Water Bath Canners : Canners

1. Water bath canners are easy to use and work well for acidic fruits and vegetables, jams, jellies, applesauce and tomatoes. Use pressure canners for meats or low-acid vegetables like carrots, beans, and squash, that have a different bacteria content.

2. When using a pressure canner, don't start your timer until the pressure gauge indicates it has reached the desired pressure, usually 11 pounds.

3. Into thin air: if you live more than 1000 feet above sea level, double-check the canner's instructions. You may need to increase the pressure to get satisfying results.

4. For safe results, the boiling water in water bath canners needs to cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Pressure canners cook with steam, so water doesn't need to cover the jars at all.

5. To avoid breaking jars, preheat water to 140 degrees when inserting cold-packed jars. Hot-packed jars can go into water preheated to 180 degrees.

6. Botulism is deadly serious. If you follow instructions and use a pressure canner properly, your food will stay safe, wholesome, and delicious for up to 5 years.

7. Where do I begin? Get a starter canning kit. They include a lot of things you might not know you need, like a jar lifter, wrench, tongs, lid lifter, thermometer, and instructions. If you only need the tools, you'll find canning tool sets here, too.

8. When choosing a canner size, check your stove. For electric stoves, we recommend a flat-bottomed canner that is not more than 4 inches wider in diameter than the stove's heating element. You don't want cool spots.

9. Water bath canners can heat water only to a maximum of 212 F degrees. Bacteria in meat and low-acid fruits and vegetables may survive that. Pressure canners reach 240 F degrees, hot enough to kill any bacteria.

10. A well-maintained canner can last almost forever. To keep steam in your pot, we carry pressure canner parts including sealing rings, steam gauges, concentrators, and jigglers. Food doesn't stick to a canner, but love does.