Yes, it can be used.

As can the Back to Basics steam canner.

I'm assuming I can just use 5 lbs of pressure and do it for the same length of time as called for with BWB? Should I expect a different consistency or change in taste over BWB?

Emily

Actually, now that I think of it, there's no reason why you couldn't try 5 minutes at 5 pounds pressure. That time's good enough for a BWB, so it's sure to be fine for a PC.

Carol

Does this theory apply to other things as well?

For example, I would like to pressure can the Bruschetta and Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce Recipes from the Small Batch Preserving Book. It seems the recipes from this book are all BWB processed, I am much like the original poster- I would rather not mess with all the water- it's just too heavy once loaded up. The bruschetta is supposed to cook for 40 min for pints in a BWB- couldn't I can at 5 lbs pressure for the same time? The Raosted Vegetable Sauce is 35 minutes in BWB- couldn't I can it in the pressure canner for the same time?

Thanks,
bluejean in ohio

I don't see why not. The total time, of course, would be longer because of the venting time and cool-down. You're going to achieve a higher internal temp with a pressure cooker, so I can't see any way it would be anything but "more safe" if that's possible. (Someone please correct me if I'm missing something obvious here.)

Cutting the time based on some sort of guesswork would be risky but not processing for the same time as the original BWB recipe.

Carol

Too heavy? I put the canner on the stove, half fill with a sauce pan that holds a quart since I can't lift more than a couple of pounds (torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders). Then put in the jars and add water until it is an inch over the lids. Process, remove the jars with a tongs. And, after the water cools, bail it out with the same one quart sauce pan I used to fill it.
Since I mostly can half pints or pints, the canner is never close to full.

For me, the easiest to use is my steam canner. Its used primarily for only high acid foods like pickles and jams. Without it, I would not be canning as much as I do. using a quart or a bit more water and a small dash of vinegar as the steaming liquid, it can reach boiling very fast and the jars still get their dose of heat. For pickles, it helps to not over cook them in a canner, which is one reason my pickles are never mushy, unless they sit around more than about 2 years. Something odd has happened though. I used to be able to put 7 quart Ball jars in the canner and the domed lid would fit on nicely. Now that I use mostly the Golden Harvest jars, I can't fit 7 quarts in anymore as its just too tight when the domed lid goes on. Its gotta have something to do with the Golden Harvest jars being ever so slightly larger.

It is easier for me to use the pressure canner. It fits on our stove better, The biggest burner is on the side practically butted up against the fridge. The BWB canner is a much larger pot. It doesn't sit well on it. And when I am done with a batch, I have to move the canner in order to cook the next batch. It is just too heavy for me to keep moving- I like working with the pressure canner- Even if it wasn't heavy I would still prefer the pressure canner.

Thanks for the info Carol. I figured it would work, but I just wanted to ask someone with more experience than I. I had posed a similar question and was told the bruschetta receipe didn't look like it had enough acid to can in a pressure canner. That didn't make the most sense to me- so I just wanted to double check- maybe I was missing something.

Thanks,
bluejean in ohio

Well that sounds silly. It would make sense to say a recipe doesn't have enough acid for a BWB but a pressure canner is exactly what low-acid product calls for.

Which bruschetta recipe?

Carol

It's the recipe from the Small Batch book.

Salsa Bruschetta-Style
3 cups chopped peeled Italian plum tomatoes
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. pickling salt
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
2 green onions, minced
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1. Combine tomatoes, garlic, shallots, basil, vinegar, lemon juice, saltand pepper in a medium non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in green onion, tomato paste and return to a boil.
2. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle salsa into jars to within 1/2" of rim. Process 35 minutes for half-pint and 40 minutes for pint jars.
Makes 3 cups.

I looked at the other thread, I guess I was mistaken in saying that I was told it couldn't be pressure canned, the question was over the length of time. I had hoped to pressure can the above bruschetta recipe at the same time as Annie's salsa- I was hoping that considering the amt of low acids in the salsa in comparison with the bruschetta, that it would be safe to can for 30 minutes at 10 lbs pressure as I can annie's salsa. I could never get a definate yes- so I canned them seperate- hauling out the water bath- yuck!

This is my first season pressure canning- my mom gave me one as a birthday gift. I am just trying to make sure I am canning everything very safely. I am also teaching my sister-in-law to can too. I want to make sure I am teaching her correctly.

Carol-thanks for your input, I really appreciate the knowledge you bring to this board. When I find a post from you, I know that I will find all of the information you supply to be reliable, helpful, and relevant.

