That's what I figured. While I never noticed if the water in the canner was still boiling after a natural depressurization, I have seen the food boiling in the jars. Worries me that when I just tried PCing 2C of water in the electric one, it wasn't boiling after quick release. But they won't take it back - too late, had to have done it last night. Thanks for the link, I did read that this morning before DD had to go to Girl Scouts and I went shopping, it looks like I used too much water (only supposed to use 1.5x as much water as rice) and also may have done 1 minute too long (following the manual that said 7 minutes) if it doesn't take longer to cook more rice (I used 1.5C of rice and 3C of water, and not in a bowl - that's what I used for steaming but for PCing I just put the rice directly into the PC). But I got The Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Toula Patsalis at the library today, others coming on interlibrary loan so I will get this figured out. Hopefully the electric PC will work with the recipes (I won't use the manual) and will just need a little longer cooking time due to not coming to full pressure (?).

First, the easy answer to your question is the Fagor's are NOT recommended for canning despite what they claim. They are pressure cookers, not canners by USDA standards. They have never been tested for canning, only for cooking, and their ability to reach sufficient pressure and hold it is highly questionable. They come with limited pressure settings based on European measurements (ie: 9.5 rather than the 11 lbs psi required for most things depending on sea level). They are not adaptable to weights, only their built in specific pre-settings. And there is no way to verify their settings, nothing to compare them to and no way to have them tested. All American manufactured canners come with weights only which are manufactured to specifics and can't be "off" or a gauge and weight or counter-weight. A dual system. Weights will always be far more accurate and easier to use than any gauge or built-in setting system. So if canning is your primary use for it skip the Fagor. Instead for canning go with one of the 3 tested and approved canner brands - Presto, All American, or Mirro. a container garden of plum tomatoes > too many green tomatoes > idea to make gardeniera none of them require pressure canning. > extra idea that all the extra soup that I make and can't eat fast enough could be canned too! Not necessarily. Soups have restrictions. Personal recipes that contain fats, rice, pastas, flour, or any dairy cannot be safely canned even with a pressure canner. And as a general guideline, canning, even pressure canning, is not for preserving left-overs. Those go in the freezer. Back to pressure canners - cookers and canners are not the same thing. Size is important. With only a coupel fo exceptions, the minimum recommended size is 12 quart. Smaller canners heat up too fast and cool down too fast and that voids the processing time required. Sorry to discourage you but for less money you can get a high quality pressure canner in the Presto 16 or 23 quart size and will be able to trust and depend on it for decades. If money is no object go for the AA 15 quart (or larger). Hope this helps. Dave

"Pressure canners come deep enough for one layer of quart or smaller size jars, or deep enough for two layers of pint or smaller size jars. The USDA recommends that a canner be large enough to hold at least 4 quart jars to be considered a pressure canner for its published processes. " If you go to the Presto site, nowdays you will see they only list the larger size as canners. They have 18 quart and 23 quart. Anything smaller is under cookers. http://www.gopresto.com/products/products_search.php?search_value=58&operation=Search&search_type=category Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation

A good resource for PC newbies is at the link. Miss Vickie has a lot of good advice. She also has a fairly new cookbook which is a good reference. Another good PC cookbook writer is Lorna Sass. Her most recent is 'Pressure Perfect'. Invest in either one of those and you'll get really good at PC techniques. One thing that you do need to be aware of is that some meats (beef, especially) can get tough and stringy if you release the pressure too quickly. For beef, I find it really is important to let the pressure come down by itself rather than venting the pressure or putting the pot in the sink and running cold water over it. Don't get discouraged! I find the PC to be one of the most useful tools in my kitchen. This may whet your appetite for what great stuff it can do: This recipe for Osso Buco is from Lorna Sasss "Cooking Under Pressure". I have made it both as a slow braise (traditional), and made it in the pressure cookerÂI actually prefer the pressure cooker version. Even if youÂre only cooking for two and using just two veal shanks, donÂt halve the remaining ingredients; the sauce is wonderful by itself. Once you get the Osso Buco started in the cooker, cook up some pasta or rice to soak up the sauce. The gremolata garnish is traditional, but I donÂt care for it; some authorities, such as Marcella Hazan, donÂt use it. OSSO BUCO alla MILANESE (Braised Veal Shanks, Milan-style) Serves 4 4 veal shanks, about 10 oz each 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 large onion, coarsely chopped ½ cup dry red wine or dry vermouth 1/3 cup beef or chicken stock or bullion 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped 1 stalk celery, sliced thinly ½ pound mushrooms, thinly sliced One 14 oz can tomatoes, coarsely chopped, including juice 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg (optional) ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (less if using canned bullion) Freshly ground black pepper to taste Gremolata: (optional) 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest ½ cup finely minced fresh parsley Rinse the veal shanks, pat dry, and dredge in flour, pressing the flour into the veal with the heel of your hand. Shake off excess flour. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the cooker. Over medium heat, brown the veal on both sides and set aside on a platter. Add the remaining oil and sauté the onions until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the red wine and stir, taking care to scrape up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, browned shanks, carrots, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, oregano, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Lock the lid in place and over high heat bring to high pressure. Adjust the heat to maintain high pressure and cook for 18 minutes. Let the pressure drop naturally or use a quick-release method (venting the steam or putting the cooker in the sink and running cold water over it). Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. Prepare the gremolata, if used, by combining the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. When the shanks are done, stir in the gremolata and simmer for a few minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Note: if using smaller shanks, check for doneness after 15 minutes of high pressure.