I'm thinking I should just use the Fagor for cooking, and use the water bath for canning. Am I really missing out on alot by not canning with pressure? I don't think I would ever can a huge variety of items, although I do have a large garden. Most things I end up freezing. Then the odds are that no, you wouldn't be missing out on much. Pressure canning is in some ways a whole different world of canning and it doesn't appeal to all. IMO it expands the canning horizon 10 fold and I'd never want to be without it - waaay too limiting. ;) We do lots of meats, all sorts of beans, carrots, mixed vegetables, etc. that can't be done in a BWB and for us canned goods have a much longer shelf life then frozen, better flavor in many respects, never have to worry about lost electricity, or running out of freezer room. But that is just us. As Lizzy said above, never do it and get along just fine. PC is geared to vegetables (other than tomatoes), meats, and mixed low acid foods so if you elect to freeze all those things instead that's fine. Tomatoes aren't safer if done in a PC, just much faster to can. BWB tomatoes with the added acid is just fine. Just so you recognize that it is an either/or situation - you can't pressure can without the proper equipment. And as discussed above, while the Fagor may be great for cooking, it isn't an approved canner. So use it for cooking and keep on freezing and BWB acid foods OR invest in the 16 qt. Presto (cheaper anyway) and take up pressure canning. OK? Hope this helps. Dave

What a great gift! I think stock would be ideal to start with. My only suggestion is to check your canner manual against the instructions at the NCHFP site. Canner manuals aren't updated very often and can be out of sync with the most recent recommendations. Be sure to vent a full 10 minutes and check to see if your manual mentions the appropriate wait time at the end. "After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face." So in total you have the time needed to build pressure+the venting time+processing time+holding time at the end. In total it's a lot longer than the time listed on the charts. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Chicken or Turkey Stock

A smaller canner will come up to pressure and drop down faster. However, any canner that can hold 4 quart jars is big enough to safely meet current standards. AFAIK, the Mirro 12-quart is the smallest that will achieve that. Stacking jars won't make any difference, so if you have just enough jars for one layer I wouldn't fiddle with stacking. I have the All-American 21.5. It's a great canner. Be aware (as I discovered) that not all pints can be stacked. If you look at Ball pints versus Kerr pints you'll see a difference in height. I have both kinds of jars and if I want to do two layers in that canner I have to think about which jars I prepare because two layers of tall pints won't work. My old Presto, on the other hand, no problem because it's taller and narrower. Don't get me wrong. I love my All-American, but if you're routinely stacking jars you might consider an even bigger size. If you only occasionally stack jars or think you might, then the additional cost might not be worth it to you, especially if you have shorter Kerr pint jars. Carol

If you buy the dial gauge canner you can get a 3 piece weight set and use the one for your altitude. Most folks use the 10 lb. weight. Then, you do not have to get the gauge tested yearly. You leave it on, but use as a reference, not rely on it. I paid $10 for the set of weights. Even a brand new gauge out of the box can be off as much as 4 lb. We test new ones and often find they are bad from factory. So, if you plan to use the dial, then it must be tested even on a brand new canner. They are all good canners, just depends upon whether or not you want a gasket to replace from time to time. Mine seems to last almost forever. I personally can't lift the All American, they hurt my back and I have trouble tightening down all the bolts, too. So, I stick with Presto and use the weight set instead of the dial. I do test my gauges, though, yearly, but it is easy since I can do my own. The price on the Presto at BiMart is the best. I have even sent them across country to a friend. Shipping was about $30. I suggest getting the 23 quart size so you can stack pints or half pints, getting done a lot faster. It also works as a great water bath canner. Just sit the lid on, don't tighten down for a BWB canner.