Thanks,
bluejean in ohio

You can also just use your pressure canner pot to BWB in.
If it's the pot size that you like.........

I understand how a certain one works better.
I have a lip on the back of my stove where all the controls are. My shorter canner won't fit there because the lid area aligns with the lip of the stove. The taller one works OK since the pot part is narrower than the edge of the lid.
Deanna

You're very welcome. There are lots of people on this board with all kinds of valuable knowledge. I have been known to err and I really appreciate people like Linda Lou keeping an eye out also.

If you prefer the pressure canner, I'd just pressure can at the same time Topp and Howard provide for the BWB using 5 psi. I doubt you'll notice any difference in texture. It's amazing how things hold up in the PC.

I personally wouldn't reduce the time to that for Annie's salsa just because we can't "know" whether that's sufficient or not. We tend to forget the basil is a low-acid product and there's very little added acid in this recipe. I'm in the "better-safe-than-sorry" school.

Carol

I always use my pressure cooker for jam making. It takes 10 minutes to soften 1 grapefruit, 2 oranges and 1 lemon to make THREE FRUIT MARMALADE. (To cut down time for the sugar to melt, always warm the sugar up before you add it to the fruit. I put my sugar in a large Corning pan, oven 250F and just leave it there till I'm ready to add it to the softened jam).

I use an old Prestige Pressure cooker phamphlet which gives specific instructions for different types of jams. I've tried to find a link to the Prestige site which would give these instructions, but not had any luck.

Here're the instructions for pressure cooker marmalade. Not canning but making the preserve itself.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Home-Made Pressure Cooker Marmalade

I've been wondering the same thing, and looking for directions. I am glad to have found this thread.

I have a recipe for wine jam that the time is 10 min in bwb, so you think 5lbs pressure for 10 minutes?

I have been searching for directions for pressure canning pear jam. I only have 3 jars and didn't want to find the BWB and I plan to do some spaghetti sauce with sausage next. I use 10 pounds (because the pressure went up this high when I was looking for directions) and 5 minutes. Hope this will work.

Just a caution on pear jam. If you plan to can Asian Pears in any form, it's vital to keep in mind that most varieties of Asian Pears are an anomaly among fruits bevause they have a very low levels of acid, about the level of vegetables. So, you have no wiggle room the way you might with other fruits, even as you do with the higher acid European Pears. Pressure canning Asian Pears is REQUIRED, at the proper pressure and for the proper time.

FYI, a little off-topic but related: Asian Pears are delicious - I have four Asian Pear trees here in Utah and love them, but their flavor is quite subtle flavor (read: not much!). That all changes, however, if you dehydrate them. They explode with flavor and are absolutely delicious!

Mike

http://www.uncledavesenterprise.com/file/garden/vegetable/mirropressurecooker.pdf  ** There is the website for .pdf.

Your link just gives a 404 error - page not found. Not sure what the link is supposed to be related to in this thread.

Dave

I was able to get to prfoster71's link. The only mention there of jam is "Use a water bath canner for pickles, jams, and jellies."

I'll try the link. http://www.uncledavesenterprise.com/file/garden/vegetable/mirropressurecooker.pdf

Yeah your link works matthias. I think it is the two ** in the first link that mess it up. Ok, so this is just a link to an online source for the Mirro Pressure Cooker and Canner Owner's Manual.

Of course it is an owners manual. Because this whole thread was "I think...", or "I believe...". I was in a hurry to do the jam and just went to fruit canning section of manual nd boom there was my answer to question. My mom always used her PC for everything she canned. She said it was easier that way no tons of steps with boiling this and that and hold this and that in hot water to sterilize. And it is a Mirro canner. Besides jam turned out great. 5 lb 10 min done.

" I was in a hurry to do the jam and just went to fruit canning section of manual nd boom there was my answer to question."

I'm sorry but canning fruit isn't the same as canning jam. Jam has to set, has to gel, whether one uses pectin or not. Canned fruit does not. Sure one can pressure can jam if they wish but it isn't necessary, requires longer time to heat up and cool down and as already mentioned, can have poor results in that it can ruins the set/gel of jam.

" My mom always used her PC for everything she canned. She said it was easier that way no tons of steps with boiling this and that and hold this and that in hot water to sterilize."

Don't know she made jam that would have required tons of steps. It is just fruit boiled in water and sugar and put in a jar. Please note that the manual you linked recommends BWB processing for jams, not pressure canning. Doing it that way was her choice and yours but processing anything 10 min or longer doesn't require any sterilization of anything.

Dave