Canning in Half Gallon Jars

Here at Pressure Cooker Outlet, we will be the first to admit that yes, it is sometimes hard to find a canner that will can in 1/2 gallon jars. So we did a little research for you:

The Mirro 22 quart Pressure Canner can hold four 1/2 gallon jars.

The Presto 23 Quart Pressure Canner can also hold four 1/2 gallon jars.

Have you had any experiences canning with 1/2 gallon jars? If so what works for you, what doesn't, and what tips and advice do you have for people looking to can in that size canning jar?

Canning Week 2011 with Ott, A & Mess Hall to Bistro

This year we are sponsoring a prize for Canning Week 2011. This event is ran by Ott, A (a Latte' with Ott, A) and Jen (From Mess Hall to Bistro). This is the 2nd year for Canning Week and it will be ran on their blogs from August 22-26, 2011.

There will be contests, prizes, sharing of recipes, and more. So be sure to visit From Mess Hall to Bistro and a Latte' with Ott, A to bookmark them and visit in August to participate in Canning Week.

And if you are curious as to which prize we will be supplying it is the Presto 7 Function Canning Kit:

Cooker vs. Canner Question

In our last blog post, Urban Gardens and Pressure Cooking, we had a commenter ask us a very important question:

OneOfTheseThingsIsNotLikeTheOthers said...

RE: "You can use a pressure canner for cooking, however you CANNOT use a pressure cooker for canning." Why not? Is it size? Or pressure?

We wanted to share our answer with all our blog readers for we feel that this is definitely something that everyone who is pressure canning and/or pressure cooking should know.

 One part of it is size (it would be very hard to fit certain jars in a cooker). However, from our experience, what information we can find, and customer stories, the main part of not being able to can in a pressure cooker is that the pressure cooker heats up and cools faster than a canner which does not allow adequate processing time for your cans to go through the proper process, which could ultimately lead to problems with botulism in your canned goods.

Hope this information helps anyone who was wondering about this rule of not canning in a pressure cooker.

Urban Gardens and Pressure Cooking

Wow, we've been seeing a lot of posts about Urban Gardening, Self sustainability, container gardening,  homesteading, and more! How exciting is it that people are getting back to earth and back to the basics? (Personally I feel that getting back to the basics is freeing in a sense).

So, what is the best way to prepare your hard worked for vegetables once they are ripe for the picking? (While raw veggies are awesome, sometimes you just want something cooked for a nice dinner) So if you want a quick way to cook them that preserves the most nutrients then I would suggest giving pressure cooking a try. There are a few different brands of pressure cookers out there and various sizes. There are also Pressure Canners. You can use a pressure canner for cooking, however you CANNOT use a pressure cooker for canning.

For what size cooker you should choose, well that depends on what your needs are, what size family you are cooking for (or if you are just cooking for 1 or 2), how much storage space you have, etc. The size cooker you will need lies with you. Though I will say that those of you who are brave enough to venture into the small house movement, you might want to stick with a smaller cooker like the Presto 4 qt. It is the smallest Presto Pressure cooker that we carry and would be easier to store than a larger one such as the Presto 8 qt.

For Pressure cooker recipes check out our previous blog post that lists 100 recipe links.