The Presto 16 quart is a light canner that is also inexpensive. It is available at Wal-Mart. Ironically however, the last time I checked prices on Amazon.com, the 16 quart cost about $4.00 more than the Presto 23. It included free shipping so need to drive to a location to pick it up. Pricing promotion I guess.
Since you are going to be canning meat products, I would stay with the USDA recommendation that the canner hold at least 4 quarts. There is an issue with under-cooking with smaller pressure saucepans that used to be used.
Jim in So. Calif.

Some folks have posted that they can get 4 quart jars in the old 8 quart Mirro model made but I don't think they are still available except as used. And the scuttlebutt is "Mirro is going out of business so parts may not be available for them in the future". Might be able to find an old one.

Presto has an 8 quart model for about $54.00 but I don't know if it will hold 4 quart jars. I don't think it is tall enough. Presto says it will "can" 7 pint jars at a time but doesn't mention quarts so likely it would have the under-processed problem.

Presto used to make a 12 quart model that would hold 4 quarts but they may no longer be available either except as used. If you can find a good used one it would work well for you. It was replaced by the 16 quart model.

The All American 910 model will hold 4 quart jars (its their 10 1/2 quart model) but it costs $180.00.

Far as I know, those are your choices.

Dave

I'll see if I can find that Presto 8 quart, and maybe bring some jars with me to check the size. A 16 quart pot sounds like it would be too big to store in my kitchen, and a 23 quart would definitely be too huge, even if it is oddly cheaper. I have a regular 8 quart stock pot that's already on the verge of not fitting on my stove.

What about the Fagor 10 quarts? They sell a canning kit to go with them, but it's not clear to me if they're big enough to hold four quart jars. The recipes in the manual yield 4 pints.

I'm a little leery of buying used, since I've never used a pressure cooker and wouldn't know what to look for/avoid.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fagor canning kit for 10 quart units

No personal experience with Fagor and they very seldom get mentioned on any of the canning forums I frequent. Seems few have any experience with them and what references I do see to them are about pressure cooking, not canning.

They don't provide any of the needed info on size/capacity on their website which is unfortunate although they do imply that you may do canning with any of their cooker models - regardless of size. Whether that means you can do it within the approved guidelines or not, I can't say. Since they are manufactured in Spain they aren't bound by USDA guidelines.

Best you can do I guess is take a quart jar along to see one and see if 4 of them will fit. Sorry I can't be of more help with them.

Didn't mention it before, but is canning your meats the only option? Unfortunately canning is a "lots of room-needed" process. Can you freeze it all instead? Another alternative would be to invest in one of the single burner units that many use for canning if you have the counter space for it.

Dave

The Fagor will not hold quarts.
It is called a canner by the Spanish company that makes it but it does NOT meet canning standards in the US. There are also concerns about the necessary minute cool down period as this pressure pot does NOT have any visible pressure gauge or wiggler steam vent (which I can hear 30 feet away and it lets me know my temp. is OK) and I'm not sure you have any way to maintain a slow cooling of the pot (an extension of the cooking period) and I'm not sure unless you stand and look at it that you would know when all the pressure was released and the 10 minute cool down period starts. Long sentence I know.
As said by Dave above, and we don't know if you have a patio, but you could can (weather permitting) out on a patio with a free standing propane burner. The side burner on most BBQ units also works well (I do all mine there).
Good luck in your quest for more space. Remember, once you can, you need a place to keep your jars.
Jim in So. Calif.

Thanks for saving me a trip! I brought a quart jar with me today so I could swing by a BB&B to check sizes, but now I won't need to. Sounds like the 16qt Presto is the smallest currently available pressure canner out there, so that's what I'll start looking for.

I do freeze everything now, and I'll keep doing that, too. I have a tall, skinny shelf perfect for pint jars, just not enough space right now to store another big pot. Time to re-arrange the kitchen.

4th floor walk-up, so no outdoor space, sadly.

Thanks so much for your help and advice. I know you keep answering basically the same questions over and over -- I read as many old threads as I could find -- so I really appreciate you taking the time.

