Question & answer
Are Pressure Canners Worth It? It Depends on What You Want to Can
A pressure canner is worth buying if you want to can low-acid foods (vegetables, meat, chicken, fish). The USDA says those must be canned in a pressure canner. If you only can fruit, jams and pickles from tested recipes, you may not need one. What you want to can matters most.
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The short answer
Yes, if you want to can low-acid foods (vegetables, meat, chicken, fish) at home. The USDA says they must be canned in a pressure canner, and the CDC says a boiling water canner won't protect against botulism in them. If you only can fruit, jams and pickles from tested recipes, you may not need one. We start most readers with a mid-range stovetop canner.
A pressure canner is a real purchase, so it's fair to ask if it will earn its shelf space. You don't need a spreadsheet. Start with what your family eats and what your garden gives you.
What decides whether I need one?
| What you want to can | What the sources say | Need a pressure canner? |
|---|---|---|
| Low-acid foods: red meats, seafood, poultry, milk and all fresh vegetables except most tomatoes | The USDA says they must be canned in a pressure canner. The CDC says pressure canning is the only recommended method | Yes |
| Fruit, jams, jellies and pickles from a tested recipe | Your tested recipe names the method. It may be boiling water | Maybe not |
| Some of each, over a few seasons | Presto says its 23-quart stovetop pot also works as a boiling water canner for quarts and smaller, and its 16-quart for pints and smaller | One pot can do both jobs |
Not sure which row you're in? The low-acid foods page explains the line. Water bath vs. pressure canning explains the two methods. Tomatoes are the in-between case, so let the tested recipe decide.
Will it save me money?
The USDA says canning can be safe and economical. It says canning homegrown food may save you half the cost of buying commercially canned food, if you don't count your own time.
Notice the words "may" and "homegrown." Your time is left out too. The same guide says the savings are lost if you start with poor-quality fresh food, if jars fail to seal, or if food spoils or loses quality in long storage. It also advises canning no more food than you'll use within a year.
So we don't run a numbers game here. It would need prices, which this site doesn't print, and a harvest we know nothing about. The USDA also notes something a sum can't show: many people take pride in canning for family and friends.
What does owning one ask of me?
- Your attention. On a stovetop canner you adjust the heat and stay close. Presto says its plug-in canner does those steps for you.
- New lids. The USDA says Mason jars can be reused many times. They only need new lids each time.
- A new gasket now and then. Presto's manual says to replace the sealing ring and overpressure plug at least every three years. Penn State says a gasket usually lasts two or more years unless the canner is used quite a lot. See pressure canner parts.
- A gauge check, on a dial model. Presto says a dial gauge needs a yearly accuracy test. Our gauge comparison explains the other kind.
- Some lifting and room. Presto says a fully loaded 16-quart canner may weigh over 40 pounds, and a 23-quart over 50.
- A tested recipe, every time. That means no shortcuts with a recipe handed down to you, however much you love it.
Is stovetop or electric the better buy?
Our main pick is a stovetop canner, mid-range in price. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says its advice was written for stovetop pressure canners that hold four or more quart jars upright.
Presto
Presto 23-Quart Stovetop (01781)
A pot for your stove, the kind the USDA's canning steps were written for.
- Type
- Stovetop pressure canner with dial gauge
- Pressure canning
- Yes
- Water bath
- Yes, quarts and smaller, per Presto
- Liquid capacity
- 23 quarts
- Jars per load
- 7 quarts, or 20 regular-mouth pints stacked
- Altitude
- You raise the pressure by altitude from the USDA tables. Water bath times also change with altitude.
- Price class
- Mid-range
Stated in: Presto Canner Comparison Guide (2025), read 2 November 2026
Why here: If you decide a pressure canner is worth it, we'd start here. Presto says it holds 7 quart jars. It is mid-range in price and takes water bath quarts too.
