"George Shirley" wrote

Yes, but I happen to have a pressure canner too, just a small one. Got
it ages ago at a yard sale. I dont have a rack for it, but was looking
over pictures of them and see how to make some simple sorts out of gear I
have here handy. Mostly my small projects have been BWB sorts.

Easiest way to make a rack is to tie jar rings together with twist ties,
make it big enough to cover the bottom of your canner. HTH

Thanks! Nice tip g. My Blue Ball Book arrived and am looking over
recipes. I won't use the pressure canner any time soon. I don't trust the
seal although it 'looks ok to the eye'. Just too old to be safe I bet.
Meantime the pot itself makes a nice BWB pot.

Now I'm poking about pickle recipes since it looks like we will have a
bumper crop of cucumbers. I *may* invest in a real pressure canner vice my
smaller model, especially if i cant find the seals for the older unit
anymore.

cshenk wrote:

I won't use the pressure canner any time soon. I don't trust the
seal although it 'looks ok to the eye'. Just too old to be safe I bet.

Actually, a weak seal is safe, so far as pressure is concerned - it will
just leak a bit, and you won't get up to pressure. If the pressure
regulator (weight, relief valve, whatever) works and there's little or
no steam coming from around the rim, it's fine.

Dave

cshenk wrote:
"George Shirley" wrote

Yes, but I happen to have a pressure canner too, just a small one. Got
it ages ago at a yard sale. I dont have a rack for it, but was looking
over pictures of them and see how to make some simple sorts out of gear I
have here handy. Mostly my small projects have been BWB sorts.

Easiest way to make a rack is to tie jar rings together with twist ties,
make it big enough to cover the bottom of your canner. HTH

Thanks! Nice tip g. My Blue Ball Book arrived and am looking over
recipes. I won't use the pressure canner any time soon. I don't trust the
seal although it 'looks ok to the eye'. Just too old to be safe I bet.
Meantime the pot itself makes a nice BWB pot.
Rubber seals for many pressure canners are available on the internet.
You can do a google search using the canner name and model number. I
found that my Sears canner, somewhat over forty years old, uses Presto
gaskets.

Now I'm poking about pickle recipes since it looks like we will have a
bumper crop of cucumbers. I *may* invest in a real pressure canner vice my
smaller model, especially if i cant find the seals for the older unit
anymore.


there's some good 'uns out there. Google pressure canners on this Usenet
group and you can probably find what you want. sometimes us old folks
pass on to the great preserving kitchen in the sky and our kids sell our
cooking apparatus or donate it to the local charity store. It's amazing
the stuff you can find poking around in those places.

"George Shirley" wrote in message
.. .
cshenk wrote:
"George Shirley" wrote

Yes, but I happen to have a pressure canner too, just a small one.
Got
it ages ago at a yard sale. I dont have a rack for it, but was
looking
over pictures of them and see how to make some simple sorts out of
gear I
have here handy. Mostly my small projects have been BWB sorts.

Easiest way to make a rack is to tie jar rings together with twist
ties,
make it big enough to cover the bottom of your canner. HTH

Thanks! Nice tip g. My Blue Ball Book arrived and am looking over
recipes. I won't use the pressure canner any time soon. I don't trust
the
seal although it 'looks ok to the eye'. Just too old to be safe I bet.
Meantime the pot itself makes a nice BWB pot.
Rubber seals for many pressure canners are available on the internet.
You can do a google search using the canner name and model number. I
found that my Sears canner, somewhat over forty years old, uses Presto
gaskets.

Now I'm poking about pickle recipes since it looks like we will have a
bumper crop of cucumbers. I *may* invest in a real pressure canner vice
my
smaller model, especially if i cant find the seals for the older unit
anymore.


there's some good 'uns out there. Google pressure canners on this Usenet
group and you can probably find what you want. sometimes us old folks
pass on to the great preserving kitchen in the sky and our kids sell our
cooking apparatus or donate it to the local charity store. It's amazing
the stuff you can find poking around in those places.

Both my pressure canners came from Goodwill, they are 50 year old Presto
models. (at least 50 years old) Besides the expense of it, I LIKE the fact
that they are thick, heavy, cast aluminum, not the thinwall aluminum stuff
that is
sold today. The aluminum used today is, of course, really an alloy that
is stronger than the aluminum alloy used 50 years ago, so the new
canners are actually stronger, but I think it's tremendously cool that the
canner I'm using has been producing food for longer than my lifetime.

