Pressure canners

[MissPrissy]

All American doesn't have seals. The castings are perfectly matched metal on metal. This is one of the things I like best about it. My smaller mirror pressure cooker has seals and vents and gaskets. It is a pain to remember to reorder or to keep extra on hand. If it blows then you can't use it again until you replace the pieces.

 

[patandchickens]

Angie may I stick my nose into your thread to ask a related question? I have read books that emphatically say you need a pressure CANNER to can nonacid nonsugary things, a pressure cooker will not do. What is the difference, and would I be correct in thinking a pressure canner could also be used as a pressure-cooker like for stews and such?

(edited to add: remember that kitchen things don't have to be stored in the kitchen. The garage or attic are just fine for most all infrequently-used cookware. The big water bath canner that I use for large batches of jellies and tomatoes [small batches I process in my big stock pot) usually live on top of the stack of snow tires in the garage

)

Thanks,

Pat

 

[MissPrissy]

A pressuer cooker today is considered to be more of the 4 - 6 qt pots that you literally cook a pot roast in for supper. They have the weighted pressure control but generally they are just the singular weight and don't often come in the multi-weighted pressure weight which are needed in canning.

The pressure canners are the larger pots that you can rack (and in the bigger ones double rack and use quart and half gallon jars in) to can your foods. They come with various weighted pressure gauges and/or the steam guage. These you can also use to pressure cook food in like the 8 or 12 qt pots. Can you imagine needing to pressure cook something in a 25 qt pot? LOL

 

[RepoBob]

I agree with Miss Prissy. The AA machined from one solid piece of metal, the tops are machined for a perfect fit. They run about $250, at least they did a few years ago. If I had it to do all over agian, I'd buy one at a garage sale or second hand shop, Craig'sList (Mirror, Presto whatever, quality wise they are all about the same.) Then save up enough to buy a All American. You could drive over it with a tank and the worst that would you may break a clamp, which are easy to replace. Your grandkids will still be passing this thing on. They are that good. Also, because they are machined not stamped they are more efficient to use. My AA reaches pressure probably 10 minutes before my other one does.

Bob

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Aha. Thank you! I can probably continue to live without a pressure cooker (I can *definitely* live without making stew in thore quantities! eeep) (well, I suppose there is always the freezer) so I will continue looking for an affordable deal on a proper pressure canner.

Thanks,

Pat

 

[palabeco]

Pat,
I have an 8 quart pressure cooker/canner. It holds four quart jars or 7 pint jars. It also came with resipes for cooking. No need to bypass one for the other . Doesn't take up much room either, its about the size of a large stockpot.

 

[MissPrissy]

I have one of those too, pal. The thing is unless you get an older one most of the companies making them now only have the one set weight pressure gauge in the smaller pots and that is not good for all the needs in canning. I have the old 4 qt one too that I bought back in the 80's with the 5, 10 and 15 psi weight. The same pot being made now doesn't offer that.

I am going to amend this to say that some brands may do but not any that I have seen in the last couple of years.

 

[palabeco]

Good to know miss prissy. I did get mine about 16 years ago. I hope nothing goes wrong with it cuz I just love it.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Wow! really? one without seals? that would be really cool. I didn't know they had those. I've never heard of All American

 

[RepoBob]

Lone Cowboy, I tried to copy and past a picture of the AA didn't work

If your google All American Presure Cookers you can see exactly what they look like. I really like mine, have had zero problems with it. You do have to coat the metal lid and the pot rim with vasoline every few times you use it. Keeps the metal oiled and the lid will come off easier. If you don't the lid can get stuck, you just have to tap it with a hammer and it will open.