Pressure canner versus pressure cooker

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Okay I've wanted a pressure canner since I started looking on this forum. I ask my grandmother if we had a pressure cooker? I remember her using one when I was a child. She said to look in the attic. What I found is a pressure cooker, gasket is in good condition. I believe this is not what I "wanted" . I believe what I need is a pressure canner.

So what is a pressure cooker and does it "can"?

Thanks, Melissa

ETA: It does have the little 5/10/15 pound weight.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A pressure cooker can work as a canner. A couple of possible issues. One, you need some type of rack to put in the bottom of it to get the bottom of the jar off the bottom. If you don't have that space under it, the jar can break from the direct heat. It can get too hot. It does not have to be anything commercial, just something flat that raises the jar off the bottom and lets the water and air bubbles through. But it needs to be flat enough that the jar does not turn over. The jar has to stay upright.

The other issue I can think of is that you usually cannot get many jars in a pressure cooker. They are just too small. You do not need to cover the jar completely with water like the water bath method to pressure can. But it is not likely you can get a quart jar or even enough pint jars to fit in the pressure cooker to make it worthwhile.

You can cook many things in a pressure cooker. There are plenty of cookbooks out there with recipes. Meat can cook a lot quicker, especially tough meat and it will come out real tender. Dried beans do not need to be cooked all day. Even if it is too small to can with, it can be a great tool in your kitchen.

 

[hoodat]

I don't like cooking in aluminum pressure cookers. Aluminum can leach into the food and it has too many health issues. I sometimes use a covered caserole inside a pressure canner to avoid that. A pressure cooker is seldom big enough to allow that.