It is well worth the cost IF you recognize that it doesn't mean it is now safe to can anything. ;) The biggest gain is PC allows for safe processing of vegetables - green beans, corn, carrots, mixed vegetables, mixed tomato recipes, salsas, meats and seafoods, etc. None of them can be done in BWB.

But no, you cannot make up your own recipes and no you can't just use the longest ingredient processing time. Family recipes may or may not be safe and would still need to be reviewed. Soup canning has limitations on the density allowed (1/2 liquid required), no pasta, rice, or thickeners are allowed,

Pressure canning opens up a whole new world of things that can be safely preserved but their are still limitations. The best way to decide if you can live comfortably with those limitations is to review the Pressure Canning Guidelines provided by NCHFP/USDA (linked below).

The 23 qt. Presto is an excellent PC tho we always recommend that you also invest in the separate 3 piece weight set as the gauges are not accurate and require annual testing. Lots of discussions here about this but the search engine isn't working right now so I can pull them up for you. Hopefully you'll be able to review them in the next day or so.

I was able to gather these past discussions from Google for your review.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Pressure Canning

Thank you! I will review them this afternoon. :D

It is well worth getting one, but as said, no you cannot safely can any of your own recipes.
The ones provided by USDA and Ball are good, though.
Freeze your own recipes, stick with safety tested ones for canning.

digdirt wrote in the old linked-to thread:
"You can't use a pressure cooker to can, only a pressure canner, because the smaller cooker units (any that holds less than the required 7 qt. jars) invalidate the tested/approved times in the recipes. They come up to pressure faster and cool down faster so the processing times are way off and so is the safety of the food."

Now I'm confused. I'm using an 8Qt (holds 4 qt jars) Mirro Pressure Cooker manufactured in '97. It came with a canning rack and the manual even included instructions and recipes for *canning*. It's also made of a heavy gauge aluminum.

I've lost the manual for it but I found this one online (link below) from July '04. It still lists *canning* specs. for the smaller *cookers*, and they are the same processing times as in the BBB.

So, are these smaller, heavy gauge *cookers* still safe, or have the safety specs. changed since that July '04 manual was printed?

Here is a link that might be useful: Mirro Manual (.pdf)

I just read the NCHFP link and found this:
"The USDA recommends that a canner be large enough to hold at least 4 quart jars to be considered a pressure canner for its published processes. "

So I'm assuming my old heavy gauge 8qt (4 qt jar) cooker is still considered safe. Pheww! ;-)

The one that will hold 4 quart jars is still fine to can in.
The first question was about what do we can. I like canned beef, chicken, and tuna. I also have canned dried beans. Recently I canned some nice red and yukon gold potatoes. Lots of tomatoes, of course. I tend to can individual items then combine them later on . Soup is good, too.
Each year I do different things. Depends upon what I need or if there is something new I want to try. That or if someone gives me free things, I can them.
I need to can beets this year again. Love the shredded beets on salads.

Yeah the old rule vs. the new allowed. As long as your pressure "cooker" will hold 4 quart jars it qualifies as a pressure "canner".

The confusion comes from those who think that a pressure cooker and a pressure canner are the same thing - they aren't - and many of the pressure cooker manufacturers "claim" you can pressure can in their cooker and they equip it accordingly. But they aren't approved because their small size invalidates the tested processing times.

So, that said, I wasn't aware that the 8 qt. Mirro would actually hold 4 quart jars? It sure isn't rated as such. It is rated as a cooker, not a canner.

The 12 quart Mirro is listed as the smallest possible Mirro you can use for canning so you may want to investigate that further.

Dave

First my apologies for dragging this thread off topic, and thanks for your reply, Dave.

On page 27 of the manual pdf I posted it lists the 8 qt capable of 4 qts, 5 wide mouth or 7 reg pints, or 8 half pints. And as previously mentioned it came new with a rack and canning instructions, so I'm 99.5% sure this particular model is a canner too. At least I haven't poisoned anyone with it yet. :)

I have seen a newer design of the Mirro 8qt cookers though that you may be thinking of. Those have a long handle on one side rather that the two short ones on opposite sides that this 12 yr old Model M-0598-11 has. Maybe that is the difference.

Thanks again for your input and all the help you offer on these forums.

Drag away... after discussion at home I had to admit we dont' have room for a pressure canner. So talk amongst yourselves (LOL!)

No room? Is that space above the stove due to a low hanging vent hood? If so, you can try using a propane gas burner outdoors. The burner must have very low settings to offer more heat control when using a PC. PC are many heights, and it may be easier to find a smaller capacity one that would also be shorter in height. Presto makes a 4 quart model too.

To add to what Dave and Linda Lou said, I checked that Mirro manual online. My guess is it was loaded on the site in 2004. I don't see any copyright information in the manual itself to indicate when it was written but the Ball Company and the Kerr Company are listed as resources when those companies ceased to exist as individual entities some time ago.

Pressure cooker/canner manuals are notoriously unreliable as sources for canning information as the companies just keep reprinting the same manual.

Doing a spot-check of the Mirro manual, the standard for a 10-minute wait time after processing isn't mentioned. Most foods I spot-checked either met the current standard or in some cases were longer than the recommended times (i.e. salmon) but the winter squash is fine for pints, too short for quarts.

So, in short, use pressure cooker/canner manuals for information about operations, but don't rely upon them for canning information.

Carol

The same holds true for any dial gauge attached. They are not very accurate and a more exact method is to use the weights the canners offer.

Here is a closed eBay auction of the same model (Mirro M-0598 8qt Canner)I have...

Here is a link that might be useful: Mirro M-0598 8qt Canner

medcave - I emailed you but as I said in more detail in the email please keep in mind it doesn't matter what the manufacturer says. What counts is the testing done by NCHFP to insure proper processing on a minimum of 4 standard quart jars of product. The qt. capacity of the cooker itself isn't at issue. My 23 quart Presto will hold 23 quarts of water but only 7 quart jars of food.

This comes up often with the Fagor brand that claims all their cookers can be used for canning - they can't. Small cookers will hold less air and that affects venting time, the temps rise faster in them and they fall faster too simply because of the size and that lost time-at-pressure and temp is part of the approved processing time.

Your choice of course, but personally I wouldn't use a cooker that small for canning. I don't see how the processing times couldn't be affected.

Dave

Question: No room? Is that space above the stove due to a low hanging vent hood?

Answer: No place to STORE it. LOL! We have a very small old bungalow from the 1920's. Pantry is already busting and only two closets in the house.

PS: I would kill for a vent over our stove.

I used to live in a place like that. Too small and not enough closets. I simply made use of my parents basement and put up a shelf unit to help hold most of my caning supplies. In fact, I did more of my canning there than in my apartment. I have the house now, and still have minmal space in the kitchen, both counter and cabinets. Next door, they knocked down a wall and expanded the kitchen into a huge space with lots more room. But for them its purely for decoration as they dont use the kitchen very much, and hardly do much cooking either.

Most of my family is at least an hour an 1/2 away. My neighbors and friends are all in the same boat unfortunatley. Ah well.. Maybe when I get my "grown up house" LOL!