I am currently looking for a canner and pressure cooker. Not too big to be used on a small stove top, but good quality.
Any recommendation for a good canner / pressure cooker ? :winkiss:
Thanks
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I am currently looking for a canner and pressure cooker. Not too big to be used on a small stove top, but good quality.
Any recommendation for a good canner / pressure cooker ? :winkiss:
Thanks
Pressure cookers were kicked to the curb when microwaves really hit twenty years ago... many still hit the farmers markets... in Europe they still backpack a small one.. not sure why. I have no trouble finding dutch ovens and pressure cookers at farmers markets...
We have lots of canners here. Jump to the link below and I am sure someone will respond as well.
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...essure-canners
Can't beat the All American pressure cooker. Not gasket to wear out.
Any old large pot will do for a no-pressure steam canner. Any of the Ball starter kits will do. You can usually pick those up at any aggy store or even Walmart these days. But any large pot that will let you get an inch or two of water over the top of the jars when submerged will do. If you don't use a jar rack though, be sure to put a wire grid of some sort on the bottom of the pot so the water can get under your jars.
Hmmm. Canned peas ALWAYS are mushier than frozen. Canned vegetables are often hot packed which would be the equivalent of blanching anyway. Don't see anything bad with canning frozen veggies if you like them the results, just thaw completely before re-packing. As far as losing nutrients, ANY processing and cooking causes nutrients to go into the cooking/processing liquid, so throwing away the water loses nutrition even from fresh foods. Just save that canned food 'juice' and eat it (soups, gravies, or drink it) and you go a long way to recovering those losses.
Personally, I prefer to dehydrated frozen veggies for long term storage - it cuts the peeling, cutting, and blanching time out of the dehydrating job.
as far as a combination pressure cooker/canner I have used the mirro 4-qt size in the past. BUT it only takes half pint & pint jars and only a few, so it really isn't worth the effort for canning. The electric ones are not recommended for canning, their heat regulation is questionable. I still like my old pressure cooker for cooking, though....microwaves cant tenderize tougher (but more flavorful) meats they just make them tougher still. Dry beans are another thing pressure cookers excel at. I LIKE being able to cook a pot of pintos in 20 min, myself.
The pressure cooker also is a usable autoclave if you need to sterilize medical stuff (instruments, home made dressings, etc) too. Look at the thrift shops in areas going from rural to urban - lots of grandmothers' pressure cookers end up there and even bigger canners if you get there when they first come in. Some university extension offices can check the gauges for accuracy (they rarely get "off") but you can buy the weighted gauges instead to replace them. I find the weights are much easier to use and you can hear whether they are working while you do other things in the kitchen (peeling & dicing) whereas with a gauge you have to stand there and watch it much of the time. Pressure cookers are cool tools.