If you are in the city uptown, try Zabars for a pressure canner.
They have alot more than on their web site ( I drool over the 300-500 copper pots) and lots of gadgets. I can't say for sure they have one, cause I wasn't looking for one the last I was there, but they have a large selection of cookware and gadgets.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zabars

You do need the Presto 16 quart size. I would get the one with the weight set and not the dial one. Will save you from having to get the gauge tested or buying a weight set seperately and using it as a weighted gauge canner.
A new gauge must be tested before use. Walmart sells the weighted gauge 16 quart. You could probably order online.
Yes, Mirro sold out to someone else. You should see the lousy spring design in the handles that break. Getting harder to find parts for them, too. I would not get Mirro.
Presto is still a really good brand.

Jim, I hope you're wrong, because I just ordered the Fagor duo 10 qt. plus the canning kit this morning. I brought 2 quart jars to Macy's and put them in- it will hold 4 of them, and that is what the wire rack is sized for. I don't know about the minute cool down step, as I have not used a pressure cooker before- I can see, there is a bit of a learning curve!

A Fagor Review on Amazon:
"Great for cooking not so good for canning, October 30, 2008
By D. Sharples "KittyHawk" (Surrey, BC Canada)
(REAL NAME)
Loved the way it cooks but for canning people should be aware. Since this has a low pressure for 8 lb and high for 15 lb everything must be done at 15 lb. Great if you are at very high altitude but if your at low altitude you will be over processing everything you can. For beginner canners please buy a Ball Blue Book of Preserving so you know what to do and what not to do before forging on with canning. The manual and cookbook is lovely but the canning recipes and also the instructions are vague. For one thing you have to vent a canner before canning not like in cooking. No where in the book tells you this so unless this product is different you could end up with safety problems with your canned goods."

Good luck with your purchase. Jim

suska6184 - for what it is worth to you I agree with Jim. :)

If you plan to use it for home canning please be aware that it doesn't meet the standard guidelines for canning. Safety of the processed food may very well be a concern for you and if you end up having to process everything at 15 lbs for safety purposes then the consistency and texture of the food will be affected.

Just something to consider.

Dave

So Dave, I hope you don't mind if I pick your brain a little. I have done a bit of reading on this forum and I know you contribute alot, so I respect your opinion.

Initially, I wanted a canner just for tomatoes. As I read more, I became interested in the cooking aspect of a pressure cooker and because my budget is tight, I was hoping to find a dual purpose solution. I understand when one chooses to do that, you usually must compromise in some way.

My mom has an ancient Presto that scares me. She thinks it's fine, but I would never use it without her help, and she is in her mid 80's, so I know I need something that I can handle alone. She also gave me a water bath canner years ago that I have never used.

Let me run this by you, if I may. I'm thinking I should just use the Fagor for cooking, and use the water bath for canning. I always had it in my head that canning tomatoes with pressure was the better way to go- I don't know, safer or something, not sure how that was planted in my head. Am I really missing out on alot by not canning with pressure? I don't think I would ever can a huge variety of items, although I do have a large garden. Most things I end up freezing.

Thanks for any insight, Dave.

Sue

I haven't missed using a pressure canner for years, Sue.

I mainly make jams/jellies/pickled/fruits and tomatoe products.

I just tossed the stovetop pressure cooker to a digital one, and love it! Just fill, set the timer and walk away.
The model I purchased also has a slow cooker mode, steam mode and switches to warm after cooking is done. if it holds up, a far better value than a stovetop pressure cooker.
Plus, it was about the same cost as a stovetop unit.

With this purchase I may toss the pressure canner also. I prefer frozen over canned meats and low acid vegetables, I don't eat more than a 1/2 pint of Salsa a year. About the only item I would even need a pressure canner would be for potatoes and I haven't canned those in a few years.

There should not be any safety issues if you are using current/approved water bath canning standards for maters.

Wasn't Hijacking Dave, but thought I would throw in my 2 cents as a frugal, single working Mom.

