Not as bad as my DH's treasured PC that I spent mucho dollars on the piece parts to get it back into working condition only to find that it had developed a giant crack in the base, which is unfix-able of course. Now I have this lovely heirloom that leaks and won't hold pressure. Perhaps we need a museum for memories of things long past usefulness.

Nancy

Lots of discussions here on pressure canners Jenny. Just search 'pressure canner' using the search bar at the bottom (not top) of the page.

The Presto 23 quart with the extra 3 piece weight set is the one most commonly recommended. And you need a bigger one anyway as your old 8 quart wouldn't qualify for pressure canning - it is only a pressure cooker.

Be sure to get one that will hold a minimum of 4 quart jars for processing - Mirro 12 quart is the smallest one. Presto also has a good 16 quart model on sale at Walmart for about $65 if you don't want the bigger one and it comes with the weights (no gauge).

Sorry for you loss but it's best in the long run. ;)

Dave

I didn't know when you said 8 quart if you meant 8 quart size or a canner that will hold 8 quarts. But I agree that the Presto is the best value. If you get a Presto you can also order a three-piece weight set (5-10-15 psi) which makes it possible to use it with the gauge as a backup. This is safer and more convenient than relying upon the gauge only.

Personally I am not fond of the Mirro but that's because I like a gauge of some sort to see. Generally, though, the Presto is available at a little lower price point. Amazon usually has the best price (and free shipping) though now at the end of the season you may find canners on special or may be able to dicker with local sellers.

I wish you lived in the PNW. Bimart for the last two years has offered the Presto 23-quart for $59.99, which is an unbeatable value.

And I do sympathize, I lost my 30-year-old Presto when I realized the bottom had fractured from the increased heat of my new "commercial-style" rangetop. Lesson learned.

Carol

Before you toss the canner, try soaking the gasket in really HOT water, almost simmering, while you prepare the jars. Then dry it quickly and coat it with vegetable oil, spreading it around uniformly with your hands. If you get too much, just wipe it off with a towel. Then, stretch it between your hands and rotate it. Put it back into the lid being sure it seats as well as you can. Bring the canner up to temperature as quickly as possible, exhaust it for 7 min. before you set the weight in place. Be sure to use tongs. My canner that uses a gasket needs this treatment before it stops leaking steam and sometimes I lay an oven mit on the lid and whack it with my hand to seat the gasket in the lid. It is frustrating to have to go through these motions but it works for me.

This was suggested to me by the customer service people at Presto and unless you just want a new canner, it might save the day. I can't give you guarantees just wishes for good luck.

digdirt wrote
Be sure to get one that will hold a minimum of 4 quart jars for processing - Mirro 12 quart is the smallest one.

Actually, the 8qt Mirros hold 4 1-quart jars too.

Presto also has a good 16 quart model on sale at Walmart for about $65 if you don't want the bigger one and it comes with the weights (no gauge).

The 16qt Presto is an excellent value, imo. Online price is $65 and can be shipped to the store for free, or if already in-store, the price is $69.

The 23 qt Prestos fall in the bigger-is-better category, but will require either a heavy duty canning element for your stove, or a stand-alone burner, particularly in the case of a glass-top stove. The 16qt is glass-top compatible.

Also consider a larger stockpot to fill all those jars with. A 12qt pot works great with my 16qt Presto. I believe I read here that a 16qt stockpot works well with the 23qt canner.

Yeah I had forgotten you mentioned that before medcave. Thanks for the reminder.

It just looks so short in the pictures - it would seem the top of the jars would be sitting right against the lid? And there is still the volume issue - faster heat up and cool down would affect the processing times. Still I should have said the Mirro 12 qt. is the smallest one that is recommended for canning use.

Dave

Yeah the 8qt is a bit touchy with the temperatures. Siphoning can be a problem if you get too wild with changes to the burner settings. I'm sure after years of using the 8qt, jennypat is going to love her new, larger canner. :)

The last time we talked about the 8qt Mirro, I found a study by the U. of Ga. comparing the performance of 6qt, 8qt, and 22qt (not a misprint) canners. The 6qt failed outright, but the 8qt actually performed better than the 22qt in the category of spores killed. The 8qt also achieved slightly higher temperatures within the jars. They were surprised by the results and considered them inconclusive pending further testing. Of course now I can't find a link to the study.

digdirt
Still I should have said the Mirro 12 qt. is the smallest one that is recommended for canning use.

Also, not to beat a dead horse, but the last time we talked about the 8qt Mirros, I could find no reference anywhere that a 12 quart canner was the smallest recommended size. The only reference I could find was NCHFP says if it holds 4 1-qt jars, it's approved for canning.

