Why we should all ditch electric canners... for now

[cake by the ocean]

The thing is, you can't really verify pressure like with a normal canner. There's no gauge, just sensors. Plus, cooling time matters for killing microbes, and those electric ones may not follow the same pattern.

Presto shared some promising lab results, but there's no independent testing yet. OSU won't support or deny them until more is done.

For now, I'm sticking to the old-school method and wouldn't recommend electric ones just yet. Are electric pressure canners safe for canning? Am I just overthinking?

 

[PecanPieMan]

@cake by the ocean nah, absolutely NOT overthinking this!
That no gauge thing is a huge deal, how do you really know it's hitting and holding the right pressure? And you're spot on about cooling time, that's actually part of the whole microbe killing process, and electric ones might not do it the same way as stovetop models.

Plus, no independent testing yet from places like OSU? That's the biggest red flag. Until those studies are out and proven, sticking to your old school method is the safest bet.

 

[Miss bezos]

No, you're not overthinking it, if you can't verify pressure or cooling time, you can't trust it for safe canning....period, until there's solid, independent testing and USDA backing, it's a no go for me and it should be for you too, stick with what works, botulism doesn't care how fancy your buttons are.....respectfully

 

[rlrohan]

No, you're not overthinking it, if you can't verify pressure or cooling time, you can't trust it for safe canning....period, until there's solid, independent testing and USDA backing, it's a no go for me and it should be for you too, stick with what works, botulism doesn't care how fancy your buttons are.....respectfully

I agree with you. It's hard to trust something that you can't see if you have been used to something you could visually verify. Electronic sensors can fail just like anything else and they can change values and loose calibration over time. That's why we are supposed to have our pressure canner gauge tested and verified annually. If the electric canner makers want use to have confidence in their product then maybe they could add a mechanical pressure gauge to their product so pressure could be verified visually. That might just be the thing to get them tested and certified or it might be the thing they are afraid of-like they may not hold steady pressure.