I'm thinking I should just use the Fagor for cooking, and use the water bath for canning. Am I really missing out on alot by not canning with pressure? I don't think I would ever can a huge variety of items, although I do have a large garden. Most things I end up freezing.

Then the odds are that no, you wouldn't be missing out on much. Pressure canning is in some ways a whole different world of canning and it doesn't appeal to all.

IMO it expands the canning horizon 10 fold and I'd never want to be without it - waaay too limiting. ;) We do lots of meats, all sorts of beans, carrots, mixed vegetables, etc. that can't be done in a BWB and for us canned goods have a much longer shelf life then frozen, better flavor in many respects, never have to worry about lost electricity, or running out of freezer room. But that is just us. As Lizzy said above, never do it and get along just fine.

PC is geared to vegetables (other than tomatoes), meats, and mixed low acid foods so if you elect to freeze all those things instead that's fine. Tomatoes aren't safer if done in a PC, just much faster to can. BWB tomatoes with the added acid is just fine.

Just so you recognize that it is an either/or situation - you can't pressure can without the proper equipment. And as discussed above, while the Fagor may be great for cooking, it isn't an approved canner. So use it for cooking and keep on freezing and BWB acid foods OR invest in the 16 qt. Presto (cheaper anyway) and take up pressure canning. OK?

Hope this helps.

Dave

bizzylizy
If you have a large garden, you may eventually either run out of freezer room or find applications that you like better canned. As Dave said, some items just fit better when canned. Green beans that get a little stringy process just fine when canned as the strings disappear. My wife like green beans home canned better than frozen (maybe it is the bacon and other seasoning I add when I can them).
I just made some Golden Citrus Dessert Sauce from the newest BBB and it is delicious canned. I don't know what it would taste like frozen.
From a practical standpoint, I can SEE the things I have canned when I make a decision on what to open. It helps to be able to see it. I just ate a pint of home canned tomatoes, okra, onions, and potato for lunch. It was just a quick heat and eat. My eyes led me to that decision.
Just my thoughts. I throw away more in a large freezer than I do when I can. I forget what I have in spite at attempts to keep an inventory.
Oh, in gifting to friends and neighbors, I think they always prefer a jar of something over a package from the freezer. Giving jars of soup to elderly neighbors who have limited assistance always seemed like a nice thing to do. They always have an emergency meal should they feel like not cooking.
Enough Said.
Jim in So. Calif.

Mgar, If you are still in the market, I have a Presto 8 quart languishing in my pantry. I can crack open the moving tape and try out quarts for you. Just let me know.
Melly

What a great forum this is! Thanks all, for your input to encourage and assist us novices. I'm understanding there are multiple methods, yet variables within each, but the utmost consideration is safety. As my co-worker said to me, "You wanted perfection, the one size fits all/does everything item, and it doesn't exist." Guilty as charged.

I can't wait until next summer's ripe tomatoes are ready. I will definitely take the advice offered here. Thanks again.

Mgar, I hope you find something that suits your needs well. My apologies for the hijacking that evolved.

I have a large garden, enough veggies that I gave a few 1/2 bushels to the Mennonite Farmers Market for them to sell.
Instead of them giving me a profit I trade for other veggies or items in the store.
Who knows, maybe someday I will run out of freezer space, although I have gotten good at not keeping foods in there for years.
Same with canning,I only have one 1/2 pint of Roasted Red Pepper Spread and a few Elderberry Jelly for Cough Remedies that is more than 1 year old.

I certainly understand not needing a pressure canner but as has been mentioned...It so expands your canning and preserving possibilities. I didn't have one for years and now I wouldn't be without one. You will be absolutely amazed at things you will decide to can. Today I opened my freezer, removed 2 bags of Florida speckled beans and reached to the pantry and grabbed a jar of ham bits with stock. When we finish with the hambone...I toss it in a big pot of water and cook it until the meat falls off the bone. I then remove every ounce of fat and pick the meat off the bones and store it over night in the fridge to further remove any fat. Next day, I can the stock with just enough bits and pieces of the ham to cook any kind of dried or frozen beans....A canner is a great toy.