"Cooking Under Pressure"

"Read why the All American Pressure Canner Cooker is Rated the Best"
 

I come from a family with a long tradition of canning home grown produce.  My father grew an amazing array of produce, in fact, way too much for us to use as a family and so what my mother didn't can, we gave away to neighbors and friends.

 

My mother would take the excess vegetables and fruits and can them in her large canning pressure cooker.  In the beginning she used a water bath for her preserving, but then she was introduced to the benefits of using a pressure canner cooker and from then on no suitable item of food was safe.

 

Now she was able to also can chicken and meat as well as vegetable and non-acid fruits. So our larder was always full of wonderful food that could be used in an instant and nothing ever went to waste or got freezer burn. Another wonderful feature of canning is that you can quickly and easily turn inexpensive cuts of meat into tasty meals. quickly and easily.

 

I was talking to my daughter, who is a great cook, about the benefits of canning when we were discussing the bountiful amount of beans and potatoes and various other vegetables and fruit that her garden had produced this year.  As I recounted the story of my mother to her I began to think that this might be a good time to look into purchasing a pressure canner/cooker for her.  After all I still have my mothers. However, after doing my research I brought a new one for myself and I am absolutely thrilled with it.
 

"Where did my research take me"


The first to decide on is the size.  This will depend on how much canning you intend to do and how big your family is especially if you intend to use your canner simply as a pressure cooker.

 

Next thing to consider is the material.  Pressure cookers are available in Stainless Steel and Aluminum.   If you choose stainless steel be sure it has an aluminum or copper base to ensure that the cooker has even heating.  Stainless steel has the advantage of being durable and looking nice but it does not conduct heat very well when used on its own.

 

If you are considering an aluminum pressure cooker, then go for the heavy cast aluminum which will give you good service.

 

Things I was looking for in a Pressure Cooker/Canner
 

  Automatic pressure release
  Pressure Gauge is easy to read
  Does not require rubber seals or gaskets

 

So which Pressure Canner/Cooker made the grade?
 

After very careful consideration I decided on the All American Pressure Canner/Cooker which is made in Wisconsin, US. This cooker/canner has all the features I was looking for. It was also rated extremely well on Amazon.


I chose the 21 quart size because I know that my daughter will find this size the most useful for canning her excess produce and as she entertains a lot it will also be ideal for cooking up delicious meals for her family and friends. This size canner also suits me as it means I can have produce on the shelf for use when it is out of season.

 

I was so excited when my All American Pressure Canner arrived and couldn't wait to start using it. We didn't have anything on hand at that particular time to can, so we went out and brought 10lbs of tomatoes to make the Tomato Sauce recipe from the manual that comes with Canner. This sauce is ideal to use as a sauce for Spaghetti, it's very tasty.

 

As you can see from the photos the tomatoes were vine ripened and  along with the red bell pepper and celery, all the vegetables were in peak condition.

 

Let's Take a Look in More Detail

 

What's in the Box?
 

It includes the pressure cooker, instruction manual and cooking instructions.

 

What Sizes are Available?
 

10½-Quart 15½-Quart 25-Quart 30-Quart 41½-Quart


How Much Should You Pay?

The price you pay will depend upon the size of the pressure cooker/canner that you buy, and the prices range from $179 to $455 accordingly. We found the best price at Amazon.

What is it Made of?

These pressure cookers/canners are made from heavy duty, hand cast aluminum which has a rather attractive, easy to clean satin finish.
The top handle is made from sturdy Bakelite.

Tell me about the Pressure Gauge

The All American pressure cooker has a geared steam gauge with an automatic overpressure release. There are three pressure settings of 5 psi, 10 psi, and 15 psi (psi = pounds per square inch or pound force per square inch).

The pressure gauge is easy to read.

How is the Lid Attached?

The lid attaches securely to the base using sturdy screws.

The All American Pressure Canner Cooker is the only pressure canner to feature an exclusive, precision machined 'metal-to-metal' sealing system. Each canner has positive action clamping locks that align the lid to the base and this forms a steam tight seal. And the beauty of this system is that you don't have to worry about replacing worn out gaskets.

Features of Each Pressure Cooker - How Much Does it Measure and Weigh?

10½ quart

- holds 7 pint jars or 4 quart jars
- measures 11¾ inches overall with 10¼-inch inside diameter
- includes 1 rack
- weighs 11½
- shipping weight: 15 pounds

15½ quart

- holds 10 pint jars or 7 quart jars
- measures 12¼ inches overall with 12¼-inch inside diameter
- includes 1 rack
- weighs 18 pounds
- shipping weight: 21 pounds

21½ quart  - This is the one we brought

- holds 19 pint jars or 7 quart jars
- measures 15⅜ inches high with 12¼-inch inside diameter
- includes 2 racks
- weighs 17¾ pounds
- shipping weight: 25 pounds

25 quart

- holds 19 pint jars or 7 quart jars
- measures 16¾ inches high with 12¼-inch inside diameter
- includes 2 racks
- weighs 18¼
-shipping weight 24 pounds

This pressure cooker/canner is not suitable for glass or flat top ranges.

30 quart

- holds 19 pint jars or 14 quart jars
- measures 19 inches high with 12¼-inch inside diameter
- weighs 21¼ pounds
- shipping weight: 28 pounds

This pressure cooker/canner is not suitable for glass or flat top ranges.

41½ quart

- holds 32 pint jars or 19 quart jars
- measures 19 inches high with 15¼-inch inside diameter
- weighs 33 pounds
- shipping weight: 40 pounds

This pressure cooker/canner is not suitable for glass or flat top ranges.
Where Can I Get the Best Price?

As always we found that Amazon has the best deal.

Read More --> All American Pressure Canner/Cooker
 

 

 

 

New to the World of Pressure Cooking and Canning!!!

Getting started is always the hardest part and All American realize this so they have put together the All American pressure cooker instruction and recipe book which will get you started on your new hobby.  And that is exactly what it will become once you start.

Nothing will be safe in the garden, you will find yourself picking, processing and pressure cooking fruit and vegetables just for the sheer pleasure of using your canner.

How Do Pressure Cookers Work?

If you have never previously used a pressure cooker you may like to know how a pressure cooker works.

What a  Pressure cookers  does is use the chemical properties of water to help food cook more quickly.  At sea level, water can only heat up to 100° C (212° F) before it boils, transforming into steam. 

However, if the water is under pressure, the temperature needed to make it boil increases.  Pressure cookers work by cranking up the pressure on water so that it can become hotter, and cook food more quickly. This also means that the higher heat will kill any bacteria far better than the old water bath method of preserving.

Are Pressure Cookers Safe?


Yes they most certainly are providing you follow the manufacturers instructions. Over the years there have been horror stories about exploding pressure cookers - I even have a story of my own which was a disaster that resulted from my own stupidity and was in no way the fault of the pressure cooker. 

 

I was having dinner guests over and had a couple of chickens in the pressure cooker. I was running out of time and want to add the veggies but instead of waiting for the pressure to reduce I forced the lid off the base. Well the lid flew out of my hand and sailed around the kitchen, bouncing off the wall onto the floor, the food was left dripping from the walls and the ceiling.  Consequently we didn't have chicken for dinner.  As I say it was my own fault and had I followed the manufacturers instructions and simply run cold water over the lid until the pressure reduced as recommended for the particular pressure cooker that I had- all would have been well. And yes I did have the pressure gauge tested after this incident.

 

Things have changed since then and pressure cookers are so much safer than they used to be. As long as you follow the manufacturers instructions you shouldn't have a problem.

 

Photos of me with my All America Pressure Canner