Need some Serious advice, . . . info

[Dwight55]

I'm at a quandry, . . . hoping for some experience or super knowledge.

I'm a retired sailor, . . . but went yard sailing yesterday (or is that yard saleing???), . . . found several things. Among them were 4 each large mouth quart jars for a buck apiece, . . . with lids, . . . and a box of 36 pint jars, . . . got them for a quarter each. Also got an almost brand new Presto 6 quart pressure cooker.

The pressure cooker book says it cooks at 15 lbs pressure with a "rocker", . . . no gauge.

I have always canned my meat at 10-11 pounds, . . . and it has always been good.

Out on the "official" USDA or some such alphabet outfit, . . . they said not to use these cookers, . . . they would not get the food up to the right temperature.

Yet 15 lbs pressure is 250 degrees, . . . 15 degrees higher than the 10-11 pounds I can at on my gauge canner.

Anyone got any real insight into this????

I'm really wanting to use this little guy as it holds 4 pints really nicely, . . . and would be just the thing for short runs on this or that from the garden, . . . but I also do not want to put myself and my family at risk.

Anyone????

May God bless,
Dwight

[hag]

I have a couple prestos but the only meat we really can with it is old laying hens. Ours came with two weights that you put on the jiggler. Think each one adds five pounds but I'm not sure. Wish my wife was here to ask for sure. Anyway lots of chicken canned and no food poisoning yet. Knock on wood

[RubberDuck]

Hawg an I both have a weighted pressure cooker those are the best as gauges fail.
Use recommend weight put pressure cooker on heat till your pressure valve pops when you see steam put your weight on. now keep close eye on it you want a steady even ch ch ch ch like a train .
might e some vids but hawg is more experienced with it then I am

[hag]

I have a couple prestos but the only meat we really can with it is old laying hens. Ours came with two weights that you put on the jiggler. Think each one adds five pounds but I'm not sure. Wish my wife was here to ask for sure. Anyway lots of chicken canned and no food poisoning yet. Knock on wood

[hawgrider]

I'm at a quandry, . . . hoping for some experience or super knowledge.

I'm a retired sailor, . . . but went yard sailing yesterday (or is that yard saleing???), . . . found several things. Among them were 4 each large mouth quart jars for a buck apiece, . . . with lids, . . . and a box of 36 pint jars, . . . got them for a quarter each. Also got an almost brand new Presto 6 quart pressure cooker.

The pressure cooker book says it cooks at 15 lbs pressure with a "rocker", . . . no gauge.

I have always canned my meat at 10-11 pounds, . . . and it has always been good.

Out on the "official" USDA or some such alphabet outfit, . . . they said not to use these cookers, . . . they would not get the food up to the right temperature.

Yet 15 lbs pressure is 250 degrees, . . . 15 degrees higher than the 10-11 pounds I can at on my gauge canner.

Anyone got any real insight into this????

I'm really wanting to use this little guy as it holds 4 pints really nicely, . . . and would be just the thing for short runs on this or that from the garden, . . . but I also do not want to put myself and my family at risk.

Anyone????

May God bless,
Dwight




http://theoutdoortradingpost.com/showthread.php?1513-Canned-Venison-Hawg-s-way
pints 75 minutes at 10 lbs pressure. *Let pressure drop on its own .*

If you do quart size jars cook for 90 minutes at 10 lbs pressure


I have a presto 16 qt weighted gage pressure canner each ring or washer is 5lbs additional pressure. There should be 2 thick rings or washers. With the 2 washers and the jiggler its 15 lbs take one off its 10 lbs with both washers off the jiggler its 5 lbs

I have heard like you that some pressure cookers don't cut the mustard.
But some of those are canner/cookers so I think I would hit prestos website and see what they recommend.

[OSFG]

I have a presto 16 qt weighted gage pressure canner each ring or washer is 5lbs additional pressure. There should be 2 thick rings or washers. With the 2 washers and the jiggler its 15 lbs take one off its 10 lbs with both washers off the jiggler its 5 lbs

I have heard like you that some pressure cookers don't cut the mustard.
But some of those are canner/cookers so I think I would hit prestos website and see what they recommend.
I have nothing to add on the how's and if of this question...just a bit of lessons learned....

