Gaugeless Pressure Cookers & Canning Foods

Canning is an easy, cost-effective way to preserve vegetables.

When faced with an abundance of vegetables from a summer garden, you may want to use a pressure cooker to save your harvest for later. Pressure canning is the safest way to preserve vegetables for future enjoyment.

What Is Canning?

Canning is the process of storing food, usually vegetables, in airtight containers for consumption at a later time. Proper canning prevents spoilage and bacteria growth that can cause deadly botulism poisoning.

How Does a Pressure Cooker Work?

A pressure cooker or canner employs compressed heat to raise the internal temperature of the item to be cooked or canned. The user places the food and some water inside the pot, seals the lid and sets the pressure before turning on the burner to high. The cooker releases excess steam; what remains inside cooks the food and kills bacteria.

Gaugeless Pressure Cookers

Pressure cookers typically have a built-in gauge that allows the user to adjust the canning pressure inside the sealed pot. Older gaugeless pressure cookers came with weighted pressure regulators that jiggle atop the pressure valve; contemporary cookers feature an indicator rod that rises along with the pot's internal pressure.

References

• Pickyourown.org: Home Pressure Canners: How They Work and Tips to Using Them
• The Ohio State University Extension: Basics for Canning Vegetables
• Miss Vickie's Guide to Modern Pressure Cookery: A Look at the Modern Pressure Cooker