Doing so pushes the limits. It is one thing to use that size PC as a BWB when there is plenty of room, a wide safety margin. Quite another thing to push the envelope so far.

For me it isn't worth the mess it makes or the potential risk. It's too easy for 1 " of water to disappear and expose the lids in 20+ minutes much less 35 so you would have to monitor it constantly and keep adding water so any "convenience" is lost. Do it in 2 batches.

Dave

Thank you Dave! That is what I was leaning towards, but wanted to hear it from you.

Can you tell me if there would be any noticeable difference in taste in tomato-vegetable juice that was pressure canned vs one processed for longer time with BWB method? Wondering if there is any quality difference between the two methods or if it really boils down to which method we prefer.

Can't really say as I always pressure can it. Not only is it mixed vegetables so less acidic but pressure canning is so much easier IMO. I don't ever see any advantages to BWB canning when pressure canning is possible.

In this particular case not only can you double stack and process for less time in the PC but you use much less water and energy too.

Dave

Thanks again Dave, I appreciate your help.

I think it would be safe as far as the canned goods go, although pushing the limits, as Dave mentioned. My old BWB canner just bardly covered the tops of quart jars with about 1/12 inches to spare, so there was little room for boiling over, it gave me an inch, but no more. It sprang a leak and I replaced with with one that was taller, which was easier for me to deal with. I worried less about the safety of my final product than I did about burning myself, splashing that boiling water, or getting hot jars out of the canner when it was full to the top, so definitely unsafe as far as procedure...

Annie

Annie,

Boiling water spilling everywhere is never a good thing for me. I went the safer route and PCd them. My PC doesn't cool down very quickly though, often takes an hour or even slightly longer. I hate that part of the wait before I can get the lid off, wait a little more, then jars out. It does give me time to clean up all of the mess I made though!

KSprairie, I have the 23qt Presto as my canner, and am relatively new to canning. I double stacked canned chicken breast pieces not too long ago, but it only took 30 minutes or so for the canner to cool down and then I removed the weight and waited an additional 10 minutes. I am concerned that something might be wrong with my canner because of the substantial cool down time difference?

Hmmm... I have wondered about the cool down time for my Presto. I bought it new about 3 years ago. I know when I first started using it I got very good information from you, Dave, when I was questioning how long it should take - rough averages- for lid lock to pop up so I could start the 10 min venting, how long to get up to pressure with the weight jiggling, etc.. I questioned that in part due to the fact that water bubbles and spits around the top of the lid lock before it pops up. I usually wipe that away several times because it seems like that might be hindering it from popping up cleanly. If I don't wipe the water away, it takes longer to eventually pop up. When not in use it moves up and down freely and doesn't seem like it is misshapen. Maybe this is faulty in some way, and is also a factor in why it takes so long to release and go back down.

I use the standard 3" of water or a little mor if doing long 90 min processing. Ambient temps are upper 60s to low 70s in my kitchen this time of year. I wonder if it would help to contact Presto and see if they have a customer service or tech support?

Do you have hard water? I know lime can build up inside mine and interfere with its functions so I begin each season soaking the lid lock and vent tube in CLR. It's normal for some spitting and bubbling around the lid lock before it fully engages. Are you using gas or electric? If electric try carefully sliding it off the burner to cool down a bit faster.

Dave

Dave,

Our water is fairly hard so we use a softener to deal with that. We get very minimal deposit buildup, if any. I will soak them anyway, it sure couldn't hurt. I switched over from electric to gas last year. I don't usually move the canner when it is fully loaded since it is so heavy, but I did slide it over to a cool burner last night to aid in the cool down process. I was rather proud of myself for remembering to do that too! I timed it, and it still took 75 min for the lid lock to go down.

KS

"I timed it, and it still took 75 min for the lid lock to go down."

That just doesn't seem at all normal IME but I sure don't know what is causing it. If the gauge reads zero I'd be real tempted to just tap that lock and see if it doesn't fall and stay down. If it does then there is a problem with the lock mechanism. You might try hitting it with some silicone spray too like WD-40.

Well, I have a few things to try now. Thank you, Dave! I hope I can get this figured out. A 30 to 45 minute cool down would be a welcome improvement. I can see why you like to PC over BWB if there is a choice. :)

"soaking the lid lock and vent tube in CLR"

What does CLR stand for?

"What does CLR stand for?"

The "CLR" stands for "Calcium Lime Rust." (Usually comes in a green bottle)

It's a household cleaning agent that's safe to use on items you'd cook/eat from (coffee pots, etc.), but can also be used to clean shower heads (among other things) to get rid of hard water buildup. Great stuff!

Yup, I used to use it in the dishwasher "outlet", the repairman showed me how. So my dishwasher would start leaking water all over the floor, I'd pull it out, disconnect the tube, pour the CLR down it, let it sit, put it back together. Voila!!! All better for 6 months or so, then I'd do it again.

Annie