My All American Pressure Canner Cooker Review
“Cooking Under Pressure”
“Read why the All American Pressure Canner Cooker is Rated the Best”
I come from a family with a long tradition of canning homegrown produce. My father was a great gardener and he grew an amazing array of produce, in fact, he grew way too much for us to use as a family. Friends and neighbors always left our house with bags of fresh fruit and vegetables, and there would still be plenty left over for my mother to can.
My mother would take the excess vegetables and fruits and can them in her large canning pressure cooker. In the beginning she used a water bath for her preserving, but then she was introduced to the benefits of using a pressure canner cooker and from then on no suitable item of food was safe.
Now she was also able to can chicken and meat as well as vegetable and non-acid fruits. So our larder was always full of wonderful food that could be used in an instant and nothing ever went to waste or got freezer burn. Another wonderful feature of canning is that you can quickly and easily turn inexpensive cuts of meat into tasty meals.
I was talking to my daughter Varinia, who is a great cook, about the benefits of canning when we were discussing the bountiful amount of beans and potatoes and various other vegetables and fruit that her garden had produced this year. As I recounted the story of my mother to her I began to think that this might be a good time to look into purchasing a pressure canner/cooker for her. After all, I still have my mothers. However, after doing my research I brought a new one for myself and I am absolutely thrilled with it.
“Where did my research take me?”
- The first to decide on is the size. This will depend on how much canning you intend to do and how big your family is especially if you intend to use your canner simply as a pressure cooker.
- The next thing to consider is the material. Pressure cookers are available in Stainless Steel and Aluminum. If you choose stainless steel, make sure it has an aluminum or copper base to ensure that the cooker has even heating. Stainless steel has the advantage of being durable and looking nice but it does not conduct heat very well when used on its own.
- If you are considering an aluminum pressure cooker, then go for the heavy cast aluminum which will give you good service.
Things I was looking for in a Pressure Cooker/Canner
- Automatic pressure release
- Pressure Gauge is easy to read
- Does not require rubber seals or gaskets
So which Pressure Canner/Cooker made the grade?
After very careful consideration I decided on the All American Pressure Canner/Cooker which is made in Wisconsin, US. This cooker/canner has all the features I was looking for. It was also rated extremely well on Amazon.
I chose the 21-quart size because I know that my daughter will find this size the most useful for canning her excess produce and as she entertains a lot it will also be ideal for cooking up delicious meals for her family and friends. This size canner also suits me as it means I can have fruit and vegetables on the shelf to use when they out of season.
I was so excited when my All American Pressure Canner arrived and couldn’t wait to start using it. We didn’t have anything on hand at that particular time to can, so we went out and brought 10lbs of tomatoes to make the Tomato Sauce recipe from the manual that comes with Canner. This sauce is ideal to use as a sauce for Spaghetti, and it’s very tasty.
As you can see from the photo the tomatoes were vine-ripened and along with the red bell pepper and celery, all the vegetables were in peak condition.
Always choose the best quality fruit and vegetable to can.
Let’s Take a Look in More Detail
What’s in the Box?
- Included is the pressure cooker, instruction manual and cooking instructions.
What Other Sizes are Available?
I have listed the other sizes that are available, after all the 21½ quart may not suit your needs. These link to Amazon where you can check out the price for the size you want.
How Much Should You Pay?
The price you pay will depend upon the size of the pressure cooker/canner that you buy, and the prices range from approx $225 to $499.95 accordingly. After thorough searching, we found the best price available at Amazon.
What is it Made of?
- These pressure cookers/canners are made from heavy-duty, hand-cast aluminum which has a rather attractive, easy to clean satin finish.
- The top handle is made from sturdy Bakelite.
Tell me about the Pressure Gauge
- The All American pressure cooker has a geared steam gauge with an automatic overpressure release. There are three pressure settings of 5 psi, 10 psi, and 15 psi (psi = pounds per square inch or pound-force per square inch).
- The pressure gauge is easy to read.
How is the Lid Attached?
- The lid attaches securely to the base using sturdy screws.
- The All American Pressure Canner Cooker is the only pressure canner to feature an exclusive, precision machined ‘metal-to-metal’ sealing system.
- Each canner has positive action clamping locks that align the lid to the base and this forms a steam tight seal. And the beauty of this system is that you don’t have to worry about replacing worn out gaskets.
Features of Each Pressure Cooker – How Much Does it Measure and Weigh?
- holds 7-pint jars or 4 quart jars
- measures 11¾ inches overall with 10¼-inch inside diameter
- includes 1 rack
- weighs 11½
- shipping weight: 15 pounds
- holds 10-pint jars or 7-quart jars
- measures 12¼ inches overall with 12¼-inch inside diameter
- includes 1 rack
- weighs 18 pounds
- shipping weight: 21 pounds
21½ quart – This is the one I brought
- holds 19-pint jars or 7-quart jars
- measures 15⅜ inches high with 12¼-inch inside diameter
- includes 2 racks
- weighs 17¾ pounds
- shipping weight: 25 pounds
- holds 19-pint jars or 7-quart jars
- measures 16¾ inches high with 12¼-inch inside diameter
- includes 2 racks
- weighs 18¼
- shipping weight 24 pounds
This pressure cooker/canner is not suitable for glass or flat top ranges.
- holds 19-pint jars or 14-quart jars
- measures 19 inches high with 12¼-inch inside diameter
- weighs 21¼ pounds
- shipping weight: 28 pounds
This pressure cooker/canner is not suitable for glass or flat top ranges.
- holds 32-pint jars or 19-quart jars
- measures 19 inches high with 15¼-inch inside diameter
- weighs 33 pounds
- shipping weight: 40 pounds
This pressure cooker/canner is not suitable for glass or flat top ranges.
Where Can I Get the Best Price?
As always we found that Amazon has the best deal.
New to the World of Pressure Cooking and Canning!!!
Getting started is always the hardest part and All American realize this so they have put together the All American pressure cooker instruction and recipe book which will get you started on your new hobby. And that is exactly what it will become once you start.
Nothing will be safe in the garden, you will find yourself picking, processing and pressure cooking fruit and vegetables just for the sheer pleasure of using your canner.
How Do Pressure Cookers Work?
If you have never previously used a pressure cooker you may like to know how a pressure cooker works.
- What a Pressure cooker does is use the chemical properties of water to help food cook more quickly. At sea level, water can only heat up to 100° C (212° F) before it boils, transforming into steam.
- However, if the water is under pressure, the temperature needed to make it boil increases. Pressure cookers work by cranking up the pressure on the water so that it can become hotter, and cook food more quickly.
- This also means that the higher heat will kill any bacteria far better than the old water bath method of preserving.
Are Pressure Cookers Safe?
- Yes, they most certainly are providing you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Over the years there have been horror stories about exploding pressure cookers – I even have a story of my own which was a disaster that resulted from my own stupidity and was in no way the fault of the pressure cooker.
As I say it was my own fault and had I followed the manufacturer’s instructions and simply run cold water over the lid until the pressure reduced as recommended for the particular pressure cooker that I had- all would have been well. And yes I did have the pressure gauge tested after this incident.
Things have changed since then and pressure cookers are so much safer than they used to be. As long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions you shouldn’t have a problem.
Making Tomato Sauce with my All American Pressure Cooker/Canner
