Best Electric Pressure Cooker For Canning

Pressure canning is a method, and each step ensures that the food in your jars is safe to eat. Make sure to read and follow the specific instructions included with your canner, as well as the NCHFP’s pressure canning instructions. 

They’ll instruct you to bring several inches of water to a boil, add correctly filled and lidded jars, and secure the canner’s lid. Allow the canner to steam and then reach and maintain a constant pressure before beginning the timing. When the timer sounds, allow the canner to cool and naturally depressurize before removing the lid and jars. 

These are the fundamentals, but the devil is in the details specified by the canner’s manufacturer and the NCHFP. 

To ensure food safety, use a pressure canner whenever low-acid foods need to be preserved at their natural pH level. 

This category includes poultry, seafood, and vegetables, as well as soups and stocks. 

According to the FDA, low-acid foods have a pH greater than 4.6. You could use pressure canning for foods with a high acid content, such as most fruits, but it will take longer and maybe less tasty than boiling water-bath canning. 

Pickling is an alternative to pressure canning for low-acid foods. By adding an acid such as vinegar to green beans, you can raise the pH to a level that allows the jar to be processed safely in boiling water. 6 

Without the additional acid, microorganisms must be killed using a combination of ultra-high temperature and pressure, which a pressure canner provides. 

If you want canned green beans that have the flavor of fresh green beans, pressure canning is the way to go. Pickle green beans if you want them to retain their fresh crispness but have a tangy flavor. 

Canning requires jars explicitly designed for home canning and flat canning lids secured with rings until they seal. 

To make canning more enjoyable and less messy, you’ll also need a spoon, a wide-mouth funnel for filling jars, and a jar lifter for moving full and hot pots. 

A second jar rack is beneficial when stacking jars in a pressure canner. 

Don’t forget to bring a marker or labels with you to record what’s in the jars and when they are canned. 

Pressure cooker manufacturers have recently started designing electric pressure cookers which can be used not only for cooking food, but also for canning. The primary advantage of using an electric model is that you don’t have to monitor it or worry about burning your house down. 

Yes! Home canning using a CANNING SPECIFIC ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER is COMPLETELY safe because the cooker automatically maintains the correct pressure and temperature, regardless of altitude. There’s nothing quite like it. It does all the work for you! Before electric models hit the market for home use, ALL pressure cookers were only able to reach a maximum of 15 PSI (pound per square inch). 

However, today’s electric models can increase much higher than that and maintain a set temperature and pressure. This means you don’t have to worry about over pressurizing the machine and destroying its valves and gaskets. Thus, they can safely be used for home canning purposes if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding the number of cans and size of jar it can accommodate 

The USDA does not recommend using electric pressure cookers to can food, but with the addition of a small water bath this is possible. 

When the machine is set to “High Pressure”, put two cups of water in your pressure cooker (for electric models) and turn it on.  Once the indicator says that the unit is up to pressure (15 PSI), you can start timing. A full steam cycle usually takes about 3-5 minutes–just enough time to get the right pressure and temperature needed to kill bacteria. And, if needed, a quick release will be automatically performed by your machine from there. 

Note: If you purchased an electric model which does not have a canning setting of 15 PSIs, follow manufacturer’s instructions for high-altitude cooking. In addition to increased pressure, wide-ranging altitudes may require increased cooking times. 

Yes, you must always use new two-piece metal lids and clean, sterile jars to ensure a safe product. To sterilize jars before filling them with food, boil the empty jars in water for at least 10 minutes at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. 

For altitude above 1,000 feet: Increase processing time as indicated for water-bath canning. 

Note: The directions I provide are geared towards people who live at sea level. If you live in an area with higher elevation adjust your ingredients and process times accordingly to compensate for lower atmospheric pressure or if you have a canner that goes above 15 PSI. 

Processing is the term used for heating jars of food before they are stored to kill harmful molds, yeasts, and bacteria such as Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Clostridium botulinum, Salmonella enterica, and other species. 

Jars are heated in boiling water or in a steam pressure canner to ensure that they are free of these harmful pathogens which can cause food poisoning if ingested. Bacteria will not grow when the jar is properly sealed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For boiling water method jars, this is when the jar reaches at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit. For steam pressure canners, it is when your entire gauge reads 10 pounds of pressure. 

Note: Check your manufacturer instructions for detailed information on how to get cans up to pressure and get accurate readings on your controls. 

Only high-acid foods such as vegetables, fruits and tomatoes that have been acidified with lemon juice or citric acid can be safely canned in a pressure canner. 

Non-acidic food such as meats (like beef, pork, fish), dairy products, poultry and seafood cannot be canned at home since they have not been pre-acidified. These foods are safe to freeze or dry at home but must be commercially canned for shelf storage. 

Only process in an electric pressure cooker when the recipe specifies 15 PSI and double the timing recommended for boiling water bath canning. If you are using a stove top pressure cooker, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for canning foods per the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and process in batches at 10 pounds of pressure.