Canning in a Pressure Cooker

Canning in a Pressure Cooker - Couple Fighting at the Kitchen

Well, unfortunately the present my mom got me last Christmas turned out to be a pressure cooker and not a pressure canner. I've read that it is unsafe to can low acid foods using a pressure cooker.

But is it safe to can high acid foods in a pressure cooker? I'd like to do this because it uses a lot less water and a lot less energy than boiling water canning.

Does a pressure cooker actually cook to a lower temperature than a pressure canner? (My pressure cooker just has two settings (high and low) and I don't know what the PSI is on them.



Best Answer

Pressure cookers and pressure canners are the same thing; with the canners being larger, and often having a pressure dial. Both can reach the same pressures and therefore temperatures if designed and manufactured correctly

The pressure canners dial gauge is more accurate for adjusting for food types and altitude, as you can get exact numbers not just 10 psi and 15 psi as with typical weight regulated pressure cookers. But for low acid foods you need 15 psi anyway

Pressure preserving is done because of the higher temperatures reached. This saves time and energy, and some food react better to a short 250°F (120°C) cook that an long 210°F (100°C) cook

Pressure preserving high acid food is worth doing as long as the food does not deteriorate quicker due to the high temperature (some soft fruits will)

For preserving low acid foods you need a known good pressure cooker that can reach 15 psi (103 Pa) and therefore 250°F (120°C)

With a commercially published recipe that has been acid level tested, you will have a published time that will be safe. For a home-made recipe you have to take the worst case scenario for the acid level of the main content, and cook for that. Your local government health department will most likely publish tables for this that you should be using. Remember to use altitude adjustments for timings too

Just relying on adding a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice per jar is not a safe and scientific method for raising the acid level, though many people do it, and have not come to any trouble with it?

You pressure cooker should come with a manual that confirms what it can or cannot do. Download a new copy if this has been lost

Also see What kinds of pressure cookers are there, and what are they good for?




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HOW DO YOU can jars in a pressure cooker?

  • Fill pot with enough water to cover jars with at least one inch of water and heat to simmer (180 degrees F).
  • Fill each hot jar with prepared food. ...
  • Air bubbles inside the jar can cause ineffective cooking. ...
  • Wipe any food from the rim. ...
  • Place filled jars onto canning rack of water-bath or pressure canner.


  • What foods can be canned with a pressure cooker?

    If you want to can unpickled vegetables, soup stocks, beans, or any non-acidic food, you've got to use a special piece of equipment called a pressure canner. Other foods, including fruit, sweet preserves, and pickles can be safely canned in a boiling water bath without special equipment.

    Is there a difference between a pressure cooker and a pressure canner?

    Pressure cookers or pressure saucepans are used to rapidly cook meats, vegetables and other foods for a family meal. But they may not maintain adequate pressure, and they heat and cool too quickly to use them to safely pressure can foods. Pressure canners have either dial or weighted gauges.

    Is it better to can with a pressure cooker?

    Saving Time With a Pressure Cooker If your intent is to can and preserve your garden harvest or other foods, buy a pressure cooker/canner and ensure that it has a pressure gauge, not just a pressure valve if you want to safely process low acid foods, meats, or fish.



    Pressure Canning in an Instant Pot




    More answers regarding canning in a Pressure Cooker

    Answer 2

    For low acid foods the high and low settings are a problem. You really need to know what pressures those are.

    You have to get to 15 PSI which will give you a boiling temperature of about 250F. Anything less and it won't get hot enough to kill botulism spores.

    For most high acid foods the pressure cooker will be overkill. Most high acid foods such as fruit and jams process for only 10 minutes. At those small times there is not much water last and a pressure cooker will not save much time. Additionally the unnecessarily high temperature would damage the fruit.

    Tomato sauce is an exception as it boils for much longer. In this case a pressure canner is actually preferred as cooking the sauce for 10 minutes will do less damage than the 30-45 that is required for a water bath.

    Keep in mind that pure tomato sauce is not acidic enough to be processed with a boiling water bath. Extra acidification is required to be safe.

    The above link has a table with cooking times for various pressures and altitudes. Your canner should be perfectly safe- if you are able to determine what the actual pressure it uses is.

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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