I read the directions very carefully and even did a test run before canning with it. Works great and I am sure as I become more comfortable with the process it will work even better. My mother used a pressure canner all my life, but was careful not to let me near it which put a fear in me of pressure cookers. I do believe you have to respect a pressure cooker and follow the directions carefully to avoid mishaps.


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The 21 Quart Covered Canner is perfect for water bath canning, or for heating large quantities of food. It has been a great asset to our kitchen this year!

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Mother in Law liked ours so much......SHE TOOK IT for herself!...aaarrgghh!

We liked it so much WE BOUGHT A SECOND ONE for ourselves! HANDS OFF MOM!

Go to the Presto website and order the drop-in basket; it helps keep the veggies in one place and makes them easy to get out of the cooker.


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One of the labs I supervised lacked funding to purchase an autoclave. We sterilized media broth, media agar, dilution agents, Petri dishes, flasks, bottles, and other microbiology utensils in a Mirro pressure canner. We sterilized a minimum of three batches daily, five and six days a week, year round. The Mirro canners constantly required new seals, yet the lids still frequently warped and leaked all over the stove. We replaced the Mirro canner twice in a year, let alone all of the gaskets we went through. I bought this All American pressure cooker when I saw the unique no gasket design, securing lugs, and the safety features built into this pressure cooker. My micro staff loved this pressure cooker. This All American pressure cooker never leaked, the lid fit perfectly time after time, and all of our batches came out properly sterilized. It impressed me so much after almost two years' use in a laboratory setting, that I am now buying one for my home canning. Made in USA, heavily built, well-engineered for performance and safety, and proven to me in multiple daily uses with three different users, including myself--a great pressure cooker in my experience, far better than the others we tried.

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The Presto 16 quart pressure canner is perfect for me and my wife. I have a medium size garden and canning pints works best for us. Once in a while we will can quarts of spaghetti sauce or chili.

The canner is pretty simple to use and operate durring canning. It holds 10 pint jars and 8 quarts. It does have a dial and not a weighted gauge but that doesn't bother me. Both types of gauges will work fine. It has a weighted pressure regulator and a saftey pressure plug for saftey. As long a you follow the instructions, you will do fine.

In a nut shell. It's a very good canner for the price.

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All-American 30-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner

This is an outstanding canner. Works superbly and is easily cleaned.

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This pressure cooker really does the job great. It cuts the time you prepare a meal in half, or less. I have the best results with ribs. Tender every time. Roast, on the other hand, I need to cut back my time. My fault on that. Follow directions and you will have great results.

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The Fagor "made in China" canning rack rusted the second time I used it and left a rust stain in the bottom of my Fagor Canner. While, I did get the stain out, it looks like the rack is of very poor quality and I do not recommend it.

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Excellent canner, easy to use, great size, strong looking and it will obviously last forever.. I agree that you wouldn't want to use it on a smooth top stove.. the weight of the canner is pretty significant... we use it outside on the porch, on a propane burner.. absolutely stupid instruction manual though... you learned things on page 17 that you needed to know on page 2.. and it tells you things to NEVER EVER can, but two pages later tells you how to can them... (such as beans) but if you disregard the goofy manual and use other amazing canning books such as "Putting food by" by Janet Greene, you will love it.

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My only regret is that I didn't buy one of these sooner. This is a great product. I had heard horror stories about pressure cookers in the past, but these Presto pressure cookers are solid; very well made, and if you follow the directions by watching what you put into it- no jams or anything that would clog the spout, you will love this product.. Never any worries about safety when cooking with this. I think I will get the 6-quart next, as it would be a more useful size for me.

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