Cheap canning equipment that's not really official equipment.

averytds

Chillin' In The Garden
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
77
Reaction score
0
Points
29
Location
KS
I've been canning enough years that I have tons of canning things I've aquired. Some thing I like, some I hate and some I've never used. Currently, I've got things spread out over 2 houses at the moment, so I find I'm needing this or that and with gas being so high, sometimes it's just cheaper to go buy new.

At my old house I have an old baby scale, like from a Drs office that I use to weigh ingredients.

Here I went to Wal-mart (only place to shop) and checked out the options. The kitchen scales all either didn't go high enough or were way too pricey IMO.

So I checked out the bathroom scales and was planning on getting the cheapest. Still $10. To be honest I never use the things and short of canning it would get almost no use.

Then I had an idea! Over in the sporting goods I got a $4 fish scale. It measures up to 50lbs in half lb increments. You can hang it up, hook a bag/basket/whatever on the hook and load it up. So I need 20lbs tomatoes, no prob....

When you're done it's small, so it fits easily into a drawer or with you're other canning stuff. I think I'll be tossing the baby scale.

Anybody else found/use something for canning that they like that differs from it's intended use.
 

nccountrygirl

Garden Ornament
Joined
Nov 22, 2007
Messages
194
Reaction score
1
Points
94
Location
Sanford NC
My husband has a pair of heat resistant gloves that he uses when he is using the turkey fryer, I use them to put in and remove the jars from the caner, it's alot easier than using the jar lifter and to me it's safer, no chance of the jars dropping or hitting together.
 

robbobbin

Garden Ornament
Joined
Dec 6, 2007
Messages
227
Reaction score
0
Points
94
ooooo, both excellent ideas. Thanks ladies.
We have a deer scale, that is just like the fish scale you describe. I'm gonna check it out.
 

mirime

Garden Ornament
Joined
Jun 17, 2008
Messages
143
Reaction score
0
Points
88
Location
Northeast OH; Zone 5
I learned the hard way that a good canner is a 'tamale' pot - because it's taller than the regular canner that they sell.
 

averytds

Chillin' In The Garden
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
77
Reaction score
0
Points
29
Location
KS
Good ideas. I love dual purpose things. :cool:
 

patandchickens

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Nov 23, 2007
Messages
2,537
Reaction score
2
Points
153
Location
Ontario, Canada
I use a stock pot for processing anything in half-pint jars -- it will hold up to 6 half-pints, atop a round cake rack -- because it just seems silly to heat the larger volume of water that my actual canner holds. (I do use the actual canner for quart jars. Oddly, I don't think I've ever done pints at all :p)

I also use my all-purpose kitchen tongs for taking jars out and putting them back in. Seems quite secure enough to me, although I am not necessarily recommending it as globally safe. I also use those tongs for getting the lids out of the hot water to put on the jars.

When I want to can I always have to retrieve my canning funnel from the kids, who consider it one of their usual toys :p

Pat
 

averytds

Chillin' In The Garden
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
77
Reaction score
0
Points
29
Location
KS
LOL Pat. I have 2 funnels and I hide them from the kids. Lost too many lid lifters that way.

I do mostly pints and some qts. Less than 2-3dz 1/2 pints a year. Will have to try with a stock pot. Maybe I'll do more.
 

Latest posts

Top