BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Beer can]

Ah! that's the trick then. I always pictured pressure cooked food as being grey, and soggy.

I've had people wonder what is so great about canned venison thinking it's just pressure cooked meat yuck. I put no liquid in the jar, fill it to a inch from the lid. Makes it's own juice. You can use the shanks or any tough grizzly cut, leave the 'silver skin' on, all that dissolves and floats to the top. Just take the hard 'tallow' chunk on top off before you use it. Nothing but juicy yummy chunks of meat and juice, I like it cold right out of the jar.

 

[NanaKat]

For Christmas, my wonderful nephew gave us a digital pressure cooker. Wow! We love this unit! It's the 4 qt. by Elite.
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Platinum-EPC-414-9-Functions-Pressure/dp/B0132YR6LQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_79_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=418TydVd8OL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR143%2C160_&refRID=0FJ9SZ206DYKBZBXDJGN
Also comes in 6 and 8 qt. sizes.
   Wal-Mart sells one for 59.00 ( don't remember the brand name or size). push button, set it and forget it. We can make fall-apart pot roast in a hour. I have the old Spanish made Megafesa with the pop up red tab. It worked great but needed attention to make sure the pressure stayed right. But this new digital one is much better and easier to use.
 Best,
 Karen

Difference between pressure cooking and pressure canning. Cooking is directly in the pot under pressure with liquid and seasoning. Canning is in jars in the pot with water to build steam pressure.

 
Canning is not difficult.  Check with your county extension office.  They should someone teaching classes for free or really cheap.  My county barely funds the program so the agent has all the equipment but no kitchen.  I invited her to do the demo in my kitchen, so she could cook everything and actually show us how.  We had about 15 people and held a food swap afterwards.  Most of the people were already heavily into homemaking skills and brought jellies, spice mixes, cakes, homemade hot coco mix, cookies, etc.  It was a blast.

And they DO NOT blow up!!  Those were the canners of your great grandmother's day but that legend still circulates.  Nowadays they've got rubber plugs that automatically pop out and vent if they build up too much pressure.  So give it a try.  It's will be lots of fun.  

Agreed!  I got mine on Amazon for $38 and free s/h.  Easy to use, does a great job and you really, really can't mess up canning in this thing. 

A cooker canner opened before the pressure has fully released...can blow the contents in all directions...caused by carelessness on the part of the kitchen cook. I speak from experience having cleaned my entire kitchen of cooked pinto beans after opening a cooker too soon.

 

[NanaKat]

That being said...I love cooking in a 4 quart pressure cooker and canning in a large 20 quart pressure canner as well as water bath canning. Most garden produce is canned.

I'm looking forward to canning chicken like Beekissed described.

I've made pounds of deer and beef jerky this year in the dehydrator and have made fruit chips. We grind our own dried garlic and peppers for seasoning after dehydrating.

 

[DesertChic]

Difference between pressure cooking and pressure canning. Cooking is directly in the pot under pressure with liquid and seasoning. Canning is in jars in the pot with water to build steam pressure.
A cooker canner opened before the pressure has fully released...can blow the contents in all directions...caused by carelessness on the part of the kitchen cook. I speak from experience having cleaned my entire kitchen of cooked pinto beans after opening a cooker too soon.

I still remember the day my mom decided to make sauerkraut in the pressure cooker....and it wound up on the ceiling. I think that may have been the last time she pressure cooked anything.

 

[DesertChic]

I'm looking forward to canning chicken like Beekissed described.

Me too!

 

[Beer can]

I always just take the weight off, I guess that could spew depending on what you cooked. Use a oven mitt of course. Buddy was canning a lot of venison and was putting canner under cold water in the sink to open it faster. Cold water from the lid dripped onto the jars and some exploded, all over him and everywhere. He slathered himself in butter and kept on canning. We were inebriated of course. I thought butter was a dumb idea but I guess it kept his burnt hide moisturized.....

