When I was about 7, I happened to be sitting at the kitchen table coloring paperdolls when the gasket on my mother's pressure cooker failed and it exploded. I'm afraid I was forever scarred by that little incident. But I applaud you for 'facing your fear' because that just wouldn't happen with the newfangled equipment.

Obviously, I don't have any recommendations on what to buy since I'm a scairdy cat. But I would urge you to contact your local County Extension Service. As you probably know, they give (free!) classes on pressure-cooking and canning. Besides teaching all the basic safety rules for using the equipment, they'll provide all the info you need on what's safe to can, how to spot something that's gone bad, etc.

Even if you live in a very urban area, there's a CE office not far away. They provide a wonderfully helpful service!

sm

Linda, I have the Mirro 22 qt., the biggest they make I think. Without looking I know the bottom holds at least 6 qt. jars and room for more onthe second level. Again, you can half fill, but never double fill a canner. Go as big as you can afford and find. Mine was about $60, three years ago and I have used it for canning and for cooking.

It has the little ball with adjustable weight regulation and I am happy with it, at least 3 safety features to prevent teh blow up.

You might also want to check the Harvest forum for more info.

Peppi

SM, funny you should mention the extension office. I went to a gardening fair today that was put on by the extension office, the University of Minnesota, and Master Gardeners. One of the classes I took was related to cooks that garden. It was in this class that I decided I would not let the PC scare me any longer! LOL

Peppi, I was looking onlineat 16 qt and 23 qt. They are around $65 and $90, respectively. I was wondering how they determined the size. (Didn't think you could actually can 16 or 23 qts. at one time! LOL)

So based on what you can fit into your 22 qt. I think the bigger one would be better for me, too.

Linda

Linda, What type of cooktop do you have? Electric or gas?

I have an All American with the metal to metal seal.It has the weight and the gauge. It's the smallest they make I think. I have an electric smoothtop and didn't want to break it. I don't can a lot so it's big enough for me. I usually do pints. Even though it's very safe it still scares me.

Tracey

I've had a Mirro (12 qt? 16? whatever holds 10 pints). I loved it for years and years, then the rim got dinged up and I had to replace it. I am reserving judgment because I only used it a couple of time last fall. It's definitely different. I didn't like watching a gauge on the Presto and I don't can huge batches, so the small Mirro works well for me.

Lol, sm...I found out the hard way that you don't cook soybeans in a pressure canner...we scraped them off the ceiling for days. I took the Extension's Master Food Preserver course, and then taught canning and dehydrating classes for the program. This website has everything we learned (there's a link to info on canners).

Here is a link that might be useful: Nat'l Center for Home Food Preservation

I have an older Mirro 12-quart, which holds 10 pint or 7 quart jars. I've replaced the gasket when necessary and it's served me well over the years.

Linda, the quart size refers to how much water thay cn hold I beleive. Mine is Mirro model #92022, and it holds:

36 half pints OR
20 pints, small mouth OR
16 pints, wide mouth OR
7 quarts, If jars are stacked and an additional rack is used between stacks. There are two racks provided, one for bottome and one for the additionals in stacking.

You can process more, faster, and can use meat items, such as stews, soups, stocks and free up freezer space.

KatieC, Annie, and the group at harvest are wonderful for information and bookmark the site KatieC shows. It is a huge help.

The hissing sound is scary at first but they can't blow up anymore. I know, I have seen all three safeys kick in.

Tracey, I have an electric ceramic cooktop (which I hate).

Does that make a difference in how I go about choosing?

Thanks for the link, Katie. Lots of good info there!

Peppi, I wasn't aware you could stack jars in them! Cool!

Linda

I am another one that has a Mirro canner that holds 7 quarts. It was one that my mom bought when I was little 25 years ago and then never used. I have been using it for the last 10 years. I still put the gate up so that the girls aren't in the kitchen when I am canning. All that boiling water makes me nervous. They help with all the other stuff though.

Stacie

I thought you had a ceramic cooktop. It does matter. Your canner shouldn't be more than an inch bigger than your largest burner and I think the weight can be a problem.

I have an 11" power burner. My canner extends about an inch and I haven't had any problems. I did get a smaller one because of the weight. I think there can be other problems.

I know I did a lot of reading over on the harvest forum. I'm always worried I'll ruin my cooktop canning but I still do it.

Maybe someone else will have more info.

Tracey

I have a 21.5 quart All-American, a 23-quart Presto and a 12-quart Mirro. I think that covers all the bases, LOL.

Your cooktop definitely is a limiting factor, though we have many Harvest members who do cook on ceramic. Others use an outside propane burner, which can be an advantage canning in the heat of the summer.

All-Americans are the Rolls-Royces of canners. One will last your lifetime and beyond.

Personally, I think the Presto is the best value. You don't have to use the gauge. You can buy a three-piece weight (5-10-15 pounds) and use that instead with the gauge as a visual backup. This eliminates the necessity of having your gauge checked every season and re-produces the way the All-American is set up.

I like the Mirro least, but it was a gift and is handy for small batches.

Ditto on what's already been said about stacking jars in your canner. It's handy for pints. But if you're getting a really big canner another thing to check is overall height and how much space there is between the top and your range hood.

I should also mention for small batches you can use other brands of pressure cookers if the cooker you have is large enough to accomodate 4 quart-size jars. The tested canning times assume a certain volume which affects the time to come up to pressure and come down plus processing time. Anything smaller than the size I've mentioned doesn't have sufficient volume to assure a safe processing time and product.

Also be aware that the pressure canner manufacturers don't usually update their manuals, so processing times listed don't always conform to current recommendations. Venting time should be 10 minutes, although the manual may say 5.

As Katie mentioned, the NCHFP is an excellent site. If you scroll down the main page they also offer a FREE self-paced online course in canning that can help you come up to speed.

Happy preserving. Do visit Harvest. You can get lots of good advice (and recipes!) Remember there are a lot of wonderful cooking recipes that cannot be safely canned.

Carol