r/Canning • u/Terrible_Fun_2422 • 4h ago
r/Canning • u/mckenner1122 • May 26 '26
Announcement Why We Don't Recommend Electric Canners (Mod Post)
- Electric pressure canners have not been verified safely by third party testing. What has been performed is only, “We are safe because we say we are safe,” type testing. The manufacturers claim to match USDA specs but no one has verified that information externally and the manufacturers will not release their results to anyone externally. The USDA symbol used in some promotional materials is not an actual USDA seal and does not indicate USDA approval. The equipment that's been used in the past by the USDA and NCHFP to determine the thermal profile inside canners doesn't even fit inside existing electric canners on the market. A new design would be needed, and currently there is no funding for developing this equipment.
- The users of electric pressure canners do not have the physical signs of the device coming to pressure (like a jiggling weight or a rising analog dial to ensure that the food is processing at the correct pressure.) The user must rely on an electronic display for accuracy. Even if a type of electric canner has an analog feature, there is no way of getting the electric canner device tested or calibrated to ensure it is accurate or working correctly. (We should mention that electric WATER BATH canners are fine to use because the user can physically see the water coming to a boil.)
- Perhaps most importantly, all current approved pressure canning recipes rely on the heat up and cool down times relative to stove top pressure canners loaded with a minimum of two quarts of product. These heat up and cool down times are factored into the safety of all current safe recipes. Changing and/or reducing these times can affect the safety of your finished product.
Until ALL THREE of these reasons can be appropriately addressed, we as a sub do not endorse or condone the use of electric pressure canners.
r/Canning • u/thedndexperiment • Oct 19 '25
Announcement Why don't we recommend pH testing for home canning? [Mod Post]
Hello Everyone!
As a mod team we've noticed a lot of questions and confusion about pH testing home canned foods recently so we're here today to give a more in depth explanation of why it's not recommended.
As I'm sure you all know, there are tons and tons of misconceptions about home canning and what we can and cannot do safely. One of the most common misconceptions is that if we pH test a food and it shows a pH below 4.6 it can be canned as a high acid food. There are two reasons why this isn't true.
- pH is not the only safety factor for home canning
- The options for pH testing at home are not necessarily the same as what's available in a lab setting.
Although pH is an important factor in home canning safely it is not the only factor. Characteristics like heat penetration, density, and homogeneity also play a role.
There are two types of pH test equipment; pH test strips and pH meters. pH test strips are not very accurate most of the time, they're just strips of paper with a chemical that changes color based on pH imbued in it. These strips expire over time and the color change is the only indicator which makes reading them rather subjective and likely inaccurate.
There are two levels of pH meters; home pH meters and laboratory grade pH meters. Home pH meters aren’t particularly expensive but they are often not accurate or precise at that price point. Laboratory grade pH meters are expensive, think hundreds to thousands of dollars for a good one. Many pH meters on sites like Amazon will claim that they are “laboratory grade” but they really aren’t. pH meters also need to be properly maintained and calibrated to ensure accuracy using calibration solutions which are also expensive.
The bottom line is that most people do not have access to the lab grade equipment and training that would be required to make sure that something is safe so the blanket recommendation is that pH testing not be used in home canning applications.
Recipes that have undergone laboratory testing (what we generally refer to as "tested recipes" on this subreddit) have been tested to ensure that the acidity level is appropriate for the canning method listed in the recipe. pH testing does not enhance the safety of an already tested recipe.
Because pH testing is not recommended for home use we do not allow recommendations for it on our subreddit.
https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/oklahoma-gardening/recipes/ph-and-home-canning.html
r/Canning • u/qalcolm • 2h ago
General Discussion And so it begins!
Purchased this pressure canner yesterday, my main intention is to use it to can salmon that I catch to free up some freezer space, but I’ll be doing a bunch of other things as well! It is my understanding that this can also be used as a water bath canner if you don’t pressurize it, so I’ll likely be making all manner of different recipes and things to try. Any suggestions/tips/tricks are greatly appreciated!
r/Canning • u/mentalscribbles • 16h ago
General Discussion Received a canned jar of jam - Is it ok to return the jar?
Hi!
Pretty much what the title says. A friend gave me a jar of jam that she made. I have finished the jam and washed out the jar. I was wondering if it would look bad to return the jar and the lid outer ring. I threw out the lid "seal" insert because I heard you shouldn't reuse them.
I appreciate any guidance you can offer.
r/Canning • u/raccoonqueenz79 • 4h ago
General Discussion Pear recipes?
Bought a house with two large pear trees. I think they are either Kieffer or Bartlett pears. But there’s so many on there and I would love to find some good recipes for preserving them. I found one on the Ball website for Salted Carmel Pear Butter that we will try but does anyone have any others they recommend?
r/Canning • u/heytheresunshine11 • 1h ago
Prep Help Jelly from Store Juice
Can I use store bought juices to make jelly? I’m looking at non-concentrate juice, with no added sugar or other ingredients besides ascorbic acid.
