Need Advice on Size of Canner To Buy

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StephenRay

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jul 30, 2017
Messages
4
Location
Overland Park Kansas
This looks like a good place to get some advice. I have canned a few times before, I have had great success with apple butter. Money can't buy the quality apple butter that you can make at home.
I want to step up to green beans so I understand I need to pressure can these. The green beans just sprouted in my garden so I have some time to decide which pressure canner to buy.
The huge All American 930, 30 Quart will hold 14 quart jars, I guess the jars must be stacked to hold that many.
My question is this: Could I can with this model with only 7 quart jars at a time? Or do I have to load two layers?
And could I can a small batch of pint jars with this huge canner?

And I don't know about the principles of the water level. For pressure canning, is it best not to cover the jars completely with water?

Is it ok to put just a few inches of water? (I know you cannot let all the water steam out of the pot or there will be some disaster).

Is it ok to completely submerse the jars for pressure canning? I am thinking that more water would require more energy and longer time to get up to pressure.

So to sum up, I am considering this large one, hoping it can be used for small or large batches for pressure canning green beans.

Thanks in advance for your comments.
 
Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking [emoji2]

I don't have experience with pressure canner (I water-bath can), but there are others here who do. I'm sure someone will be along to respond. In the meantime, here are a couple of resources to get you started. I suggest you use only recipes that have been tested and approved by the USDA, the National Center for Home Food Preservation or the Ball Canning Company.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/using_press_canners.html

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beans_snap_italian.html
 
Which pressure canner to buy?
I have one that does 7 qts and 8-9 pints, that one is heavy, and heavier with water in it. It is large to find a place to store it.

Can you do a partially full canner? I don't know.

How much water should go in it? Enough so the jars are half submerged. There must also be air in it.

Should you stack jars? I don't. It seems like a complication no one needs.

If you decide to get the super large, stackable kind, it might be just the right solution for a co-operatively used kitchen for a community or group.

How long does it take for a canner that holds 7 qts, to come up to temperature, pressure can, and cool down each time. The other day I started pressure canning at 10 am, I ran three batches of cans through it. I finished about 9 or 10 pm. So it averages out to about 4 hours for each batch beginning to end.
 
This looks like a good place to get some advice. I have canned a few times before, I have had great success with apple butter. Money can't buy the quality apple butter that you can make at home.
I want to step up to green beans so I understand I need to pressure can these. The green beans just sprouted in my garden so I have some time to decide which pressure canner to buy.
The huge All American 930, 30 Quart will hold 14 quart jars, I guess the jars must be stacked to hold that many.
My question is this: Could I can with this model with only 7 quart jars at a time? Or do I have to load two layers?
And could I can a small batch of pint jars with this huge canner?

And I don't know about the principles of the water level. For pressure canning, is it best not to cover the jars completely with water?

Is it ok to put just a few inches of water? (I know you cannot let all the water steam out of the pot or there will be some disaster).

Is it ok to completely submerse the jars for pressure canning? I am thinking that more water would require more energy and longer time to get up to pressure.

So to sum up, I am considering this large one, hoping it can be used for small or large batches for pressure canning green beans.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

I have the smaller All American as the larger one would not clear my under the counter microwave.
I have canned with one level of jars and I have canned small batches. I fill empty canning jars with water to get a tighter fit and prevent jars from breaking when jostled around.
The unit comes with great instructions and someone just wrote a book dedicated to this particular canner. I have the book but haven't looked through it yet.
 
The following is the latest and greatest Ball Book on Canning. I would suggest you buy it and treat it like the bible it is for canning.


https://www.freshpreserving.com/bal...8P8HAQ&kwid=19959388920x44240981991x801243303


Welcome to DC. If you have a question, we have an answer. In fact we have so many answers to just one question, your head will spin.

I love that book and always look for new editions but THIS one I consider to be the go to book.

https://www.freshpreserving.com/ball-complete-guide-to-home-preserving-recipe-book-1033975VM.html
 
I love that book and always look for new editions but THIS one I consider to be the go to book.

https://www.freshpreserving.com/ball-complete-guide-to-home-preserving-recipe-book-1033975VM.html

Amazon doesn't print the date of the latest edition or publication. And there are often a lot of changes from one publication to the next. Ball Canning Books are not expensive, so it would be advisable for anyone who is new to canning to build up a library of their books.
 
Amazon doesn't print the date of the latest edition or publication. And there are often a lot of changes from one publication to the next. Ball Canning Books are not expensive, so it would be advisable for anyone who is new to canning to build up a library of their books.
That's one option, but it's not the only one. I have six canning/preserving books and none of them are by Ball.
 
