HELP w/Weight for pressure canner

[Peg]

Evergreen

I have a weighted canner. Generally, I leave it sit over night to be sure all of the pressure is out, BUT, you can wait for a while (a couple hours) and try to jiggle the weight with a knife or some other untensil (we don't want burnt fingers). You have to be very, very careful when you do that, because if the weight comes off and you still had pressure in there. The quick depressurization(sp?) will suck all of the juice out of your jars.

Good Luck and Be Careful.

[Peg]

P.S.

If there is still pressure in the canner the weight will hiss when you jiggle the weight.

[WormGuy]

Even tho my guage reads zero, I take my jar lifter and grasp the weight and carefully give it a twist to the side. If there is any pressure I will hear it and let it sit for another 10 minutes or so beefore I check it again.

 

 

 

John

[Jeepers]

After about an hour, I nudge my weight to make sure there is no more pressure in the canner too. If it 'spppppps' any at all I wait a while and nudge again. After no more 'sppppping' I remove the weight and wait about a half an hour to make real sure. At that point I know it isn't dangerous to remove the lid but I don't want to chance any steam in there that would suck out some of the liquid from my jars or pop a lid. Also remember it will be hot and steamy in there so be sure to remove the lid AWAY from you.

[Evergreen]

Thanks so much for all your great answers to my many questions!!!

 

I must have gotten the weight back on in time -because there is liquid in all of my jars -up to the same head space I poured it to start with.

 

All are sealed. I washed them up this morning and I will try and get a picture this afternoon! They are so pretty!

 

We also ate some that I did not can last night for supper (I added a can of tomatoes and the fresh mushrooms). Mmmmmm Very hardy meal with some homemade bread. I feel like I put up some hardy, healthy preps yesterday!

 

OK- one more question now-so maybe next time I wont have to run back and forth between the computer and the kitchen-

 

The instructions say to add 2-3 inches of water -but after I added my jars that became 4-6 inches of water - should I bail it out to make it 2-3 inches with the jars in there???? TIA

[Darlene]

I don't bail out any water, I just put 2-3" in before I add the jars and wherever the water level goes, it goes to.

[Virginia]

My 2 gauge canners have overpressure plugs that have little indicators that drop down when the pressure if totally down. If a non-gauge canner had that type of plug, shouldn't that work?

[Evergreen]

Originally Posted By: Virginia

My 2 gauge canners have overpressure plugs that have little indicators that drop down when the pressure if totally down. If a non-gauge canner had that type of plug, shouldn't that work?

hmmmm my canner lid has two things that look like they could be waht you are talking about -but I did not see the one move at all and the other is under than handle so only visable when the lid is off- but it does move... Does that make any sense???

I have to work today- but I will get some pictures of my lid and see if you ladies can help me figute somethin out.

I do want to can safely - I am still eyeing the AA's but know I could better spend the $$$ elseware if my canner is OK. At the same time I do not want to blow up or get my family sick. (DS looked at me really funny when I instructed him to hop out the back window if he heard something blow up in the kitchen while I was canning yesterday LOL)

My canner seems in good shape but is an older hand-me-down from my boss. It is a Mirro M-0512 12 quart.

[GinnyB]

If I didn't have a dial gauge, I would wait about 30 minutes and then gently START to remove the weighted piece. If there is still a lot of hissing, it's not depressurized enough and you have to give it more time. When my canner is depressurized, there is hardly any hissing at all upon removal of the weighted piece.

 

Ginny

[Violet]

Jars of food should not be left in the canner all night. Bacteria can start growing in the jars because the food stays too hot in there. They need to be removed 10 min. after the pressure is gone.

(Here is the new info:When the jars have been processed in boiling water for the recommended time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars.” For pressure canning, the recommended holding time was two minutes. Now the recommendation is to wait ten minutes.

 

 

Here is the specific instruction: “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.”)

 

 

 

Especially in tomato products, there is a bacteria than can grow and ruin your food if you leave them in the canner.

 

Virginia, I think you are talking about the metal thing that pops up ? That is the lid lock. I have 2 Presto canners that have that feature.

 

I would have to look it up, but there is a guide that tells approx. how long it takes to depressurize a pressure canner.

 

Yes, put in 2-3 inches of water, then add your jars.

Won't matter how high it goes up from there. You just need to be sure you don't run out of water during canning.

 

[KimMC]

On my weighted canners I turn off the heat when the time is up. The weight will slowly stop jiggling, then you will hear a hissing noise. When that has completely stopped I take a pair of tongs or a jar lifter and softly tap the weight if all the pressure has gone it will not hiss. If it's done take the weight off and if not let it sit a little longer.

Also most canners will have a pressure button (often red) on the lid. When the canner has pressure it will be up level with the lid, when it's not it will be sunken down.

My canners seem to take an hour or less to depressurize.

 

[Evergreen]

Mine took a little less than an hour to depresurize- actually about 45 minutes.

 

"Also most canners will have a pressure button (often red) on the lid. When the canner has pressure it will be up level with the lid, when it's not it will be sunken down."

 

I have a button on my lid bout it did not move. I poste a picture of it on a thread called 'Beef Stew & canner lid' -can you take a look at it-

 

My main question is - Is it dangerious it the button does not move? and is the button visable from the outside of lid a pressure button????

[Violet]

I have no idea what "red button" is being talked about. No red button on the ones I have seen. I test a lot of canner gauges, too.

I wonder what brand that is with the red button ?

Evergreen, yours looks fine. The stem for the weight, and the overpressure plug. On the bottom,looks like a lid lock when it heats up, it locks.

You don't need a red button.