Pressure Canning Questions and Answers<br><br>



What are pressure canners?<br>
Is it necessary to exhaust a pressure canner?<br>

Why is there sometimes a loss of liquid during processing?<br>

What should I do if the canner goes below the recommended pressure during processing?
<br><br>

What are pressure canners?<br>

Pressure Canners: Not the Same as Pressure Cookers<br><br>

Pressure canners are not the same thing as pressure
cookers, and it is important to understand the difference.
Pressure cookers or pressure saucepans are used to rapidly cook
meats, vegetables and other foods for a family meal. But they may
not maintain adequate pressure, and they heat and cool too quickly to
use them to safely pressure can foods.<br><br>


Pressure canners have either dial or weighted gauges. Pressure canners are
necessary to safely can foods such as meats and vegetables that are low in acid.
Pressure canners and pressure saucepans come in a wide variety of sizes. Pressure
canners may hold up to 22 Quarts of canned food, and are able to process food at
pressures up to 25 pounds. Some popular brands of pressure canners are Mirro,
Presto, and All American. Pressure cookers usually hold no more than 4 to 6 Quarts,
and they may, or may not, have a way to regulate the pressure. Some pressure cookers
come equipped with a weight to cook at 5, 10 or 15 pounds of pressure, while others
have no way to regulate pressure settings, or simply have settings of ‘low’, ‘medium’
and ‘high’. Pressure cookers do not come with pressure gauges, and they cannot be
safely used to can foods.<br><br>


Pressure canners and pressure cookers work by trapping steam and building up
pressure inside a pot. The steam is trapped because the lid, which is fitted with a rubber
gasket, forms an airtight seal once it’s locked into position. As the contents of the pot
heat up, steam gets trapped and pressure builds. At 15 pounds pressure, water boils at
250°F, almost 40°F higher than in conventional pots. The high pressure and
temperature destroy microorganisms more rapidly (pressure canning) or cook foods
more quickly (pressure cooking).<br><br>


Both pressure canners and pressure cookers that you’ll find in the stores today are a far
cry from their predecessors. The new ‘second generation’ pots are lighter in weight, and
they have new built in safety features that release steam if the pressure gets too highfeatures
that make them more fun and easy to use. If you are careful to follow the
directions that accompany your pressure canner or cooker, you will enjoy using these
contemporary pots.