When I learned steam canning was an acceptable alternative to water bath canning, I checked out the best one using my America’s test kitchen subscription and purchased it. I’ve been happily using this model for a little over a year.
I purchased the Ball #38 and was expecting to see updates / recipes using steam canners. I did not see any information about the safe use of steam canners.
Thank you.
Please tell me I have a safe product here !
by kimhearst
6 Comments
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What is your source that says steam canners are safe? I’ve only seen water bath canning for high acid and properly preserved foods, or pressure canning. This has to be done in combination with a tested and safe recipe.
If you’re asking why Ball/Bernadin hasn’t included steam canning recipes, I’m going to guess it’s because the processing times are all the same as water-bath. It does seem like they should include a section about “the rules” (high acid/hot pack only, less than 45 minutes, make sure you can see a 8″ steam cloud before starting the time, use the same time, etc.)
My understanding is that the top hat version is the one that was tested safe for steam canning and this version hasn’t been tested. I have the same one you have.
FDA approved
I have this canner…have never used it for steam canning but I did figure out that you turn the rack upside down to use that function (so the jars are elevated).