| Author | Content |
BDale60
Warren, PA
(Zone 5a)
August 24, 2007
07:40 AM Post #3893933
| Interesting article, Paul.
Can you say a little more about why you prefer a weight to a dial gauge? I assumed, as a newcomer to canning, that the dial gauge would give me a more precise reading on the pressure. When the gauge indicates the pressure is a little too high or a little too low, I can adjust the flame on my gas range accordingly. Is it possible to do the same thing with the weight? If so, how?
Thanks
|
paulgrow
Allen Park, MI
(Zone 6a)
August 24, 2007
07:50 AM Post #3893968
| Dial gauges need to be calibrated to ensure that they are accurate.
It they are dropped or struck accidentally they can become inaccurate.
Weighted gauges do not have that problem.
With weighted gauges you also adjust the burner on the stove. You want the gauges to “jiggle” or rock back and forth as the steam escapes
Paul |
melody
Benton, KY
(Zone 7a)
 August 24, 2007
09:22 AM Post #3894349
| I've always used a weighted gauge. Grew up with them...easy as pie.
By the way...great article Paul!! |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 24, 2007
10:28 AM Post #3894671
| I always use a weight. I would advise to always clear the pressure vent on the canner, or pressure cooker first before putting the weight on, especially if the utensil has been stored. Ive never used the dial guage.
Thanks, Paul, for your coverage in this article. Ive noticed several people in the forums who say they are afraid of pressure canners.
A pressure canner is not nearly as scary as a table saw. Both deserve your full concentration when you are using it. |
melody
Benton, KY
(Zone 7a)
August 24, 2007
10:38 AM Post #3894737
| Well said Gloria! |
paulgrow
Allen Park, MI
(Zone 6a)
August 24, 2007
10:38 AM Post #3894741
| Gloria
You are certainly correct, as long as you follow the instructions in the manual it is as safe as any other tool in the kitchen.
Paul |
melody
Benton, KY
(Zone 7a)
August 24, 2007
10:41 AM Post #3894763
| Been using a pressure cooker...and canner for as long as my memory goes back...I was an adult before I knew that folks were timid of them...
I could cook potato soup in the pressure cooker when I was 10 or 11...didn't know that there was any other way. |
BDale60
Warren, PA
(Zone 5a)
August 24, 2007
11:05 AM Post #3894895
| Speaking as a newcomer, I don't think it is necessarily "timidity" on my part. I've been reading a lot as I learn about canning (including the USDA and extension materials everybody raves about) and they constantly reinforce the dangers and pitfalls of canning. I didn't have a problem with pressure canning until I started reading about it. :) |
melody
Benton, KY
(Zone 7a)
August 24, 2007
12:00 PM Post #3895148
| Mainly they are covering their butts. There's so many idiots out there who think that they're self proclaimed experts, and you don't need steps 'x, y or z', that the government has to limit their liability.
|
BDale60
Warren, PA
(Zone 5a)
August 24, 2007
12:17 PM Post #3895224
| Makes sense. So far it seems like a fun and productive activity, and the steps required are reasonable. |
melody
Benton, KY
(Zone 7a)
August 24, 2007
12:35 PM Post #3895296
| You'll do fine Brian...it IS fun and productive.
Using a bit of common sense about safe food handling is the main requirement.
Something that's fun and productive for your child to do is make jelly for their teacher as a gift. Use commercial juice in place of the fresh fruit step and it's a snap.
We did Cinnamon CranApple one year. Boil a few cinnamon sticks in the juice before adding the sugar and pectin. It works up beautifully and hardly any mess. Grape is nice too.
This simplifies the process enough so that you're done in an hour or so at the most...great for young one's attention spans. |
BDale60
Warren, PA
(Zone 5a)
August 24, 2007
01:35 PM Post #3895540
| Mel,
A very good idea on several levels. Gets the youngsters involved, makes a nice gift for a hard-working teacher, helps me expand my range of canning techniques...might be some left over after the teacher gets her gift...:)
|
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
August 24, 2007
05:31 PM Post #3896292
| Great article Paul - love the history behind it!