I'm not one to throw money at a problem. A problem like needing a recipe. In this day and age, we have lots of internet sources. Not all of them are good but if you try to find tested recipes from good sources, you've got a recipe.

Am I one to buy books? Yes, sadly, I have thousands of books and I wish I didn't. I need to sell them, pass them on, recycle them, dispose of them. I love books but with information changing all the time, on what is safe canning or good practices, it's on the internet.
 
Another thing you want to look at when buying a huge canner is whether your stove burners will support it. if you have a glass topped stove, check with the manufacturer--some won't support it, some shut off burners if they have been too hot for too long.

Yes, you can stack jars, with a rack or towel in between. The canner will tell you how many quarts of water you need for canning. My Mirro takes 3 quarts, I think. No, do not submerge the quart jars.

My philosophy about the AA canners is that they are the Cadillacs. They look nice, but a Presto or Mirro will do the same job for way less money. AAs don't have a gasket to replace, but I only replace my gaskets when they get stiff or cracked--maybe once every 10 years. The AA is tall enough to do water bath canning, or you can use a big stockpot or enamel canner (very cheap, but they don't last long if you bang them around.)


The links Got Garlic posted are essential. If you read thru that material, you will be ready to can safely. Follow instructions exactly--no shortcuts.
 
Thanks for all your replies, Yes, I must get these books. I will start at the library. Why didn't I think about that? My auntie Helen used to can green beans that tasted better than any store bought can.
Most of the Blue Lake Green Beans are up now, August 1, and I planted one more row on Saturday. At this Kansas City Latitude it might frost by October 4 but probably not until October 15.
So I have some time to consider how big and how much money I want to spend.
 
PDF From All American

Thanks to all for your great input. I found the All American Owner's Manual which has a lot of good information. It is a PDF Download.
file:///C:/Users/gmsab/AppData/Loca...WQY01/all-american-pressure-cooker-manual.pdf

With pressure canning, I am pleasantly surprised that only a couple of inches of water in the bottom of the canner is needed. This would take less energy to heat, although the pressure canning procedures a little longer. The "exhausting" is supposed to be ten minutes.

Here near Kansas City, my fall bean crop is in a race against the first frost. My one hill of pole beans are almost two feet tall and climbing. My bush beans have been up for two weeks and another row only one week.

I have also found that the State Extension Offices will often have very good write-ups. A good example is Minnesota: https://www.extension.umn.edu/food/food-safety/preserving/canning/canning-basics/

You will be amused to learn that my wife gave me trouble about buying an expensive canner because we have a 17-year-old that will start college soon - and a $300 AA Canner plus an outside propane burner for $100 is a little extravagant for us. And you may really laugh to learn that I am 65 years old and I took a part time job to pay for this. I deliver pizza now in the evenings. :LOL: If I can hold up for a few weeks, If God gives me strength, I will get the 25 or 30 quart AA.
 
Yippee! I got it, yesterday by FedEx. This place called HayNeedle I found on the internet had a good price. The 30 quart All American model is tall enough to stack quart jars so I have the option of making large or smaller batches. I delivered pizza in the evenings to pay for this Cadillac of a Canner. This Pizza place is so busy some evenings, sometimes five drivers are kept busy. And I learned very quickly to take two or even three deliveries at one time to be more efficient and make more money. Tips run from zero to twenty dollars! But the average is two or three dollars. I will work a few months more to earn enough for some nice piece of jewelry for my wife, then quit.
The green beans are blooming now, September 3. The uncertainty, the hard work, the successes, make it all so much fun. Thanks be to God!
 
Yippee! I got it, yesterday by FedEx. This place called HayNeedle I found on the internet had a good price. The 30 quart All American model is tall enough to stack quart jars so I have the option of making large or smaller batches. I delivered pizza in the evenings to pay for this Cadillac of a Canner. This Pizza place is so busy some evenings, sometimes five drivers are kept busy. And I learned very quickly to take two or even three deliveries at one time to be more efficient and make more money. Tips run from zero to twenty dollars! But the average is two or three dollars. I will work a few months more to earn enough for some nice piece of jewelry for my wife, then quit.
The green beans are blooming now, September 3. The uncertainty, the hard work, the successes, make it all so much fun. Thanks be to God!

I'm happy for you, congrats on your new pressure canner! It's too bad pizza is no good canned, my DH would be stockpiling canned pizza.:LOL:
 
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