However, one thing you got to be aware of is the pressure canners with
guages. Many of the old ones have guages (mine do) I have seen weighted
ones at the resale stores but I don't trust them because often at a resale
store, parts get shoplifted or lost, and there's no way to know for sure if
the weight on the canner is the correct one. Canner makers seemed to
use a lot more creative solutions for weights years ago. Also, with the
older weighted guage canner, if the weight is a 10 and your at high
altitude, and you need a 15 weight, and your likely not going to find one
for that canner, as the manufacturer will have long since discontinued it.
(I am not sure exactly why the extension services and canner makers
tell you to use heavier weights at high altitude, as the steam pressure
is going against gravity, not atmospheric pressure, but they do)

Usually, the weighted guage type canners were designed as a screw
in. So if you find one that is a super good deal, but missing the weight,
you can go to a hardware store and buy a canner guage then unscrew
the stem the weight was on and screw in the canner guage.

Anyway, if you get
one with a guage, you MUST have it tested. The local extension service
here will test them for free. Hardware stores that sell canner guages also
will test them. On my old 21 quart canner the guage reads HIGH by 3 psi,
I sure hope the former owner didn't die of botulism poisoning. On my 16
quart one, the guage reads high by 1 psi. Also, with guages, they are
affected by altitude, the higher you are, the higher the guage will read.
So, a guage that is high by, for example, 3 psi at sea level, will be off by
6 psi at 4000 feet elevation. Your local county extension service will
have the info you need for local adjustments. Also, remember even
BRAND NEW canner guages can be off by 1 psi. When I had mine
tested the county extension agent told me that the hardware store down
the street happened to get in a batch of guages that all were off by 1 psi.
When the extension agent called the guage manufacturer to complain
she was told that they regarded 1 psi difference as an acceptable margin
of error. Needless to say she was really ****ed about that.

One last thing about older canners, they usually lack an interlock that
prevents the lid from being opened when the canner is under pressure.
You see, these were products manufactured back in the days that
manufacturers actually assumed that the users had a modicum of
intelligence. I know, it's incredible to believe, isn't it? Anyway,
before you start canning with an older canner, make sure you know
how to tell when the lid is completely closed.

Ted

Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
"George Shirley" wrote in message
.. .
cshenk wrote:
"George Shirley" wrote

Yes, but I happen to have a pressure canner too, just a small one.
Got
it ages ago at a yard sale. I dont have a rack for it, but was
looking
over pictures of them and see how to make some simple sorts out of
gear I
have here handy. Mostly my small projects have been BWB sorts.
Easiest way to make a rack is to tie jar rings together with twist
ties,
make it big enough to cover the bottom of your canner. HTH
Thanks! Nice tip g. My Blue Ball Book arrived and am looking over
recipes. I won't use the pressure canner any time soon. I don't trust
the
seal although it 'looks ok to the eye'. Just too old to be safe I bet.
Meantime the pot itself makes a nice BWB pot.
Rubber seals for many pressure canners are available on the internet.
You can do a google search using the canner name and model number. I
found that my Sears canner, somewhat over forty years old, uses Presto
gaskets.
Now I'm poking about pickle recipes since it looks like we will have a
bumper crop of cucumbers. I *may* invest in a real pressure canner vice
my
smaller model, especially if i cant find the seals for the older unit
anymore.


there's some good 'uns out there. Google pressure canners on this Usenet
group and you can probably find what you want. sometimes us old folks
pass on to the great preserving kitchen in the sky and our kids sell our
cooking apparatus or donate it to the local charity store. It's amazing
the stuff you can find poking around in those places.

Both my pressure canners came from Goodwill, they are 50 year old Presto
models. (at least 50 years old) Besides the expense of it, I LIKE the fact
that they are thick, heavy, cast aluminum, not the thinwall aluminum stuff
that is
sold today. The aluminum used today is, of course, really an alloy that
is stronger than the aluminum alloy used 50 years ago, so the new
canners are actually stronger, but I think it's tremendously cool that the
canner I'm using has been producing food for longer than my lifetime.

