Presto Pressure Canner - Newbie mistake

11 years ago

Thought I would share my dumbness with others, in case it saves someone the same mistake. I have a new Presto 16 qt weighted pressure canner without the dial guage. It has an air vent in the cover, which I assume all pressure canners probably do. I went through the 10 minute steam venting and could not continue because the pressure in the canner kept making the air vent pop off. In desperation I removed it from heat, removed the cover, and removed all the jars to the pot I had used for BWB canning in the past. In the bottom of the pot was the cup and gasket with the threaded shaft the air vent is supposed to screw onto to keep it in place. I replaced it, made sure it was screwed on hand tight and stared all over again. Certainly not tragic, but the tomatoes have been subjected to at least 10 minutes more heat time than necessary, and might be a little over processed. Had I checked this first, or even known to check it, I could have saved some time and possible over processing. So check that the air vent is secure before starting, lol!

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Comments (8)

digdirt2
11 years ago
Yet another example of why we here always recommend several trial/practice runs with a PC before trying to can foods. It isn't something to jump into the deep end with. :)

Using jars filled with colored water makes those practice runs even more informative.

But I'm curious. If the vent tube was still in the bottom of the canner where was the 3 piece weight?

Dave
sue_ct
Original Author
11 years ago
Not the vent pipe, the air vent/cover lock. Maybe I am using the wrong term, but that is what my instruction manual labels it. The pressure weights had just been placed on the vent pipe because the 10 minute steam vent time had just finished and the pop up air vent came off. I put it back in the whole in the cover several times but it would just pop back off right away from the pressure of the steam. Once I put it back on correctly and started again it popped up the way it is supposed to when the pressure builds but did not come off, with or without the weights on the vent pipe. In order to clarify a little more, it is not the pipe in the center of the cover that the weights go on, but the the little vent along one side of the cover that pops up when the pressure builds.
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ellen_inmo
11 years ago
Colored water? That's a new one I hadn't heard of. Is this a lesson in siphoning? Do tell, Dave! Got me all curious.
sue_ct
Original Author
11 years ago
I actually had not read here about doing a practice run first, but I would not probably have had time this time anyway. It was getting to be late afternoon/early evening, I have to get up at 5:15 am and I am working for the next 3 days. I probably would not have had another chance to get all this equipment out and do it again until Thursday, and I really don't think the tomatoes would have lasted. I probably would have just BWB'd them again and nixed the canner. Hopefully the extra time didn't over process them more than 85 minutes in BWB would have. :) If so, live and learn. Darn that will be disappointing, though, since I don't often have 20+ pounds of tomatoes ready at the same to do some canning. :)
sue_ct
Original Author
11 years ago
OK, I just removed them from the canner. Floating tomatoes as I expected (had this with the BWB also), very little siphoning, but prob a very small amt since the water has a faint yellow tint and I did use some orange tomatoes in a couple of quarts. Will have to see how they sealed when they cool, but it doesn't look like I will have a problem. Time will tell. Only opening and using them will tell about the quality/flavor, I think.

Total processing time: probably 10 minutes to come up to steam (I used a instant hot water faucet in my kitchen that starts the water out at 190 degrees), 10 minutes of venting steam, then 15 minutes processing, 30 minutes to cool so the pressure came down, then removing the weights and another 10 minutes cool down before removing the cover and jars = 75 minutes, probably 20 minutes more of coming up to temp and then steam venting the first time = 95 minutes!

It may have needed less than 30 minutes to cool before moving the weights, but I only checked it after 15 minutes and then 30 minutes because I wasn't willing to stand there and watch it, lol. So I can't see that it saves much time, though probably a little, if you do it right the first time and when you add the time it takes to come up to a boil to the 85 minutes processing time required for BWB. Still, if it is safer or better quality it is worth it. At the least, I will have the canner if I decide to can items that can't be done by BWB.
HU-641635220
3 years ago
I am canning corn and did the 10 minute wait, put the petcock on and 15 minutes in the vent cover/ pops up and few minutes later pops completely out. I am at this point waiting for the canner to depressurize to safely open it. I'm praying I don't lose this corn. I do have another canner getting ready. What went wrong?
HU-641635220
3 years ago
I am canning corn and did the 10 minute wait, put the petcock on and 15 minutes in the vent cover/ pops up and few minutes later pops completely out. I am at this point waiting for the canner to depressurize to safely open it. I'm praying I don't lose this corn. I do have another canner getting ready. What went wrong?
HU-641635220
3 years ago
Now I can see that the vent/cover lock is in pieces, like it came unscrewed. I have my corn going in the other canner. Wish me

Presto Pressure Canner - Newbie mistake

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Presto Pressure Canner - Newbie mistake

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digdirt2

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