MamaHill Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Hi Canning Ladies! I have finally gotten started canning this year. (Late I know, but I have a new baby...). And I am also new to canning. I canned a couple of cannerfuls in Summer of 2007 and then one cannerful of green beans last week. And that's all so far. My question: I have a 23-qt Presto Canner that has a dial. I had it tested a few weeks ago and it was 2 pounds off. So instead of canning at 10# of pressure, I can at 8 according to the county ext. office where it was tested. Why didn't they re-set it? So I just can at this from now on? I'm a little unsure how to proceed. Also, when I canned my pot of beans last week, my dial almost consistently stayed at 10# (it was supposed to be at 8) the whole 25 mins. I am canning on a flat-top stove and my canner was almost completely off the burner to keep it between 8 and 10. What should I have done? What happens if the pressure is too high? Still safe to eat? Okay, so maybe that was more than one question. I am canning some soup tomorrow, so any advice would be most appreciated. Thank you! Link to comment
Cricket Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I use an 18 Qt. Presto canner on a ceramic cooktop. The trick for me is to make sure there is enough water in the canner. a good three inches BEFORE putting the jars in. I have it at about 6 to keep it hot while adding the jars, then crank it to meduim high, about 8, to bring the pressure up, then once I start timing I turn the dial back to 4 and it stays right on the money at 10 pound the entire time. It is not good to have your canner off the burner. You risk breaking the glass cooktop. The Presto works for ceramic cooktops beause the bottom is configured to make contactr within the burner circle and keep the larger circumfrence of the canner up off the the cooktop. I also replaced the standard regulator with the three piece weighted regulator, so I never have to worry about the dial reading. I am so happy with it that I ordered an extra one for back up! Link to comment
MamaHill Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 Cricket - Thank you so much for getting back to me! I knew that my cooktop could crack, but I thought it was from it building up with heat from canning all day (having my top hot for a long time). I had NO IDEA I could crack it by sliding the canner halfway off the burner. Can't thank you enough for telling me! We are canning soup today, so I'll follow your directions and hopefully it will go better. I'll let you know! Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions. Link to comment
Cricket Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Stuff I learned from here and from experience: Also remember to vent the canner for a full ten minutes befor putting on the regulator. That means put the lid on, wait for steam to start coming out of the vent (you will hear the water beginning to boil in the canner) then time for a full 10 minutes. On my canner, about halfway through the venting time the little metal thingy pops up to indicate the pressure is building in the canner, and a more powerful vent of steam will come out of the vent pipe. After the ten minutes venting, put your regulator on, and wait for the canner to reach the proper pressure ( around five minutes, usually for me) , then the timing starts for whatever it is you are processing. When the time is up, turn off the burner. Do not move the canner! Let the pressure fall to zero. Takes about an hour. Then remove the regulator. Use a towel or pot holder so you don't get burned by a blast of steam. Wait ten minutes. Then take off the lid. Wait another five or ten minutes. This process aloows your jars to adjust to the pressure changes gradually, so you don't have too much siphoning. Now you can move your jars to a towel on the counter. Do not "tip" the jars when removing, even if there is water on top. The water will evaporate eventually. Let the jars rest undisturbed overnight. 24 hours is best. Resist the temptation to push on the lids, LOL! Don't panic if you don't hear a lot in pings. I find a lot of my jars are sealing in the canner in that last ten minutes of pressure step-down. Good luck with the soup! Link to comment
Violet Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 If you process at 10 that will be fine. They should have not told you to use 8, but 9, since you process at 11 lb. pressure in a dial gauge, not 10 ! I cannot believe they did not tell you that. Everyone at the extension office who tests gauges should know it is 11 lb. .... So, you did right. I agree, order the part 50332 if your canner is not real old and the weight set will fit. Then you just listen to the self venting weight and not have to worry about it. It will keep at the right pressure the whole time once you get it regulated. They can't reset the gauge. They are what they are. Link to comment
MamaHill Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 Thank y'all both for good advice. Now I've got bigger problems... I'll post in a new thread. Link to comment
ScrubbieLady Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Cricket, I got good advice from a friend about taking off the regulator/weight set. He uses a set of tongs. Long reach and no steaming of my arm from getting so close. Link to comment
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