[Farmfresh]

Yes ... that indeed is your problem.

The beans are safe the way they are. I would just use this batch first.

When I can green beans I pack the sterilized jar tightly with fresh beans almost to the top and then add boiling water to the bottom of the jar ring and seal. Don't over tighten the lid as this can cause the jar to break.

Venting the canner usually only takes about 2 minutes or so. Just make sure that the steam is evenly escaping during that time and not just sputtering. Add the weight and watch the canner carefully. The weight should jiggle regularly about every 15 seconds. Adjust the flame until this is the case and start timing. When the time is up just turn off the heat and wait for the pot to cool. If you have a pressure gauge, just watch until the pressure is at normal. Without a pressure gauge wait until the pressure weight no longer hisses when bumped and no steam shoots out when it is lifted.

Then open the canner and remove your jars. Space them apart on a towel to cool and wait for the lids to seal. Don't re-tighten the lids.

Good luck. Remember practice makes perfect!

 

[freemotion]

Looks like you found your reason.....so it's beans for supper the next few nights!

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

Yea, I planned to make this a "test batch" so if I screw up, I am not out a lot of food. I only canned the two quarts so using them is not a big deal. These were packed pretty tight and right to the 1" head-space mark, the cooked down a fair bit. What should the normal water level be inside the jar when I am done anyway?

FYI, the article from Mich. State provided this on the vent time:
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=GH1452


"Get rid of air trapped inside the pressure canner by venting. Air trapped inside the canner lowers the temperature obtained at 5 pounds, 10 pounds and 15 pounds of pressure and results in underprocessing. No matter what the manufacturer's directions say, to be safe, you should vent all types of pressure canners 10 minutes before pressurizing. "

 

[freemotion]

I always vent for 10 minutes and let the canner depressurize fully before opening. I even find that it is good to wait a bit longer, some of the jars will "spit" if I open it too soon, even if the....um....what's-it-called.....mine has a little button that pops up while the canner is pressurized and drops down when it is done, like a reverse pop-up timer on a commercial chicken. I now let it sit a few more minutes after that button drops down, just to be safe. I've taken the cover off and slammed it back on a couple of times! Now I leave the kitchen and do something else so I am not so tempted to peak! I have NO patience sometimes.

ETA: I will have jars that lose a lot of liquid if I am not paying attention and the pressure goes too high. If you don't have a dial guage, you can't really tell as accurately. You'll just have to gain experience through practice to know your canner. My stove is a pain, it is very hard to regulate the temp/pressure, I have to watch it like a hawk the whole 90 minutes, the time I usually need for most things I can.

 

[Farmfresh]

I watch mine "like a hawk" as well.

I was in the house when my grandma EXPLODED a pressure cooker! Something you just don't ever forget. Fortunately no one was injured.

I just get a book and a chair and spend the whole time in the kitchen.

 

[user251]

i agree with the previous posts, i would add that if it were me, and you are serious about wanting to can, save up and get a new canner. Presto.com is a good place to start and i have found them to be cheaper online. you cant beat the simplicity of gauges, no over cooking, no steam out of liquids and the new ones are almost explosion proof with the safety features and you will not open a new presto under any pressure. as far as taking the weight off to vent and cool, its all physics, contents under pressure and rapid pressure loss=rapid cooling and boil out. Happy canning!! by the way, where are you a firefighter?,