 

[angry rooster]

Canning is not difficult.  Check with your county extension office.  They should someone teaching classes for free or really cheap.  My county barely funds the program so the agent has all the equipment but no kitchen.  I invited her to do the demo in my kitchen, so she could cook everything and actually show us how.  We had about 15 people and held a food swap afterwards.  Most of the people were already heavily into homemaking skills and brought jellies, spice mixes, cakes, homemade hot coco mix, cookies, etc.  It was a blast.

One tip... you'll need a pressure canner for the chicken, but you don't need the $400 deluxe model.  Get one at Walmart for under $100 to try it out and see if you really want to do it.  I've had my cheap one for years and just keep replacing the gasket and other rubber parts.  

And they DO NOT blow up!!  Those were the canners of your great grandmother's day but that legend still circulates.  Nowadays they've got rubber plugs that automatically pop out and vent if they build up too much pressure.  So give it a try.  It's will be lots of fun.  

The old ones can blow the old one that my mom had and shook and got something stuck in the release valve blow the valve through the second floor and missed me wile i was playing with my sister that was 22 years ago but I will never forget cleaning the inside of the cabords so much rubarb jam it Hants me to this day

 

[AnthNDacula]

The old ones can blow the old one that my mom had and shook and got something stuck in the release valve blow the valve through the second floor and missed me wile i was playing with my sister that was 22 years ago but I will never forget cleaning the inside of the cabords so much rubarb jam it Hants me to this day

I clearly mis-spoke. I do love reading all the corrections and anecdotes

I should have said... if you buy a new pressure canner (not an old one) and use it according to the repeatedly printed instructions (making sure valve is clear every time you use it, not immersing it in water to cool, not forcing the device open until it is completely cool, and opening the lid away from you) it won't blow up. I'll also add something not in the manual... friends don't let friends drink and can.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Difference between pressure cooking and pressure canning. Cooking is directly in the pot under pressure with liquid and seasoning. Canning is in jars in the pot with water to build steam pressure.
A cooker canner opened before the pressure has fully released...can blow the contents in all directions...caused by carelessness on the part of the kitchen cook. I speak from experience having cleaned my entire kitchen of cooked pinto beans after opening a cooker too soon.

That being said...I love cooking in a 4 quart pressure cooker and canning in a large 20 quart pressure canner as well as water bath canning. Most garden produce is canned.

I'm looking forward to canning chicken like Beekissed described.

I've made pounds of deer and beef jerky this year in the dehydrator and have made fruit chips. We grind our own dried garlic and peppers for seasoning after dehydrating.

To clarify further - one should be careful in trying to can in a pressure cooker that is not specifically set up to be a pressure CANNER. The usual reason is that the main reason you would want to pressure can something is that it is low acid (e.g., meat, other low acid stuff, some tomatoes). A pressure canner has a way to determine how much pressure develops in the chamber - e.g., needing to pressure can at 15 lbs pressure for 45 minutes. That is what makes it safe (i.e., so you don't get botulism). Not all pressure cookers are able to do this (mine doesn't, though it makes great pressure cooked foods). I pressure can separately in a pressure canner that has a calibrated pressure gauge plus weight with three settings (5, 10, or 15 lbs pressure - it can differ depending on your altitude).

Just trying to be sure no one gets sick...



- Ant Farm

 

[Beekissed]

I clearly mis-spoke. I do love reading all the corrections and anecdotes

I should have said... if you buy a new pressure canner (not an old one) and use it according to the repeatedly printed instructions (making sure valve is clear every time you use it, not immersing it in water to cool, not forcing the device open until it is completely cool, and opening the lid away from you) it won't blow up. I'll also add something not in the manual... friends don't let friends drink and can.

Agreed. Most stories of canners blowing up or botulism contracted from home canned foods are a result of carelessness in the canning process or faulty equipment or supplies that someone didn't inspect before using...again, carelessness. Common sense goes a long, long way when canning food.