baymule
Garden Master
Wow! I am so impressed with MEN that can and help their wives! Way to go Jared77!! 
pressure canner
- Thread starter bj taylor
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Ridgerunner
Garden Master
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While we are on the topic, how about discussing what other equipment you probably need. Im sure others will help out with what I miss.
I really like my 12 quart stainless steel stock pot. Its the most expensive thing Im going to list. I like the stainless steel because acidic things like tomato juice can absorb metal from an aluminum pot. My pressure canner can handle 18 pints so this 12 quart pot really works well for the hot packing method.
A funnel to fill the jars. It not only makes it a lot easier to fill the jars without spilling the stuff, it helps keep the threads and jar top clean.
Also a decent ladle for filling the jars. I dont like this one because the handle is too heavy. It makes it top-heavy so it falls out of bowls.
I suggest this type of jar lifter. Its all you need to handle the jars. Anything else is unnecessary.
I use a small sauce pan with boiling water to put the lids in to soften the rubber and use a small salad fork to get the lids out to keep from burning my fingers. You can get a magnetic lifter to do this but Ive never bothered.
I use a soup spoon for fine adjustments in how much goes in the jar.
To measure the headspace I use a 6 plastic ruler, the kind young school kids use. I made a mistake in this and got a dark green one. The dark color makes hard to read the marks. Ive been looking for a really light one such as yellow or white with black marks but havent been able to find one.
To get out the air bubbles I started using a plastic chopstick but that did not work really well with chunky things like green beans or pickles. I now use a small plastic knife like you get at a fast food joint. It slides down the inside of the jar really well.
I use two trivets, one for the sauce pan with hot water and one for the stock pot with the stuff to be canned. A trick there. Take the stock pot off the cook top eye and put it on the counter when you start to fill the jars. This keeps your stovetop a lot cleaner.
A piece of cloth to wipe off the top of the jar and the threads before I put the lids and rings on.
A kitchen timer so I know how long it takes.
OK folks what am I forgetting? What else do you use?
I really like my 12 quart stainless steel stock pot. Its the most expensive thing Im going to list. I like the stainless steel because acidic things like tomato juice can absorb metal from an aluminum pot. My pressure canner can handle 18 pints so this 12 quart pot really works well for the hot packing method.
A funnel to fill the jars. It not only makes it a lot easier to fill the jars without spilling the stuff, it helps keep the threads and jar top clean.
Also a decent ladle for filling the jars. I dont like this one because the handle is too heavy. It makes it top-heavy so it falls out of bowls.
I suggest this type of jar lifter. Its all you need to handle the jars. Anything else is unnecessary.
I use a small sauce pan with boiling water to put the lids in to soften the rubber and use a small salad fork to get the lids out to keep from burning my fingers. You can get a magnetic lifter to do this but Ive never bothered.
I use a soup spoon for fine adjustments in how much goes in the jar.
To measure the headspace I use a 6 plastic ruler, the kind young school kids use. I made a mistake in this and got a dark green one. The dark color makes hard to read the marks. Ive been looking for a really light one such as yellow or white with black marks but havent been able to find one.
To get out the air bubbles I started using a plastic chopstick but that did not work really well with chunky things like green beans or pickles. I now use a small plastic knife like you get at a fast food joint. It slides down the inside of the jar really well.
I use two trivets, one for the sauce pan with hot water and one for the stock pot with the stuff to be canned. A trick there. Take the stock pot off the cook top eye and put it on the counter when you start to fill the jars. This keeps your stovetop a lot cleaner.
A piece of cloth to wipe off the top of the jar and the threads before I put the lids and rings on.
A kitchen timer so I know how long it takes.
OK folks what am I forgetting? What else do you use?
Jared77
Garden Addicted
We have dollar store hot mitts & hot pads for canning. We even labelled them with a permanent marker that says canning on them so we know. They will get abused. Things will drip on them, and will be a nightmare to remove so we don't bother. We have a dedicated set that gets packed away with our canning supplies.
We always have extras on hand of things like salt, pickle crisp, fruit saver, http://www.freshpreserving.com/products/pickling.aspx#granules for the other ingredients, we always have extra pectin on hand, http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/ball-wide-mouth-jar-storage-caps-set-of-8/shop/383318/ are white plastic jars that screw on so once you open something you can store it easier. They also make a regular mouth ones as well. They are dishwasher safe too. Great for once the jars are open, we just save the ring, toss the lid and screw the white lids on into the fridge they go. We have both sizes and we use them a lot. I think it helps the life expectancy of the canning rings but that's just us.
Thank you Bay I help eat it, so I help make it.
We always have extras on hand of things like salt, pickle crisp, fruit saver, http://www.freshpreserving.com/products/pickling.aspx#granules for the other ingredients, we always have extra pectin on hand, http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/ball-wide-mouth-jar-storage-caps-set-of-8/shop/383318/ are white plastic jars that screw on so once you open something you can store it easier. They also make a regular mouth ones as well. They are dishwasher safe too. Great for once the jars are open, we just save the ring, toss the lid and screw the white lids on into the fridge they go. We have both sizes and we use them a lot. I think it helps the life expectancy of the canning rings but that's just us.