Thanks for the additional ideas Mel!
|
Mahnot
DFW area, TX
(Zone 7b)
August 25, 2007
06:44 AM Post #3898087
| Well, now I feel like a real idiot - I got a pressure cooker as
a gift about 5 years ago but have been too chicken to use it.
The instruction booklet is still sitting inside the pot, LOL.
OK - if you read a horror story in the news about how some
poor old lady in Texas blew her house up with a pressure
cooker, that just might be me :o)
Edited for spelling - sheesh !
This message was edited Aug 25, 2007 6:06 AM |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 25, 2007
07:47 AM Post #3898161
| O.K. here is a little story about blowing things up in the kitchen:
I found a recipe that said to cook an eggplant in the even, after it was cooked you mix the contents with butter and garlic, and serve it as a dip. I put the eggplant in the oven to bake. The oven has an automatic shut-off. It is (was) a counter top convection oven. I went to do the laundry, when I heard a loud noise in the kitchen. When I investigated, I found the eggplant had exploded, blew the door off the oven, and spattered the kitchen with bits of eggplant.
Moral of this story: an eggplant, or even an egg is a mini pressure cooker. If you don't puncture an outlet for steam to escape, or cook at a very low temperature, it can explode. If you get a block in your pressure cooker steam vent, it can explode. Follow the instructions to make sure the steam is still venting from your cooker - you wont have any trouble. If you bake a potato, or an eggplant, puncture the vegetable to let the steam escape.
|
Mahnot
DFW area, TX
(Zone 7b)
August 25, 2007
08:09 AM Post #3898211
| Zowie, Gloria, but you lead an exciting life !
Thanks for the tip. I won't forget, even if I don't like
eggplant, LOL. |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
August 25, 2007
09:38 AM Post #3898389
| Mahnot: If you think that was exciting, you should have been here when the snake crawled in my oven for a stay. Helpful, I must say because he did catch a few mice while he was here. |
Mahnot
DFW area, TX
(Zone 7b)
August 25, 2007
09:47 AM Post #3898413
| I would have bricked up the oven, sold the house and
moved to Italy. Your life is crowded with incident, Gloria,
and far too exciting for my taste, LOL. |
rentman
Frankfort, KY
(Zone 6a)
August 28, 2007
06:39 AM Post #3908902
| Paul
Can a dial gauge be replaced with a jiggle one ?
Are there different weights ? |
melody
Benton, KY
(Zone 7a)
August 28, 2007
09:07 AM Post #3909223
| My weighted gauge has 3 holes...each gives a different pressure weight...but Paul will have to answer whether you can just interchange them. |
paulgrow
Allen Park, MI
(Zone 6a)
August 28, 2007
01:41 PM Post #3910089
| I have a new Mirro . 3 yeras old.
The weight is actually in three pieces.
With all 3 pieces you get 15 lbs psi. Take 1 piece off and you have 10 lbs psi. Take 2 pieces off and you have 5 lbs psi.
As far as replacing a dial with a weighted guage, I'm not sure. Try emailing the service dept of the brand you have and ask them. Be sure to inculde the model number.
Paul |
rentman
Frankfort, KY
(Zone 6a)
August 29, 2007
06:46 AM Post #3912731
| I have a Presto Pressure Canner 16 Quart, haven't 'fired' it up this year.
It has a gauge And a jiggle weight, but as I remember the heat needs to be adjusted to maintain correct pressure.
I think I'll look for the instruction book :)
|
paulgrow
Allen Park, MI
(Zone 6a)
August 29, 2007
01:23 PM Post #3914054
| That is correct, you adjust the pressure by adjusting the heat on the stove.
Paul |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
October 15, 2008
07:53 PM Post #5676139
| I'm just now trying to research the best pressure canners, so this has been very helpful. My Mom pressure canned everything and I just brought hers home. It's a ''Burpee Aristocrat Cooker'' Burpee Can Sealer Co. The gasket is shot and the internet articles says it has a design flaw. I'm not going to use it. Dad also has his Mom's which is held shut with key locks. It's not useable either. It's time for a new one.