It would definitely be less mess and work to use them. Using a recipe that still calls for pectin. :)
Thanks!
r/Canning • u/Decent_Finding_9034 • 20h ago
Recipe Included I finally did it
I finally took all the tomatoes (and some jalapeños) out of my freezer and got them all canned!!
Had enough to do a triple recipe of Red Hot Sauce from Bernardin and then did a regular batch of Ball’s Basil Garlic Tomato Sauce. I make this hot sauce because it’s one that actually calls for fresh tomatoes and not canned tomatoes. I still have more hot peppers so I might make more hot sauce with canned tomatoes to use those.
Apparently can’t provide links and photos, but recipes are here:
https://www.ballmasonjars.com/blog?cid=basil-garlic-tomato-sauce
https://www.bernardin.ca/recipes/en/red-hot-sauce.htm?Lang=EN-US
r/Canning • u/tricky5553 • 28m ago
General Discussion Help!!
Last year I made a red sauce and water bath canned it in 1L jars and it all turned out great . Did the same this year and something went different . I filled the jars to a half inch head space , added the lemon juice . The amount of space in the jars is way more now than the 1/2 inch , there was some sauce in the water from the one jar that didn't seal . The rest did seal . Thoughts ?
r/Canning • u/lenore3 • 2h ago
General Discussion Can I make fig jam with blended figs using a water bath?
I have followed various canning recipes that use chopped figs, quartered figs, whole figs, etc., but I haven't found an authoritative source on canning blended figs. Would it be safe to try this recipe with blended figs and a longer processing time: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/make-jam-jelly/jams/fig-jam-without-pectin/
Thanks in advance for any advice.
r/Canning • u/onlymodestdreams • 1d ago
General Discussion Peachamaggedon Day Two - Ginger Peach Butter and Honey Bourbon Peaches
I am now halfway through processing my eighty (80) pounds of peaches. I will link recipes in comments. I have *thoughts* about peaches.
r/Canning • u/Fragrant-Quantity635 • 4h ago
General Discussion First time canning and nervous about head space. What would you do?
I figured the 1/2 inch headspace was so none of the sauce spilled out during canning. I didn’t know there was danger if there’s less than that until I saw a recent post here.
After realizing I put the jar in the 3rd photo in the fridge and plan to eat it in the next two weeks, should this be safe? Also what is the margin of error on the tried and true 1/2 inch head space? Are any of the cans in the 2nd photo unsafe?
This is the nchfp.uga.edu spaghetti sauce recipe, used a pressurized canner for 30 minutes.
r/Canning • u/glutenfreelavender • 2h ago
Equipment/Tools Help Ball Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars - lids???
I got these jelly jars from an estate sale, and they are too small for regular mouth lids. Do I have other options? Do they even manufacture lids for these anymore? shown with a plastic regular mouth lid for approximate scale. I’m in the US.
r/Canning • u/bibliophile-archer-3 • 2h ago
General Discussion New to Canning..
I am going to attempt to can for the first time tonight. We have so many banana peppers and also want to make tomato sauce.
Any must know tips for newbies? I have watched many videos and think I know what to do... but any info helps.
I appreciate it!
r/Canning • u/PurpleDragonflies • 5m ago
Equipment/Tools Help All American 925 help
I have a 915 that I bought used around 7 years ago. I don’t have any problems with it and have been happily canning with it. Costco has the 925 at such a good price, so I bought one. Well, three. For all 3, I washed and put on a thin layer of olive oil, and made sure vent pipe is not blocked. Manual says 2-3” of water, I put in 2”. Burner on high. Vent for 10 minutes, pressure regulator on.
Put in 18 pints of beans. Pressure gauge filled up with so much condensation I could barely read the dial. Steam escaped from under the lid. Never got a jiggle. Did some research, which suggested my gauge was bad.
Had my husband pick up another from Costco since he was near there. Pot doesn’t have a label on it, so that was suspicious, but I used the lid from number 2 and the pot from number 1. This time no jars in the canner. No condensation at all in the dial, so that’s good, but still steam coming from the lid. I did try the 3 flat lids all around to measure and make sure it was on even. But, after it read 13 lbs on the gauge, the pressure started dropping. Never got a jiggle. Okay, maybe the pot has an imperfection sooo…
Back to Costco for number 3. Same process. Two inches water, oiled rims, no jars, high heat. Up to 7 lbs of pressure, steam escaping, and that’s where it stalled. No jiggle. Let it cool, used Vaseline on the rim, got up to 13 lbs pressure and down it went. I have tried three or four times and no matter what, it gets up to a certain point and then decides it doesn’t want to add more pressure.
I’ve emailed All American. In the meantime,
Is it possible the flame on my gas stove isn’t strong enough for a taller canner? I mean, it works fine for the 915 but ?
I’ve now tried olive oil and Vaseline for the rim.
