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Which canner to get, in plain words.

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Home canning in plain words

Electric Pressure Canners, Made Simple

Pick by what you want to can, not by what the box says. Here’s which electric pressure canner to get, or whether a pot for your stove is the better choice.

Find your cannerAre they safe?

Image: AI-generated (OpenAI)

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The short answer

For most people, we'd start with a stovetop canner, the Presto 01781, because the official USDA canning instructions were written for pots on the stove. If you'd rather plug one in, look at the Presto Precise 23-Quart. Just know that nobody outside the company has published test results for it, and the USDA doesn't approve any canner.

Start here

Pick the question on your mind.

Pick by what you want to can

Here are four good places to start. If you can't decide, go with the first one.

Want to see more? Here are all the canners side by side, and help choosing between electric and stovetop.

Not sure? Let us help

Find your canner in 3 quick questions

Question 1

What do you want to can?

Vegetables, meat, chicken and fish need a pressure canner. Jam, most fruit and pickles do not.

AI-generated illustrative image: wooden pantry shelves with rows of sealed glass jars of fruit and vegetables, labels not legible

A sealed jar isn't proof the food is safe. Always use a tested recipe.

Image: AI-generated (OpenAI)

Good to know before you buy

Four things that are easy to get wrong.

AI-generated illustrative image: open book with blurred pages on a wooden kitchen counter beside reading glasses and an empty canning jar
Image: AI-generated (OpenAI)

The USDA doesn't approve any canner

That goes for every kind and brand. If a box says it follows USDA guidelines, that claim comes from the company. Presto says it did a lot of testing but hasn't published the results, and the experts don't all agree about plug-in canners.

Are electric canners safe?
AI-generated illustrative image: single sealed jar with a blank paper tag set apart on a clean counter, an unused spoon lying beside it
Image: AI-generated (OpenAI)

An Instant Pot isn't a canner

That's true even if yours has a canning button. The CDC says not to use a multi-cooker to can low-acid food such as vegetables and meat.

Why not?
AI-generated illustrative image: woven basket of green beans, carrots and tomatoes on a garden table beside empty canning jars
Image: AI-generated (OpenAI)

Vegetables and meat need pressure

Jam, most fruit and pickles can go in a water bath canner. Vegetables, meat, chicken and fish need a pressure canner. The Ball EasyCanner has no pressure setting, so it is for the first group only.

Water bath or pressure?
AI-generated illustrative image: empty glass canning jars with gold-tone lids and bands, spare lids and bands in stacks, and a jar lifter on a linen cloth
Image: AI-generated (OpenAI)

A good seal doesn't mean safe food

A seal doesn't show the food got hot enough. Spoiled food may look and smell fine, so never taste a jar to check it. A tested recipe is what keeps your family safe.

What to know about botulism

How many jars fit?

A "23-quart" canner does not hold 23 quart jars. That number is the size of the pot. Pick a canner to see how many jars the company says fit.

How many jars fit?

Pick a method and a jar size. The numbers come from what the makers publish.

Method

Jar size

Jars per load: Pressure, Quart
MachineJars per load
Presto Precise 23-Quart (02153)Purpose-built electric7 regular-mouth or wide-mouth
Presto Precise 16-Quart (02154)Purpose-built electric7 regular-mouth or wide-mouth
Presto 23-Quart Stovetop (01781)Stovetop pressure canner7 regular-mouth or wide-mouth
Presto 16-Quart Stovetop (01755)Stovetop pressure canner7 regular-mouth or wide-mouth
Presto 23-Quart Induction (01784)Stovetop pressure canner7 regular-mouth or wide-mouth
Presto Precise 17-Quart (02152)Purpose-built electric5 regular-mouth or wide-mouth
Presto Precise 12-Quart (02144)Purpose-built electric5 regular-mouth or wide-mouth
NESCO NPC-9Combination cooker-canner · read the warning first4 wide-mouth; NESCO asks you to dry-fit jars first
Ball EasyCannerElectric water bathNot a pressure canner

Jar counts only, as the makers state them. Processing times are left out on purpose: those come from a tested recipe and your manual.

How a canning day goes

Here are the steps in order. We leave out times and pressures on purpose, because a wrong number can make people sick. Those come from a tested recipe and your canner's manual.

  1. Pick a tested recipe

    Use the USDA guide, the National Center for Home Food Preservation or your state's university extension office. With a digital canner, read what its manual says about recipes first.

  2. Get your jars and lids ready

    Use the jar sizes your recipe and manual name.

  3. Prepare the food

    Follow the recipe exactly as written.

  4. Load the canner

    Your manual tells you where the rack, water and jars go. Every machine is different.

  5. Let it run all the way through

    Don't rush it. Letting the steam out and cooling down are part of the process.

  6. Take the jars out and let them cool

    Your manual tells you when to open the canner.

  7. Check the seals and store

    Do this the way your recipe says. A good seal doesn't replace a tested recipe.

Next: using an electric canner or using a stovetop canner.

What people ask

Does the USDA approve electric pressure canners?

No. The USDA doesn't approve any canner of any kind. If a box says it follows USDA guidelines, that claim comes from the company.

Can I pressure can in an Instant Pot?

The US canning experts don't support it, even if yours has a canning button. The CDC says not to use a multi-cooker to can low-acid food such as vegetables and meat.

Does the Ball EasyCanner work under pressure?

No. It is a water bath canner, so it is only for high-acid food such as jam and pickles. Vegetables and meat need a pressure canner.

How many quart jars does a Presto Precise hold?

Presto says 5 quart jars in its 12-quart and 17-quart canners, and 7 in its 16-quart and 23-quart canners.

Does a lid that sealed mean the food is safe?

Not necessarily. A seal doesn't show the food got hot enough. Spoiled food may look fine, so never taste a jar to check it. When in doubt, follow the disposal steps from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Why don't you list canning times?

Because a wrong number can make people very sick. Times should come from a tested recipe and your canner's manual.

Where this comes from

Who writes here

electricpressurecanner.com Editorial Team

Machine comparisons & source reading

We are the editorial team at electricpressurecanner.com. We read manuals, spec sheets and the statements of NCHFP, USDA, CDC and Extension services, and we report who says what, with dates. No lab work happens here, and this site publishes no processing times or recipes of its own.

  • Manuals and food-safety guidance read
  • Sources and dates on every page
  • No lab tests, stated openly
  • No own processing times or recipes

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