Thank you Bay I help eat it, so I help make it.
so lucky
Garden Master
bj, unless your ceramic cooktop came with warnings about using a canner, you can probably use it. I can on mine with no problems. There is a website that tells which cooktops are safe/unsafe for canners. I don't remember the name; just google "pressure canner on ceramic cooktop" and you will probably find it.bj taylor said:
Also, depending on your age and physical strength, sometimes the "biggest and best" is not best for you. I chose a 7 quart canner, a Presto, because I am not particularly strong and didn't want to lug around a huge canner. Since I am retired, I won't be using it for 50 years, and I have no daughters to leave it to, so couldn't justify paying top price for an All American. And this size canner works on the ceramic cooktop. Yes, you will have to keep an eye on the gauge, but a canner makes enough noise that you are not likely to forget it is there, so it is not an issue with me.
Everyone has their own reasons for the type they purchase. All valid for their situation.
- Thread starter
- #15
bj taylor
Garden Ornament
gosh, incredible information! ridgerunner, thanks so much for broadening the topic. there is a wealth of info there that i didn't know to ask about. i bought a "kit" that came w/some of the ideas. the chopsticks & plastic knife are so great. i'm going to be looking for that ruler - not green 
i like the idea of items like the hot pad being dedicated to the canning so they're stored & they don't have to be pretty. that's a good one.
so lucky; i am not so strong anymore either. neither will i be passing this along. neither will i be using it for 50 yrs - not even 20, so perhaps i need to think more closely about the canner's size. i love the idea of big - and i will get the biggest i can - but i'm going to test them out in the store and see how they feel.
i do think i will be using it on my turkey fryer outside. i can't imagine putting that heat into the house.
thank y'all so much. it's great that i can learn from you and simply side step some of the issues because you taught me ahead of time. love that
i like the idea of items like the hot pad being dedicated to the canning so they're stored & they don't have to be pretty. that's a good one. so lucky; i am not so strong anymore either. neither will i be passing this along. neither will i be using it for 50 yrs - not even 20, so perhaps i need to think more closely about the canner's size. i love the idea of big - and i will get the biggest i can - but i'm going to test them out in the store and see how they feel.
i do think i will be using it on my turkey fryer outside. i can't imagine putting that heat into the house.
thank y'all so much. it's great that i can learn from you and simply side step some of the issues because you taught me ahead of time. love that
Jared77
Garden Addicted
Don't forget you have the water that goes into the canner/bather too. At just over 8lbs per gallon that adds up too. Pressure canners don't need nearly as much water but the water bath canners do. Thing to think about too his how much your making/using. Do you need to seal quart sized jars? Or would pints be easier and less waste? If you do use quart sized jars, how many are you going to realistically use?
Just trying to help you think it through. Id hate to see you get something you can't effectively use, or is too much hassle because its so big and cumbersome. Or going through all the work just to toss out a portion of something because its going to go bad before you can eat/use it all.
My house has a young growing family that burns through supplies. We literally pick and process over 50+lbs of strawberries alone. We'll pick roughly that much for each kind of berry we pick and that's just berries. Not to mention the 5 gallon buckets of tomatoes I harvest a couple times a week throughout the summer, and beans lots and lots of beans, and everything else we grow and process. When we can we make A LOT but then we go through A LOT too.
We have the biggest canners we could find because we'll cover just about every surface in the kitchen including putting up folding tables to hold jars as they cool. Its a work out when we do it but then we're stocked.
But when it becomes just my wife and I, we will probably pass along our current big canner to someone in the famliy who needs to make big batches and downgrade to a smaller set up since we won't be eating as much or putting up that much.
Just something else to think about after reading your last post.
Just trying to help you think it through. Id hate to see you get something you can't effectively use, or is too much hassle because its so big and cumbersome. Or going through all the work just to toss out a portion of something because its going to go bad before you can eat/use it all.
My house has a young growing family that burns through supplies. We literally pick and process over 50+lbs of strawberries alone. We'll pick roughly that much for each kind of berry we pick and that's just berries. Not to mention the 5 gallon buckets of tomatoes I harvest a couple times a week throughout the summer, and beans lots and lots of beans, and everything else we grow and process. When we can we make A LOT but then we go through A LOT too.
We have the biggest canners we could find because we'll cover just about every surface in the kitchen including putting up folding tables to hold jars as they cool. Its a work out when we do it but then we're stocked.
But when it becomes just my wife and I, we will probably pass along our current big canner to someone in the famliy who needs to make big batches and downgrade to a smaller set up since we won't be eating as much or putting up that much.
Just something else to think about after reading your last post.
baymule
Garden Master
I use a pair of tongs to fish the rings/lids out of the boiling hot water I soak them in. You probably already have some of those.