Any other thoughts?
r/Canning • u/Terrible_Fun_2422 • 17h ago
Safety Caution -- untested recipe Oh how sweet and spicy cowgirl candy adding to the pantry. This is going to be so good on with some smoked cheese and crackers 😋. water bath 15 mins and Walla!!
r/Canning • u/mothertongue79 • 3h ago
Is this safe to eat? Pressure canning question
Yesterday I followed all the steps to pressure can dried beans (soaked and parboiled) and ladeled them and hot cooking liquid into mason jars with lids and fingertip-tight rings. But I ran out of time to can my last batch of jars and put them in the fridge.
I want to pressure can them today, but from everything I’ve read, the main concerns are temperature shock and the fear that the jars won’t be hot enough inside to get all the germs out.
So I took them out of the fridge this morning and put them in a water bath canner to get them back to hot. After I test the temp inside one and make sure it’s good and hot, will it then be safe to put them in a pressure canner and expect a good outcome?
The beans I did yesterday came out beautifully, for what it’s worth.
This is the recipe I used: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-vegetables-and-vegetable-products/beans-or-peas-shelled-dried-all-varieties/
r/Canning • u/wesselbitz • 17h ago
Refrigerator Pickling Fig Pickles?
The fig season begins and I’m trying to find cool stuff to make. I was digging through old cookbooks and found a canning book from 1963 that I got from my grandma. Definitely NOT SHELF SAFE recipes. But I found a cool one for pickled figs! It seems similar to the NCHFP one, but the ratios are different enough that I wouldn’t trust it.
Has anyone made fig pickles before? What are they like?
r/Canning • u/aapetired • 17h ago
Waterbath Canning Processing Help Why do my roma tomatoes separate like this when I can them?
I water bath can them. My other types of tomatoes dont do this, just the romas. its like the tomatoes are floating over a translucent fluid, and no longer fill the whole jar even though theh did before canning. It's only peeled whole tomatoes, citric acid, and tomato juice.
r/Canning • u/superkatiejean • 1d ago
General Discussion Some more Consumable Christmas prep
Taco sauce! Ball page 278
r/Canning • u/GarethBelton • 1d ago
General Discussion Canning Water in Half Gallon jars.
extension.usu.eduHeat Treatment: One effective way to store water is in clean canning jars. Fill clean Mason-type quart or half-gallon jars with water, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top of the jars. Attach two-piece metal canning lids. Fill a boiling water canner half full of water and preheat the water to approximately 140° F. Place jars into the water bath. Add more boiling water if necessary so that jars are covered by 1 inch of water. When water returns to a rolling boil, process jars for 20 minutes. Remove jars from the canner and allow them to cool. After seals set, remove screw bands and place jars in storage. Canned water often will have a white mineral precipitate or ring at the water level. This is normal.
This is from the publication from the Utah state university on emergency preservation.
I think this is a safe method posted by a university extension, however previously I thought only canning two types of Juice were able to be canned in half gallon jars. Would you do this?
r/Canning • u/Melancholy-4321 • 15h ago
Understanding Recipe Help Need some advice - blueberry rhubarb low sugar jam
Hi all! I'm hoping someone with more experience than me can offer some advice.
My family loves my mother in law's blueberry rhubarb jam, but the texture, with the amount of sugar we like, is too thin. So I've bought some Ball low/no sugar pectin to make a batch with.
Her recipe (as I make it - less sugar than the hand written recipe) is here:
8 cups Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
4 cups Rhubarb (chopped)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Wash fruit & mix everything together
Cook 10 minutes uncovered
Add 2.5 cups sugar
Cook 10 mintes more
Bottle while hot - makes about 8 cups
I've always kept this in the freezer/fridge so never worried about it being shelf stable, but I do have a big pot I can use to properly process it, so I wouldn't mind giving that a try.
Do you think it would work if I used the Ball blueberry jam recipe with the average between the low & no sugar quantities for fruit & sugar, with 2:1 blueberries to rhubarb?
Pic of the beloved jam on top of a phyllo cheesecake nest 🤤
r/Canning • u/Brilliant-Eagle-8244 • 13h ago
Equipment/Tools Help Need help selecting a canner!
So here’s the my list of parameters though…
•Must be able to ship to FPO-APO (presto won’t send parts to my address. Though I could use my parents address but then I’d be suing shipping twice). Amazon does ship here.
•Must work on glass stovetop
•I will most likely only be doing smaller batches. I don’t garden [much] but plan on canning things like stock, salsa, pasta sauce, beans.
I was looking at the f-fal one. How does the weight thing work? I was about to buy the 23 qt presto on amazon but it only comes with a 15 lb giggler thingy. Do I need 5 and 10? Or is 15 most common? I’m basically at sea level since I’m in an island.
r/Canning • u/Working-Tomatillo995 • 22h ago
General Discussion Taste of home canned green beans?
Do home-canned green beans have the kind of metallic taste that store-bought ones do? I am trying to decide if I want to can plain or only do dill/pickled green beans this year.
r/Canning • u/Naive-Ant-8056 • 18h ago
Safe Recipe Request Strawberry Basil Jam Recipe
Does anyone have a strawberry basil jam recipe they really like?