Tested Canning Recipes: Where to Find Them for Your Canner

Looking for a tested recipe first is exactly the right habit. You'll find plenty of good ones, most of them free. We'll point you straight to them.

Why does this site have no recipes?

We compare machines and read the sources. A canning recipe is the result of lab work. Penn State describes researchers finding the slowest-heating spot in a filled jar and setting the process from those measurements. We can't do that, so we send you to those who can. How we compare has more.

Where do tested recipes live?

• USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning: the base reference, in seven parts by food. Free as a PDF. Also sold in print through Purdue Extension.
• The National Center for Home Food Preservation (the US canning experts at the University of Georgia, "the National Center" from here on): the same kinds of foods sorted online. Pickling and jams and jellies have their own sections. Free.
• Your state's university extension office (free local food-safety advice): local advice, classes and dial gauge testing, says the National Center.
• So Easy To Preserve: a 388-page paid book from the University of Georgia, which the National Center lists.
• Your canner's manual: the maker's instructions, and sometimes recipes, for your exact machine. It comes with the canner.
• Ball books: the UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County list the Ball Blue Book and the Ball Complete Book among their resources. Paid.

The CDC names the USDA guide, the National Center and state and county extension offices as its reliable sources. The USDA parts cover basics, fruit, tomatoes, vegetables, chicken, meat and seafood, pickled vegetables, and jams. Not sure your food has a process at all? See what you can pressure can.

What if you have an electric pressure canner?

Most searches for electric pressure canner recipes end up here, and the experts don't agree. We report them all and don't settle it.

• Presto says favorite tested recipes for stovetop canners work. It says any food with a tested recipe can be canned in the machine.
• The National Center (through Kansas State) and Penn State say to follow only the manual. Kansas State's reason is that the booklet lacks at least two special USDA processes.
• North Dakota State says to follow the canner's instructions and to use tested recipes from sources such as the National Center or a state extension office.
• Presto's manual for the 16-quart and 23-quart names the National Center, your local extension office and the instruction book as reliable resources.

Manuals change. Read the current one for your model, and ask Presto's customer service before you go outside it. The Presto Precise page has the background.

A cooker-canner combo is different again. Penn State says these can't be recommended because research on their safety is missing. It names no brand. Putting the NESCO NPC-9 in that group is our own reading. See are electric pressure canners safe. For a multi-cooker, the National Center does not support USDA instructions, so a recipe from any source doesn't change that. Our Instant Pot page explains.

Which recipes should you be careful with?

• Handed-down recipes. Presto's manual calls them often unreliable. It says canning information published before 2015 may be wrong. The National Center says older recipes that skip processing carry a serious health risk.
• Recipes from the web. Presto's manual gives the same warning. The UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County say some sources offer methods that are downright dangerous.
• Your own changes. Penn State says a change in acidity, thickness, texture or ingredients can make a new product. For a family favorite, it suggests using the closest tested recipe and adding your special ingredients after canning.
• Store-bought copies. Penn State says commercial processes are different, so a canned product from the store is no guide for home canning.
• Leftovers. Presto's manual says not to can them.

A low-acid recipe with no tested process is a real risk. Neither a good seal nor a good smell can tell you otherwise. The low-acid food guide and the botulism page explain why.

Is a book worth having?

BooksAd

Ball

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

A printed preserving book, known to us from its Amazon listing and from a university list.

---

Seller data only: We only have the Amazon listing for this product. We list it as an option, not as a recommendation.

Type

Book on home preserving, according to the seller

Why here: The UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County list this title among their resources. Check for a current edition, since older canning information may be out of date.

Best for: You want a book on the counter next to the free USDA guide and your canner's manual.

• On the safe preserving list of the UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County

• We did not read the book, so we say nothing about single recipes
• Check that you get a current edition
• It does not replace your canner's manual

View on Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on AmazonLearn more

The free USDA guide comes first. A printed book is nice to have open on the counter, and it doesn't replace your manual. Our canning books page goes through the titles.