I had to help treat an 8 year old girl whose face was charred black from a pressure cooker exploding.... her face looked like a black mask. Those things are not something to mess around experimenting with...that's what I learned...
Be safe always....good luck.

[hawgrider]

I have nothing to add on the how's and if of this question...just a bit of lessons learned....

I had to help treat an 8 year old girl whose face was charred black from a pressure cooker exploding.... her face looked like a black mask. Those things are not something to mess around experimenting with...that's what I learned...
Be safe always....good luck.The old ones can be a bomb. The newer ones have a rubber safety pressure release so if things go bad the rubber pops out and releases the pressue. Yeah there were a lot of horror storys with the old ones and misuse.

One of the more common storys was while doing navy beans the would plug the port the jiggler sits on and then the beans hit the ceiling.

[Dwight55]

I have a presto 16 qt weighted gage pressure canner each ring or washer is 5lbs additional pressure. There should be 2 thick rings or washers. With the 2 washers and the jiggler its 15 lbs take one off its 10 lbs with both washers off the jiggler its 5 lbs

I have heard like you that some pressure cookers don't cut the mustard.
But some of those are canner/cookers so I think I would hit prestos website and see what they recommend.

I've got one just like yours, . . . holds 7 quart jars and 8 or 9 pints, . . . depending on the shape of the jars.

It's the one I got for less than 30 bucks at an auction a couple years ago, . . . hadda buy the jiggler, . . . but still was less than half the store cost. I love it, . . . my wife loves it even more, . . . cause I'll get the canner going, . . . rest is up to her, . . . and she hates having to watch the gauge on the other one.

I sent off an email to Presto, . . . see what they say.

I was just looking for some hard reason not to use the little one, . . . cannot find one, . . . may have to give it a whirl.

May God bless,
Dwight

[hag]

I have nothing to add on the how's and if of this question...just a bit of lessons learned....

I had to help treat an 8 year old girl whose face was charred black from a pressure cooker exploding.... her face looked like a black mask. Those things are not something to mess around experimenting with...that's what I learned...
Be safe always....good luck.

Sound advice

[hawgrider]

I've got one just like yours, . . . holds 7 quart jars and 8 or 9 pints, . . . depending on the shape of the jars.

It's the one I got for less than 30 bucks at an auction a couple years ago, . . . hadda buy the jiggler, . . . but still was less than half the store cost. I love it, . . . my wife loves it even more, . . . cause I'll get the canner going, . . . rest is up to her, . . . and she hates having to watch the gauge on the other one.

I sent off an email to Presto, . . . see what they say.

I was just looking for some hard reason not to use the little one, . . . cannot find one, . . . may have to give it a whirl.

May God bless,
DwightYeah the weighted gage jigglers are the only way to go. The analog gage type technically the gauge is supposed to be tested every season to be absolutely sure its still accurate. The county extension service tests them for you in Mi.at least in my area.

Good Idea to email Presto. It may just be those new style electric pressure cookers are the ones that dont cut the mustard.

Is the cooker you just found stove top or electric?

[Inor]

I've got one just like yours, . . . holds 7 quart jars and 8 or 9 pints, . . . depending on the shape of the jars.

It's the one I got for less than 30 bucks at an auction a couple years ago, . . . hadda buy the jiggler, . . . but still was less than half the store cost. I love it, . . . my wife loves it even more, . . . cause I'll get the canner going, . . . rest is up to her, . . . and she hates having to watch the gauge on the other one.

I sent off an email to Presto, . . . see what they say.

I was just looking for some hard reason not to use the little one, . . . cannot find one, . . . may have to give it a whirl.

May God bless,
Dwight

Pop the gauge off the pressure cooker and fit a rubber hose into the hole where the gauge was. Run the other end of the hose into a 8 - 12" diameter 4 or 6 foot long PVC pipe. Cap the ends of the PVC and drill a 1/2" hole near edge on one end. Lay the PVC on its side with hole near the bottom and angle it slightly up on the opposite end. Fill the PVC with fine hardwood cut into 1/8" thick strips. Fill the pressure cooker with some water and fire it up to a good hot boil. Let it go for about 45 minutes or an hour. Then quickly take out the wood and make some nice steam bent wooden hat boxes.