Pressure Cooker Reviews
“Pressure cooker reviews you have to read if you want the best”
My job used to take me to many different peoples houses. It was in one of these customer’s house that I first experienced home canning. The home owner had invited us to sit down and have a sandwich for lunch. All along the wall were jars full of fruits and vegetables. He asked us if we wanted to try some of his wife’s preserves and canned vegetables. From that day forward, I have been a fan of home canning.
I recently decided to look at canning pressure cookers. We grow a lot of vegetables in the yard over the summer and I would like to can them to use later in the year. Since a pressure canner is not something I buy everyday, I decided that I would need to take my time and research the market well before making a decision.
Important Research Considerations
I determined that the first thing I had to decide on was the size I wanted to buy. Pressure cookers come in a wide range of sizes; from as small as 10 quarts to as high as 41 quarts. The size you choose will be based on how big your average batch will be. If you are going to use the pressure cooker to cook food, you will have to know how much food you will cook. Having a pressure cook that is a little large for the amount of food you are cooking is not that bad. The size, though, will greatly affect how many jars you can put in the cooker for canning. Make sure that the pressure canner can hold the number of jars that you would like to use in one run. If you want use 14 quart jars per run, be sure that you can fit them in the cooker. And the final determining factor for size is the height of the pressure canner. The canning pressure cookers that I looked at ranged from 12 inches to 19 inches tall.
You also want to consider what the thing is made out of. Pressure cookers come in Stainless Steel and Aluminum. Aluminum is a good conductor of heat, so choosing an aluminum pressure cooker will give you even heat throughout the cooker. If you decide to buy a stainless steel pressure cooker, you can still get good heat distribution. You just have to make sure the pressure cooker you buy has an aluminum or copper core. If you see a pressure canner that is stainless steel through and through, do not buy it.
Must haves in a pressure cooker
Durability
No gaskets or rubber seals
Automatic pressure release
Easily readable pressure gauge
Which Pressure Cooker/Canner did I choose?
I chose the All American Pressure Cooker/Canner because, quite frankly, it meets or exceeds all of my requirements and it has some of the best reviews I have ever seen for any product. Here are a few from Amazon.
“I’ve had my Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry All American pressure canner for a couple of years, and I’m still very happy with the purchase.” a customer
“Bought one several months ago. Liked it so much, bought my daughters one to share. Excellent service, great product.”
Oregonian “Jann”
“This product is the best engineered cooker ever.” cds
You can read many more like this at Amazon.com. The All American Pressure Cooker/Canner is the best of the best; receiving 4.8 stars out of 5.
What do you get?
You will receive your pressure cooker, cooking/canning rack, instructions booklet and recipe book.
What sizes can you buy it in?
10 Quart
15 Quart
21 Quart
25 Quart
30 Quart
41 Quart
How much will it cost?
The prices range from $179 to $464 depending on which size you choose. I found the best price on pressure cookers at Amazon.com.
What material is used to make it?
The All American Pressure Cooker/Canner is made of professional quality, hand cast heavy duty aluminum. It has a stay-cool bakelite top handle and double thick edges for extra protection on wear points.
Other Cool Things I Like About the Pressure Cooker
It has a geared steam gauge, automatic overpressure release pressure regulator weight with 5, 10, and 15 psi settings. The pressure gauge is a nice size and very easy to read.
What about the lid?
The lid is sealed without the use of a gasket and features the All American Pressure Canner exclusive, precision “Metal to Metal” sealing system. The lid is locked by clamps to the base and creates a perfect seal; no gaskets involved. When I was reading the reviews the sealing system and the fact that the All American Pressure Canner/Cooker doesn’t use gaskets. I particularly remember someone say the were doing research and came across a lot of people having trouble finding a replacement gasket for their older pressure cookers. You won’t have that problem with the All American Pressure Canner.
Specific Detail of Each Pressure Cooker
10 quart
- holds 10 1/2 quarts of liquid
- 7 pint jars or 4 quart jars can be canned at a time
- measures 12 inches high by 13 inches wide overall
- measures 7 3/4 inches high by 10 1/4 inches wide on the inside
- comes with 1 cooking/canning rack
- weighs 11 1/2 pounds
- 15 pounds when packed for shipping
15 quart
- holds 15 1/2 quarts of liquid
- 10 pint jars or 7 quart jars can be canned at a time
- measures 12 1/2 inches high by 15 1/2 inches wide overall
- measures 7 1/2 inches high by 12 5/8 inches wide on the inside
- comes with 1 cooking/canning rack
- weighs 18 pounds
- 21 pounds when packed for shipping
21 quart
- holds 21 1/2 quarts of liquid
- 19 pint jars or 7 quart jars can be canned at a time
- measures 16 inches high by 15 inches wide overall
- measures 10 1/2 inches high by 12 5/8 inches wide on the inside
- comes with 1 cooking/canning rack
- weighs 20 pounds
- 25 pounds when packed for shipping
25 quart
- holds 25 quarts of liquid
- 19 pint jars or 7 quart jars can be canned at a time
- measures 16 3/4 inches high
- measures 11 7/8 inches high by 12 5/8 inches wide on the inside
- comes with 1 cooking/canning rack
- weighs 21 pounds
- 29 pounds when packed for shipping
30 quart
- holds 30 quarts of liquid
- 19 pint jars or 14 quart jars can be canned at a time
- measures 19 inches high
- measures 14 inches high by 12 5/8 inches wide on the inside
- comes with 1 cooking/canning rack
- weighs 22 pounds
- 32 pounds when packed for shipping
41 quart
- holds 30 quarts of liquid
- 32 pint jars or 19 quart jars can be canned at a time
- measures 19 inches high
- measures 14 1/4 inches high by 15 1/4 inches wide on the inside
- comes with 1 cooking/canning rack
- weighs 33 pounds
- 40 pounds when packed for shipping
Who has the best deal on Pressure Cookers?
Amazon.com, by far, has the best price on the All American Pressure Cooker/Canner. And they have unmatched customer service to go along with it.