There appears to be a very short list of SAFE tested and generally approved DIGITAL pressure canning devices currently available for purchase; Three (four if you count two brands effectively as one) is a short list indeed, compared to the ‘analog’ options available.
Per Amazon- “Presto Precise Digital Pressure Canner 120 volts AC, 1485 watts Liquid Capacity: 12 quarts (11. 4 liters)”
Currently $292 Amazon.com
“Instant Pot Max 6 Quart Multi-use Electric Pressure Cooker with 15psi Pressure Cooking, Sous Vide, Auto Steam Release Control and Touch Screen”
Used like new currently $124 Amazon.com
And finally, the Nesco/Carey DPC-9SS Smart Electric Pressure Cooker and Canner, Stainless Steel, 9.5 Qt
Currently $104 (30 day low price) Amazon.com
And for reference- the analog All American 1930: 10.5qt Pressure Cooker/Canner (The 910) - Exclusive Metal-to-Metal Sealing System - Easy to Open & Close - Suitable for Gas, Electric, or Flat Top Stoves - Made in the USA Currently $340 Amazon.com
Is there something I’m missing that the automated tools are more affordable than the All American? I assume it’s American made and the others are not. Other cheaper options exist for analog options, but from my minimal research the above appears to be the standard.
No thanks, electronics on these types of cookers/canners usually wear out (we had a cooker do that, forget the brand, didn’t last 5 years). Plus the capacity on those shown isn’t very high, so you can’t process a lot of quart jars.
We’ve used this canner (Presto 16qt) for 9 years, run hundreds of jars thru it, no issues. Nothing to break or even calibrate, just a weighted bobber to deal with. You can still get one under $100 at Walmart.
All American canners are very nice, but I’d rather not have to deal with the gauges which have to be calibrated periodically, and I think the bobber type one we use is easier to monitor. You just have to listen for the “pish-pish” sound to know it’s working.
The Instant Pot listed is a cooker only, not a canner. We have a similar one, it was a Pioneer Woman brand we got from Walmart as well. We bought it 2 years ago, still works.
Hubby bought me a Presto Precise this summer. I haven’t used it yet, waiting for the weather to cool off some.
I’m excited about it. The regular pressure canners aren’t great on glass cooktops from what I’ve heard & this will allow me to do my canning outdoors on my porch & keep all the heat OUT of my house when I do that.
That’s true of the cheapo brands that stormed the markets a decade ago.
The pressure cooker shown above is our 2nd, but the 1st of the Zavor brand. The 1st lasted 7 years with replacement of seals, but then the manufacturer stopped producing them and the copy-cat seals only lasted a half year.
I chose this model because you can choose the high pressure cook time. This is important for the varying requirements of different fruits and foods.
Well, we had a Farberware pressure cooker, so it probably wasn’t the best quality. Instant Pots are supposed to be better, so we’ll see. I do like pressure cookers, makes cooking meats a breeze.
love my gourmia insta pot. like you Bob i prefer the old style pressure cookers for canning. all my grandmother ever used. i got mine from T.S.C for $100 3 years ago. think its a 10qt. i bought a turkey fryer propane burner to heat it. i do it outside or in the garage so it doesn’t heat up the house. also comes to temp. faster than other heat sources I’ve used.
This was kind of my final cost benefit analysis for getting the Carey. I don’t want to crack the expensive induction cook top on the stove I just bought, and being able to set up outside on the porch instead of steaming up the whole house is desirable.
Speaking to the safety aspect- I am hopeful that a product designed for a specific purpose would achieve that purpose, and it does have plenty of positive feedback on Amazon.
If I wasn’t trying to remove myself from the fossil fuel game on principal at this point, I likely would’ve gone the turkey roaster burner route myself. Definitely effective, just not what I was hoping for. I’m surprised by the price discrepancy between the Carey/Nesco vs the Presto Precise. You can almost buy 3 of the Carey for the price of one Presto. Maybe the Presto was first to market and that’s why they charge a premium? Who knows…
With the Carey, 4 quarts per batch seems reasonable, and if I grabbed more, I could always stagger my work to improve efficiency.
I picked up an Instant Pot Duo for very cheap on a black Friday sale last year. I’ve only used it for yogurt and one “crock pot” meal so far but it is a very nice piece of equipment. Being able to push a button and come back to dinner is nice (similar to the crock pot). I’m hoping for a similar situation with the canning because I don’t have the time with work and a growing family to wait around and monitor for hours. That’s my main concern going the tried and true ‘analog’ route.
We have an Instant Pot and it’s the most used appliance in our home. I think for pressure canning you might need a stove top pressure cooker with various weight options.
I have an Instant Pot 8 Qt I use in the winter, and I believe they even have a 10 Qt model. While I love it, I would never can with it. (Keep in mind Instant Brands has filed Bankruptcy and is restructuring). For low acid canning I use a Presto similar to Steve’s, but I haven’t canned low acid stuff in a few years preferring to freeze.
To be honest, @subdood_ky_z6b setup is the best bang for buck. My mother canned with a presto almost exactly like that for 50 years. The last 10 or so on a glass cooktop, no problems.
However, I have trust issues. And I’m not sure I’m smart enough to get the pish pish timing right & not end up with botulism or 'sploded canner load.
When I was a kiddo, in the 70’s, my grandmother canned on a setup almost exactly like that in the pic. And, once upon a time a load of green beans blew up. Thankfully she was out of the kitchen just then, but oh my what a mess. When we were cleaning/painting their house to sell it in the mid noughts, we took off the crown moulding in the kitchen (it had been painted over after the ‘accident’) to strip it and make it ‘nicer’ looking. I found fossilized green beans behind the moulding.
I’m just a big chicken for that kind of thing. If it could go wrong I would assuredly be the very one to do that. So I prefer that to be outside
And so outside it is. Along with all the heat from that. I put my ball electric canner out there too along with the dehydrator. In MS it gets hellish early and stays that way till Halloween, sometimes later. I try to give my a/c all the advantages I can & baby that thing!
I prefer the ‘eye’ cooktop, TBH, I feel like the glass cooktop holds me hostage to $1000 every time I cook. But it’s what was in the house so…any replacement will be an ‘eye’ cooktop.
im planning to get rid of my glass top range and install a propane one because its so much easier to control the heat on it and for my uses its better. plus electric has gone through the roof and im trying to eliminate as my high usage appliances i can. my brother has one and pays alot less for electricity even at his hunting lodge. also in a pinch you could heat the house if you lost power. so far i had to replace 2 heat control knobs on my glass top as it would go automatically to high no matter where it was set. what a pain to find the right parts. had to send the 1st ones back.
The whole point of this thread is specific digital pressure cookers which should be able to pressure can. Only the instant pot max is capable from that brand (which is currently bankrupt based on my understanding). There is disagreement about the instant pot being safe.
I’m a KISS kind of person. I have 2 all american pressure canners (emphasize that they are made for canning) with one that holds 7 quarts and a smaller for 3 quarts. I also have an older pressure cooker for cooking. All work fine with any heat source. I’ve used them on gas burners and electric stoves. I have a rice cooker and half a dozen other kinds of electric cookers for various purposes. Most are rarely used. My canners are used weekly during garden season.