However, one thing you got to be aware of is the pressure canners with
guages. Many of the old ones have guages (mine do) I have seen weighted
ones at the resale stores but I don't trust them because often at a resale
store, parts get shoplifted or lost, and there's no way to know for sure if
the weight on the canner is the correct one. Canner makers seemed to
use a lot more creative solutions for weights years ago. Also, with the
older weighted guage canner, if the weight is a 10 and your at high
altitude, and you need a 15 weight, and your likely not going to find one
for that canner, as the manufacturer will have long since discontinued it.
(I am not sure exactly why the extension services and canner makers
tell you to use heavier weights at high altitude, as the steam pressure
is going against gravity, not atmospheric pressure, but they do)

Usually, the weighted guage type canners were designed as a screw
in. So if you find one that is a super good deal, but missing the weight,
you can go to a hardware store and buy a canner guage then unscrew
the stem the weight was on and screw in the canner guage.

Anyway, if you get
one with a guage, you MUST have it tested. The local extension service
here will test them for free. Hardware stores that sell canner guages also
will test them. On my old 21 quart canner the guage reads HIGH by 3 psi,
I sure hope the former owner didn't die of botulism poisoning. On my 16
quart one, the guage reads high by 1 psi. Also, with guages, they are
affected by altitude, the higher you are, the higher the guage will read.
So, a guage that is high by, for example, 3 psi at sea level, will be off by
6 psi at 4000 feet elevation. Your local county extension service will
have the info you need for local adjustments. Also, remember even
BRAND NEW canner guages can be off by 1 psi. When I had mine
tested the county extension agent told me that the hardware store down
the street happened to get in a batch of guages that all were off by 1 psi.
When the extension agent called the guage manufacturer to complain
she was told that they regarded 1 psi difference as an acceptable margin
of error. Needless to say she was really ****ed about that.

One last thing about older canners, they usually lack an interlock that
prevents the lid from being opened when the canner is under pressure.
You see, these were products manufactured back in the days that
manufacturers actually assumed that the users had a modicum of
intelligence. I know, it's incredible to believe, isn't it? Anyway,
before you start canning with an older canner, make sure you know
how to tell when the lid is completely closed.

Ted


Very good advice Ted, particularly for such a young fellow. LOL

George, chuckling about someone being younger than fifty yo.

On Mon, 26 May 2008 01:17:20 -0700, "Ted Mittelstaedt"
wrote:


"George Shirley" wrote in message
. ..
cshenk wrote:
"George Shirley" wrote

Yes, but I happen to have a pressure canner too, just a small one.
Got
it ages ago at a yard sale. I dont have a rack for it, but was
looking
over pictures of them and see how to make some simple sorts out of
gear I
have here handy. Mostly my small projects have been BWB sorts.

Easiest way to make a rack is to tie jar rings together with twist
ties,
make it big enough to cover the bottom of your canner. HTH

Thanks! Nice tip g. My Blue Ball Book arrived and am looking over
recipes. I won't use the pressure canner any time soon. I don't trust
the
seal although it 'looks ok to the eye'. Just too old to be safe I bet.
Meantime the pot itself makes a nice BWB pot.
Rubber seals for many pressure canners are available on the internet.
You can do a google search using the canner name and model number. I
found that my Sears canner, somewhat over forty years old, uses Presto
gaskets.

Now I'm poking about pickle recipes since it looks like we will have a
bumper crop of cucumbers. I *may* invest in a real pressure canner vice
my
smaller model, especially if i cant find the seals for the older unit
anymore.


there's some good 'uns out there. Google pressure canners on this Usenet
group and you can probably find what you want. sometimes us old folks
pass on to the great preserving kitchen in the sky and our kids sell our
cooking apparatus or donate it to the local charity store. It's amazing
the stuff you can find poking around in those places.

Both my pressure canners came from Goodwill, they are 50 year old Presto
models. (at least 50 years old) Besides the expense of it, I LIKE the fact
that they are thick, heavy, cast aluminum, not the thinwall aluminum stuff
that is
sold today. The aluminum used today is, of course, really an alloy that
is stronger than the aluminum alloy used 50 years ago, so the new
canners are actually stronger, but I think it's tremendously cool that the
canner I'm using has been producing food for longer than my lifetime.

