(adapted from National Center for Home Food Preservation, The Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015 revision. National Center for Home Food Preservation | USDA Publications)
If you have the instructions that came with your canner, grab that and get started! The diagrams and details specific to your model may be helpful. If you’re using a hand-me-down or a canner you scored at a yard sale, and don’t have the instruction guide, here are general instructions on how to use a pressure canner.
1. Add 2 to 3 inches of hot water to your canner. If your canner or a specific recipe you’re using specifies a greater quantity of water, follow those instructions.
2. Place your jars, filled according to the recipe you are using, on the rack inside the canner. A jar lifter is helpful here. Be sure you keep all your jars upright at all times so that the contents do not come into contact with the lid—you want to keep the lid area clean so a tight seal can form. Follow the manufacturer instructions to securely fasten the lid to the canner.
3. Remove the weight from the vent port, or open the petcock. Turn your stove heat to high, allowing steam to release from the canner. You MUST allow steam to freely flow from the pressure canner continuously for ten minutes to remove air. Maintain the high heat, and then place the weight on the vent port or close the petcock. This begins the pressurizing inside your canner.
4. Within five minutes, the pressure should increase. Your recipe will indicate the pressure you must achieve. Begin timing the canning process when the dial gauge indicates you’ve reached that pressure, or when the weighted gauge begins jiggling as the canner manufacturer describes. Keep your stove heat constant to maintain the pressure level at or just above what your recipe requires.
(Tip: Sudden pressure variation during processing is a common cause for losing liquid in your jars.)
IMPORTANT: If your pressure drops at any time during processing, you must raise it back to the level required by your recipe and then begin the timer again. The required pressure MUST be maintained constantly for the full processing time, or you’ll need to start over. C. botulinum spores are tricky and you need to be sure they don’t survive.
5. When the processing time has been completed, turn off the stove and allow the canner to naturally depressurize without interference! Attempts to cool it down sooner, or to open the vent port, can affect the safety of your food, cause liquid loss from the jars, and/or cause sealing failure. It can also damage your canner. Be patient, have a cup of tea, and give it the time it needs!
(Tip: If you have an older model canner without a dial gauge, depressurization should be timed. Allow 30 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts when using a standard-size, heavy-walled canner. If you’re using a more modern, thin-walled canner with a vent lock, it will cool and depressurize more quickly. You’ll know it's ready to open when the vent lock piston drops to its normal position.)
6. Once the canner has depressurized, you can take off the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait another 10 minutes, and carefully open and remove the lid, lifting it away from your face and body to prevent steam from reaching you.
7. You can now remove the jars from the canner, using a jar lifter. Place your jars on a towel or a board, leaving at least an inch of space between the jars as they cool. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool at room temperature for about 18 to 24 hours, so as not to interfere with the seal formation process. Don’t tighten the bands! Don’t expose jars to any sudden temperature changes.
8. After 18 hours, lightly press on the edge of the lids to ensure a proper seal has been made. Carefully remove each band and wipe each jar clean. We recommend you store your canned foods in a cool, dry location away from sunlight, ideally between 50 °F and 70 °F (but above freezing and below 85 °F will do!).
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