What name brand does everyone like? What size is the best? I'm not weak, but not real strong either. I can unload it directly from the stove, just like I do with the water canner.
I would can pints of asparagus, meat, green beans, etc. I like the fact that pints can be stacked. Most hold 7 quarts regardless and I would do some quarts with soups and such. |
paulgrow
Allen Park, MI
(Zone 6a)
October 16, 2008
10:22 AM Post #5678310
| I like the Mirro Crafrt or Presto,I've used both. Easy to get parts for like gasketes.
Paul |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
October 17, 2008
02:41 PM Post #5683976
| I've been reading and I'm thinking Presto right now. This has been a big help. I understand the weights now. |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
October 17, 2008
06:44 PM Post #5684738
| I googled Presto and it doesn't look like the 23 quart has a weight, just a dial and vent. |
rentman
Frankfort, KY
(Zone 6a)
October 18, 2008
02:35 AM Post #5686124
| Billy, I have a 23 qt Presto Pressure Cooker, model 0178107, it does have a giggler weight and pressure dial on top.
I had my gauge tester at the local Cooperative Extension Office and it was low by 3 lbs...I bought this 3-piece from this site:
http://www.totalvac.com/parts/presto_pressure_cooker.html
I bought the $16.95 one.
The one Melody is talking about is at this site:
http://buyitnow64.stores.yahoo.net/misco1.html
and should work just as well.
On the left is the pic of my original giggler and the 3 piece on the right side are the one I bought.
Hope this helps...Happy Canning 
BTW my location is at an altitude of 750 ft above sea level, ( from goggle map) so I increase my times close to the 1000 ft timing ... hope you understand.
This message was edited Oct 18, 2008 2:37 AM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
rentman
Frankfort, KY
(Zone 6a)
October 18, 2008
02:50 AM Post #5686140
| I also find this a Great site for info:
http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/preserving_club/7.php |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
October 18, 2008
07:47 PM Post #5688282
| I was reading that people were buying the weights. So they don't come with the canner?
ROTFL. I have the Ball Book, but never checked out the website :o) In fact, I have a book from the 60's, 90's and I just bought the newer one. I still use the one I got in the 90's most. I'm pretty sure I'm at sea level, but I'll try checking that too.
Now I need to find a store that has one. We don't do any online ordering. I also read that the Mirro 22 qt. only holds 5 quarts, so Presto it is.
|
paulgrow
Allen Park, MI
(Zone 6a)
October 19, 2008
09:30 AM Post #5690182
| Check the larger hardware stores in your area, most of them should have them.
You can also go to the website and search for a dealer in your area.
paul |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
October 19, 2008
02:22 PM Post #5691167
| Thanks, that's a good start!
Sally |
fidgeton
Myrtle Point, OR
October 19, 2008
11:35 PM Post #5693207
| I,too, grew up using a pressure cooker (Presto) for meal prep. My mom didn't like to cook and anything that got her out of the kitchen fast was what we did. She cooked EVERYTHING in it, even pasta, which, now, manufacturer's instructions don't recommend. She pressure cooked a chicken fried steak with venison that was the best ever.
One does have to make sure the vent pipe is clean and follow directions for beans very carefully.
The Cooley family from our town was famous for an explosion of a cooker full of beans (maybe that's where the expresson comes from).
No one was in the kitchen watching the pressure (praise to the Almighty) which is a no, no, and the vent likely clogged, too. Mrs. Cooley had a lot of mouths to feed and according to mom, likely filled the pot too full. That possibility and a full head of steam was lethal.
I guess she wasn't a very good housekeeper, either. Beans torpedoed from the cooker like pellets from a shotgun shell and laminated to the walls and ceiling. Never heard where the lid landed. My brothers swear beans were still stuck to the ceiling when the family moved away several months later. |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
October 20, 2008
04:20 PM Post #5695788
| That's a nice story fom the past. Giggling :o) |
