Which pressure canner is the best?

[sufficientforme]

I prefer the All American, it is built like a tank and will outlast your lifetime. That being said it is heavy and not recommended for a flat glass cooking top. It has no seal to worry about because the lid is metal to metal contact. Parts are cheap if they ever need replacing and they are made in the USA. I just found a 21 qt All American for 30.00 on Craigslist last week so watch for bargains!
Presto has great feedback also, especially if you are just getting into canning and don't want a 200.00 investment in a canner. I have not used one though so I cannot give you much more info on them. Good luck on your choice, canning is addictive and fun, I love seeing the pantry shelves fill up

 

[TACEYPERKINS]

Thank you all for the imput. I love to hear first hand what everyone uses. I have been going back and forth between the Presto and the All American canners. I have been looking at craigs list and ebay. I am not sure though what size I should be looking for?
I saw a presto 12 qt model 01/CA12H on ebay, it is a cute vintage yellow. It seems like a good price, but not sure if the size would be too small for canning regularly.
I have a bunch of tomatoes, beans and squash I want to can. How long does it take to do a batch of tomatoes?

 

[miss_thenorth]

I have a mirro also, but I don't know the size of it. It holds 7 quart jars, but it is not big enough to stack two pint jars. if I were to buy a new one, I would get one that you could stack pint jars. I am quite happy with mine otherwise. Inf act, I am thinking of getting a new one, since I did 35 quarts (litres) of beans yesterday, and having two would have shortened my time immensely. I do like the weighted canners as opposed to the gauge ones though.

 

[snapshot]

I have the 16 qt. Presto weighted gauge and I love it! Actually it is going right now with 9 pints of pork roast in it! Money permitting in the future, I will get a larger one-same brand.

 

[sufficientforme]

12 quart is small, I would go with a 15 qt which will do 10 pints (7 quarts) or a 21 qt which does 19 (All American canner #'s, not sure of other brands)

 

[TACEYPERKINS]

Thank you sufficientforme thats what I was thinking too. I will start looking for a larger one. Thank you everyone.

 

[hoosier]

I vote for the All American. Mine is about thirty years old, and my grandmother's is still functional - all original parts.

Tomatoes are processed for 10 min @ 5# pressure.

 

[TACEYPERKINS]

I would love to get an All American 20ish qt canner, but I can't seem to find any around me. I am looking to find them used, is it possible to find one at a decent price?

 

[hoosier]

When we purchased ours, it was mail order (pre internet days ).

 

[so lucky]

Last time I looked, Amazon has the All American 915 for $177.00, with free shipping. I have been going back and forth on whether I want the very heavy/heavy duty All American, or a less expensive Mirro or Presto. Being older (elderly, some would say!) and not as strong as I would like to be, I am now thinking one of the lighter weight ones would make more sense for me. I doubt that I'll be canning in 30 years, so if it only lasts 29 years or so, that's OK I guess.
On another note, my DH picked up a little vintage pressure cooker at a garage sale a while back. I ignored it because I didn't like the looks of it, but I have looked it over since, and it is a Minitmaid from around 1940. It is oval, and has a lid that you have to put inside and pull it up to secure it. Kinda cute, but I don't think I'll be trying to use it. An internet search said this is the kind of pressure cooker that gave pressure cooking a bad name, as it was the kind that blew up/exploded more frequently than others. Guess we'll just try to sell it as "memorabilia."