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Can I use my canner as a sterilizer?


PoGo

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Since it says you need at least 17 lb. of pressure to sterilize, I would not use it that way. It could easily get up to the danger zone. The gauges are not the same on the sterilizer as on a canner.

If you have more questions, I would contact AA and see what they say.

 

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  • 9 months later...

Pogo,

 

Autoclaves for sterilization do two things: heat things beyond boiling in a vacuum and reach really high temperatures to kill the nasties.

 

Steam sterilizers or autoclaves are handy for cleaning and sterilizing glassware and metal that has come into contact with questionable items that are a biohazard - micro bugs like Ecoli, staph, strep, scalpels that aren't throw-away, etc. The 'average' person wouldn't have a use for them.

 

Violet is right - your normal canner doesn't allow the pressure high enough in a safe manner to do this 'at home'.

 

In a home-illness situation like bird flu, or a SHTF situation, you could do the same thing by cleansing with alcohol, heating things up in an oven, etc. I am sure that this is enough to sterilize what you would need sterilized.

 

Any nurses or medical professionals have other opinions?

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I am not a medical person, but I would not expect alcohol or heating things in an oven would do no more than suppress any active toxins at the moment, not destroy the spores that create the toxin. They would still be present and be transferred to the next thing the item contacted and eventually create new toxins.

 

For example, cooking will kill bacteria toxins, but if you allow the food to sit at room temperature it will regrow bacteria toxins. That's why it takes a canning process to not only kill any active toxins but also their spores. And Botulism requires a very high temperature (240 deg F) for a sustained period to kill it.

 

And as for "sterilization", that is only good until you expose the item to the air and it is immediately exposed to contamination again.

 

 

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As they are most every place else... to describe an industrial machine in which elevated temperature and pressure are used in processing materials.

 

I've not known anyone that would apply that to home canning until now.

 

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Originally Posted By: PoGo
Just wondering, in case I need to sterilize bandages or surgical equipment.

http://www.allamericancanner.com/allamericansterilizer.htm


Hubby went into one of the local tatoo places here in town and I keep hearing this jiggling noise. Well when we went into the back room so the guy could use the computer to pull up something for hubby I noticed and All American canner was jiggling. I asked him what he was canning he said oh nothing we are sterlizing equipment. He said that is what the health department told them to use. I don't know what pressure was but it really was jiggling. I can ask him if you would like for me too
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I would take this information back to that tattoo shop and maybe print out the whole page in the link to give to the inspector (if that is what the inspector really said).

 

"Some non-professional artists will try to convince you that a pressure cooker designed for canning food is acceptable for sterilizing used tattoo equipment. This is not true. Kitchen pressure cookers do not reach the temperature or pressure required to effectively kill all blood borne pathogens. Do not trust anyone using a kitchen unit. Medical sterilizers are much larger and are designed specifically for killing bacteria and other pathogens. "

 

http://tattoo.about.com/cs/beginners/a/blautoclave.htm

 

Next time you go to a tattoo shop, beauty parlor, etc., or get some home canned food from someone, think about whether they are doing things properly or taking shortcuts because they don't want the hassle or expense. Infection or poisoning is non-discriminatory.

 

 

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mommato3boys, if you follow the link that I originally posted, you'll see that it's a steam sterilizer, but looks like a pressure canner. Was he actually using a pressure canner, or could it have been the steam sterilizer?

 

Anyway, no need to ask him on my account, my questions on this subject were answered long ago, but, thank you just the same. smile

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PoGo I am almost postive that it was a canner because I told hubby that was the kind of canner I wanted -- All American. The guy said his mom had one and had used it for years he actually thought she got it from his grandmother.

 

From what I remember it had a polished finish and the sterilizer does not have the polished finish.

 

Now you have me curious. I am going to ask hubby to check with the guy he works with that works part-time at the tatoo place to find out for me.

 

Originally Posted By: canning nerd
Medical sterilizers are much larger and are designed specifically for killing bacteria and other pathogens.

 

Sterilizer

Capacity - 15 Quarts (Liquid)

Overall Height - 12 1/4 inches

Bottom Height - 7 3/4 inches

Inside Diameter - 12 5/8 inches

 

Canner

Capacity - 15 1/2 Quarts (Liquid), 10 Pint Jars, 7 Quart Jars

Inside diameter - 12 5/8 inches

Inside Height - 7 1/2 inches

Overall Length - 15 1/2 inches

Overall Height - 12 1/2 inches

 

 

Nerd if I remember my math correctly the I915-X and the 915 are pretty close to the same size according the All American Canner website

 

 

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Originally Posted By: mommato3boys
Nerd if I remember my math correctly the I915-X and the 915 are pretty close to the same size according the All American Canner website

Not an issue with me. The statement comes from a direct quote from the referenced website.
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Originally Posted By: mommato3boys
...Now you have me curious. I am going to ask hubby to check with the guy he works with that works part-time at the tatoo place to find out for me...


lol. It's good to be curious, one learns things that way! happy02
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