Best for: You want to pressure can low-acid foods (vegetables, meat, chicken, fish) and can stay near the stove.
- The National Center's advice was written for stovetop canners
- Seven quart jars, or up to 20 regular-mouth pints stacked, says Presto
- Also works as a water bath canner for quarts and smaller, says Presto
- Works on gas and on electric coil and smooth-top ranges, says Presto
- You watch the gauge and adjust the heat yourself
- The dial gauge needs an accuracy test every year, says Presto
- Presto does not list induction for this pot. The 01784 is its induction version
A plug-in canner made just for canning, such as the Presto Precise 12-Quart* (paid link), costs more and does the watching for you. Nobody outside the company has published test results on Presto Precise canners, and the experts don't all agree about them. The Presto Precise page and our electric vs. stovetop comparison cover this without a verdict from us.
When might it not be worth it?
- You only can fruit, jams and pickles. Tested recipes for those may never ask for pressure. Canning without a pressure canner explains what that does and doesn't cover.
- You hoped a multi-cooker would do the job. The National Center does not support USDA canning instructions in electric multi-cookers, including those with canning buttons. Buying one to save on a canner doesn't get you there.
- You found a small pot at a low price. A pot labeled 4 quarts is sized by liquid. Our page on small pots explains why that matters.
- You found an old one at a yard sale. That can work out. It can also be no bargain. First read what university extension offices (free local food-safety advice) say about used and vintage canners.
If pressure canning belongs in your kitchen, the stovetop canner guide is the next step.
What people ask
Does a pressure canner save money?
It can, under conditions. The USDA says canning homegrown food may save you half the cost of buying commercially canned food, if you don't count your own time. That is the USDA's general statement about home canning. It doesn't cover what a canner costs. Your own harvest and how much you really eat will decide it.
Can I skip the pressure canner and use a water bath for everything?
Not for low-acid foods (vegetables, meat, chicken, fish). The USDA says they must be canned in a pressure canner. The CDC says a boiling water canner won't protect against botulism in them. For high-acid foods (jam, most fruit, pickles), a tested recipe may call for boiling water, and then you may not need a pressure canner.
Is an electric pressure canner worth the extra cost?
That depends on your stove and how you feel about the open questions. Plug-in canners made just for canning cost more, and nobody outside the company has published test results on Presto Precise canners. Our electric vs. stovetop comparison shows when electric can make sense and when it doesn't.
How long does a pressure canner last?
We found no number of years from the experts. Presto says its canner is built to last many years. Its manual gives a 12-year limited warranty that leaves out parts that wear out, such as the sealing ring and dial gauge. Those are the parts you replace along the way.
Where this comes from
- USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, revised 2015, Guide 1
- CDC: Preventing botulism from home-canned foods (April 25, 2024)
- NCHFP: Canning in electric multi-cookers (February 1, 2019)
- Penn State Extension: Buying a pressure canner (April 21, 2026)
- Presto: Canner Comparison Guide (2025)
- Presto: 01755 and 01781 instructions and recipes, Form 72-719M
More from the shelf
- ComparisonElectric vs stovetopElectric or stovetop pressure canner? See how they differ on heat, venting, gauges, altitude and jars, what the experts say, and when electric isn't worth it.
- Buying guideStovetop cannersA stovetop pressure canner is the type the canning experts wrote their advice for. See dial vs weighted gauge, jar counts, stove fit and our pick.
- ComparisonWater bath vs. pressureWater bath canning is for high-acid foods, pressure canning for low-acid foods. The USDA draws the line at pH 4.6. Here is why, and where tomatoes fit.
- BrandPresto PreciseThe Presto Precise digital pressure canner in all four sizes: jar counts, how the sensor works, what Presto claims, and what university experts say.
- Question & answerIs a Used or Vintage Pressure Canner Worth Buying? What to CheckUsed and vintage pressure canners from Presto, National, Mirro and others: what university experts say to check, and when a bargain is not one.
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