I just did this to my Magic Seal 16 qt model. This was a Wards model like the Sears Maid of Honor series, but they were all made by presto. I bought mine from pressure cooker outlet listed above. The part number of the outlet fitting is 1058. That replaces your older version and it screws in to the threaded hole in the lid. Easy does it as to much force will strip Aluminium threads. I used Teflon tape on mine, just like plumbing. I also bought the 3 pc weight set. I also found the outlet on ebay $9 shipped. My gripe with the PC outlet $9 shipping which made the total $30 for the outlet and weights. I still love the older machined PC's and these upgrades make them run like a new one. Hope this helps. Larry

The BBB recipe says to process pints for 20 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure. I process them for 20 minutes, even though it's 15 pounds of pressure. Is this okay? Technically, no. They would be considered under-processed. Plus the texture/quality is affected. To insure safe consumption you will need to boil them for at least 10 mins after opening the jar. Is there any other reason why I should buy a product that is intended specifically for canning? Most definitely. Small cookers are not approved for canning for several reasons but the most important one is because the processing times are computed based on the larger canners and the heat up time and cool down times are calculated into those processing times. The small cookers heat up and cool down substantially faster so the food is held at pressure for a shorter period of time than is recommended. That voids all the recommended processing times. The time would have to be increased to compensate but how much to increase is unknown and would vary from pot size to pot size. Green beans are nothing to risk with as they are one of the more common sources of botulism toxicity. The minimal size of pressure canner recommended by the guidelines must be able to hold and process 4 quarts jars for the processing times to be valid. Your choice. Dave

You can cook in a pressure canner. Many of the bigger ones are made of aluminum, though, which is reactive, and you might not want to cook a highly acidic recipe in it. If you think you might be doing pressure canning a lot, you might want to consider WAFCO's All American line. They are built like a tank and will outlast you--your great grandkids will fight over it. Sorta pricey, though, but absolutely top quality. I had the 921, and gave it to a relative and bought the 930. The 921 was fine, but it could only process 7 quart jars at once; the 930 can process 14 quart jars at once, so it nearly doubled my efficiency. They are available at different internet outlets, with some (but not much) discounting. Here is a link that might be useful: wafco all american canners

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