However, one thing you got to be aware of is the pressure canners with
guages. Many of the old ones have guages (mine do) I have seen weighted
ones at the resale stores but I don't trust them because often at a resale
store, parts get shoplifted or lost, and there's no way to know for sure if
the weight on the canner is the correct one. Canner makers seemed to
use a lot more creative solutions for weights years ago. Also, with the
older weighted guage canner, if the weight is a 10 and your at high
altitude, and you need a 15 weight, and your likely not going to find one
for that canner, as the manufacturer will have long since discontinued it.
(I am not sure exactly why the extension services and canner makers
tell you to use heavier weights at high altitude, as the steam pressure
is going against gravity, not atmospheric pressure, but they do)

Usually, the weighted guage type canners were designed as a screw
in. So if you find one that is a super good deal, but missing the weight,
you can go to a hardware store and buy a canner guage then unscrew
the stem the weight was on and screw in the canner guage.

Anyway, if you get
one with a guage, you MUST have it tested. The local extension service
here will test them for free. Hardware stores that sell canner guages also
will test them. On my old 21 quart canner the guage reads HIGH by 3 psi,
I sure hope the former owner didn't die of botulism poisoning. On my 16
quart one, the guage reads high by 1 psi. Also, with guages, they are
affected by altitude, the higher you are, the higher the guage will read.
So, a guage that is high by, for example, 3 psi at sea level, will be off by
6 psi at 4000 feet elevation.

I have never seen instructions to have your gauge calibrated for
altitude. The BBB does have instructions for the proper pressure for
different altitudes. For example, if the recipe calls for 11 psi at
sea level, you would need to reach 15 psi at 10,000 feet for the
internal temperature to reach 240°F.






Your local county extension service will
have the info you need for local adjustments. Also, remember even
BRAND NEW canner guages can be off by 1 psi. When I had mine
tested the county extension agent told me that the hardware store down
the street happened to get in a batch of guages that all were off by 1 psi.
When the extension agent called the guage manufacturer to complain
she was told that they regarded 1 psi difference as an acceptable margin
of error. Needless to say she was really ****ed about that.

One last thing about older canners, they usually lack an interlock that
prevents the lid from being opened when the canner is under pressure.
You see, these were products manufactured back in the days that
manufacturers actually assumed that the users had a modicum of
intelligence. I know, it's incredible to believe, isn't it? Anyway,
before you start canning with an older canner, make sure you know
how to tell when the lid is completely closed.

Ted

--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

"Dave Bell" wrote
cshenk wrote:

I won't use the pressure canner any time soon. I don't trust the seal
although it 'looks ok to the eye'. Just too old to be safe I bet.

Actually, a weak seal is safe, so far as pressure is concerned - it will
just leak a bit, and you won't get up to pressure. If the pressure
regulator (weight, relief valve, whatever) works and there's little or no
steam coming from around the rim, it's fine.

Mabye Dave and thanks but I'm Navy trained. Steam leaks scare me g. I
know a mere 10PSI isnt much to worry about but ...

"Ted Mittelstaedt" wrote

Snipped, thanks Ted! Good info there from you and George.

cshenk wrote:
"Dave Bell" wrote
cshenk wrote:

I won't use the pressure canner any time soon. I don't trust the seal
although it 'looks ok to the eye'. Just too old to be safe I bet.
Actually, a weak seal is safe, so far as pressure is concerned - it will
just leak a bit, and you won't get up to pressure. If the pressure
regulator (weight, relief valve, whatever) works and there's little or no
steam coming from around the rim, it's fine.

Mabye Dave and thanks but I'm Navy trained. Steam leaks scare me g. I
know a mere 10PSI isnt much to worry about but ...

Yeah, big difference from Live Steam! 10PSI = 239F

Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:

(I am not sure exactly why the extension services and canner makers
tell you to use heavier weights at high altitude, as the steam pressure
is going against gravity, not atmospheric pressure, but they do)

Actually, it's the *difference* between the internal and external (air)
pressure that works against gravity. So, when the external pressure is
low, the gauge weight will lift too early, keeping 10 PSI difference.
You need to get the absolute internal pressure up to 25 PSI (10 PSI
gauge), to reach 239-240 F.