Questions about pressure canning

[realist]

Katrina thanks for the post. Isn't the American the one which does not use a gasket? I want to get a large one for large batches of canning jars I want to do this year. I will have to check on the county extension to see about the testing. However knowing our county they probably couldn't be bothered, still it doesn't hurt to ask.

[Sniper-T]

Interesting... I had to google that and I stand corrected. I do not have an American, I have a Presto.

http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/pres.../0000000012088

[helomech]

I have the one from walmart, and have had it for at least 6 years. The gasket is still in perfect shape. I do not keep it on the lid when it is stored, I keep it inside the container.

[Socalman]

Thanks all for your posts. There is quite a bit I need to learn. I know I will need to do some reading. I certainly plan to do a test run before I really begin to do my canning.

[realist]

You know I have a tendency to read into things too much. Sometimes I just have to do. It is that first step which is hard.

[Katrina]

Yes, the American Canner has a screw down lid, no gasket. It looks very sturdy AND it's made in America. You will have to run a bit of oil along the edge of the pot when you use it. They are on Amazon and run about $170.00-$270.00 depending on the size. I have a glass/flat top stove and the instructions say can't use the canners on them. DH is extremely leery about using a canner on it so I have my eye on a commercial grade cast iron hot plate but need to save a bit more before I can get it. Reviews on the hot plate say it works great for pressure canners.

[realist]

Have you considered one of the camp chef stoves. They work very well and in a pinch you can cook on them outside.

[Socalman]

Once again, thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. I located a manual online for the particular model we have and have downloaded and printed it. Searching Amazon, I found a source for the weights and gasket. I assume the gasket is shot as it has not been used in over 10 years and feels hard. According to the manual there should have been 2 racks for this caner but only 1 was inside. I will either fashion something or buy one somewhere.

My next thing to do after replacing the gasket is try to find a couple of replacement handles. I am not sure if they are bakelite or what but two of the four handles are badly cracked. As soon as I have things ready, I will make a test run and report back!

[realist]

Our old one had wood handles which would be easy to make since they were only about six inches long. If yours are like that all you need is a long drill bit and a couple pieces of wood. Shape them down and oil them, you will be good to go. When ordering the gaskets might as well order others. I replace our when every they are not pliable any more.