Here's the latest they have to say on recommended canners

"Equipment for heat-processing home-canned food is of two main typesÂboiling-water canners and pressure canners. Most are designed to hold seven quart jars or eight to nine pints. Small pressure canners hold four quart jars; some large pressure canners hold 18 pint jars in two layers, but hold only seven quart jars. Pressure saucepans with smaller volume capacities are not recommended for use in canning. Small capacity pressure canners are treated in a similar manner as standard larger canners, and should be vented using the typical venting procedures."

More on the link below...

Here is a link that might be useful: Recommended canners

Jennypat, I just reread your post and thought of something. Is the leak coming from one of your handles? If so that may be normal during the venting stage and should stop once it starts to build pressure.

If it still leaks when building pressure, and the leak is at the handle that has the lid lock built in, turn the lid upside down and operate the lock. You will see the vent plug go up and down. That plug rests on a rubber o-ring (on my 8qt Mirro anyway) and that o-ring may have deteriorated and is no longer making a seal when the plug pops up.

I just looked at mine and since it's starting to deteriorate, will have to start searching for a new one.

Hope this helps.

Thank you everyone
Actually after I wrote that post, I went back to the kitchen. I took my jars out of the canner, then I put the canner back on the stove and tested it again. This time the steam stopped coming out from around the rim (gasket) and it did build up pressure.

After this test, I again put the jars back in the canner, and started the process again, this time it worked just fine.

I am thinking since it was a new gasket, it just needed a bit of time to work. (which I DID soak in hot water for 1/2 hour, and coat with vegetable oil, before I first used it)

My Mirror does hold 4 quarts or 7 pints. I don't know now if I should replace it or not, there are so many conflicting reports. I already need to replace my BWB canner, as the one I have been using, has started rusting. It's old! I think this one came from my MIL's house when we moved her. Time for a new one.

Jenny P

Thts tiny! Amazon has a Presto 23 quart for under $90, but you need to also get teh weight set, as it comes with just a 15 pound one. The 23 quart is supposed to hold up to 7 quart jars, but becuase Ball has chnaged the size of the quart jasr to a slightly larger, you may not be able to fit 7 quarts inside anymore. Suggest that you do a simple search for the key words 'pressure canner', as thats whats in the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: PRESSURE CANNER THREADS

Oh I know it's small, truth is, I don't do much pressure canning anymore. It's just me and the hubby these days, and if there is something I need to preserve I usually freeze it.(I prefer my veggies frozen) I was just thinking that the tomato soup would be better pressure canned than frozen.

Jenny,
I love my Presto 23 quart canners. They hold more than one layer of jars, which I really utilize.
It depends upon your tomato soup recipe. If it has butter and flour, it is not safe to can. It must be frozen for safety.
The Ball Blue Book has one that can be canned. It it Spicy Tomato Soup. I hear it is good, but some say it is to sweet, though.

Thanks Linda Lou, I was actually making a batch of roasted tomato garlic soup. It turned out just ok, I think I didn't have as many tomatoes as what the recipe needed. I neglected to taste as I was adding the chicken broth, thus it got a bit watered down.

I think in the future I would prefer to roast my tomatoes, and then process them as a sauce. I will have to do a bit of research on doing this first though.

JEnny P

I can see why you would want to stick to your smaller present canner. Why buy something you don't need if you can get the current one to work?

I didn't realize the 8-quart Mirro would hold 4 1-quart jars but that does meet the standard. I wonder if it's true of current 8-quart Mirros, if they have changed at all.

I'm trying to remember where/when I read the 12-quart was the smallest approved, and I'm guessing it's due to the fact that the 12-quart is the smallest that Mirro currently designates as a "canner". So that was a mistaken assumption on my part.

Medcave, that quote about the 8-quart killing more spores is interesting. I've read some of those studies but not recently. We learn something new every day.

My All-American 921 is big and heavy. What I love about it is siphoning is essentially non-existent. I'm speculating that the thickness of the walls reduces heat fluctuations. (I am careful but my Presto was definitely much touchier.)

Carol

jennypat wrote:
I already need to replace my BWB canner, as the one I have been using, has started rusting. It's old! I think this one came from my MIL's house when we moved her. Time for a new one.

The 16qt Presto doubles as a BWB canner too, though it's not tall enough to cover quart jars with water, so pints are the largest that can be used in BWB mode.

The 16qt holds:
12 half pints
10 pints (8 wide-mouth pints)
7 quarts (pressure cooking mode only)

Glad your 8qt is working again. I plan to keep mine in working condition and use it just for small batches, or for overflow if/when the 16qt isn't big enough for large batches.

Walmart had sales on the smaller ones, and they came with the full weight set.

Yep, a couple months ago they were a bit spotty on which stores had them in stock, but now I'm seeing lots of them on the shelves in all my local stores.

They're even selling the 23qt now, though you can still get them cheaper on Amazon. And you still need to buy the weight set...

Prestos at Walmart

23qt Presto at Amazon