Presto 1781 23-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker/Canner Review.
"Excellent pressure canner at a great price!" 2006-05-12
By Kauaijohn (West Central Illinois)
I decided to purchase this pressure canner after an exhaustive search online. This was the best price of any of the other sites I checked. I'll admit that the review from the woman whose canner "LITERALLY exploded" had me a little concerned, but since it was the only negative review, I decided to chance it since the price was so good ($79.97 and Free Super Saver shipping)! Best of all, it arrived in TWO DAYS!!!
The first thing I did was take the pressure gauge to my local county extension office (as recommended by the manufacturer) where they tested it and found it to be working perfectly. After getting their "OK", I hit the produce sales at my local market.
Even if you don't have a garden, you can still can fresh fruits and vegetables. I've already made 8 jars of strawberry jam using the hot water method, and canned enough tomato sauce to get me through until my own tomatoes are ripe and ready for the canner later this Summer. Unlike commercially canned or frozen produce, I can control what ingredients go into my food!
The instruction book that comes with this pressure canner gives different ways to can most foods depending on if you want to can them (1)"cooked" so you can warm them up when you're ready to use them or (2)just safely preserved to be cooked right before serving or using in recipes.
Overall, an excellent pressure canner at a great price! Just follow the manufacturer's instructions - including having the pressure gauge checked by your county extension office - and you should have no problems preserving fresh, healthy foods for yourself, your family, and your loved ones.
"Super Canner" 2007-06-12
By Cheyenne Ann (CHEYENNE, WY United States)
I had a pressure canner many years ago. Bought it at a hardware store. No guage, but it did the job. Did I sell it at a yard sale? Don't know where it went, anyway.
Decided recently to can again. So I read tons of reviews, Internet articles, compared features and prices. The Presto 1781 is the one I decided on. Amazon had it with free shipping, which made this doll the perfect deal for me.
I have used it as a canner about 5 times already. Have not just pressure-cooked in it. Here are my observations: Easy to use. Follow the instructions in the book, and you are good to go. This baby is heavy! Moving it off the heat when it is full of jars is no small feat (especially when using as a boiling bath canner)! Eat a good breakfast! Half pint and pint jars stack nicely. I have not tried to can more than 7 quarts yet, so am not disappointed that the max is 7 quarts. I put up 7 qts of chili yesterday and my huge cookpot was pretty full. Any more would have been too much anyway.
When using as a boiling bath canner, be careful when taking the jars out, especially when putting up half pint wide mouth jars, as the jar lifters are not very long and you can burn yourself getting that bottom set out. While you can use long tongs for half pints, I tried and ended up with a mess of hot strawberry jam all over and inbetween the stove and cabinet. So, use a jar lifter and hold it tightly!
I like the guage on this canner. I have never used one with a guage before. After a couple of uses, I find I can take my eyes off it once it gets to correct pressure by the sound of the pressure regulator. It gets noisy when it gets too high. I live at 6800 feet altitude, and everything pressure canned has to be done at 14 lbs. 15 makes a noise and that's my signal to lower the heat.
I have a ceramic top stove and have no issues with this canner on my stove top. The canner bottom is flat and heats up evenly.
I love this canner. Just wish it folded up when not in use--it's a big honker!
"Finely - something to handle those tomatos" 2005-08-30
By L. Jamison
I've been wanting one of these for a while & glad I got it. It is easy to put together, is HUGE, and the book is helpful in calming any nightmare stories you have heard.
If you have wanted one of these things - this is a great one & you can't beat the price.
I have a flat top stove too & it worked. I think it may have taken longer for the water to heat to the right temperature but held up fine. Be aware that the pan is very large & even a gas stove will need the bigest flame it has.
"Excellent Product" 2007-09-17
By Paula (California, USA)
This is one of the best canners I have ever used. I used to have a Mirro, but this is better. The seal is tight and it doesn't leak. I love the little pressure indicator because it drops down when the canner is completely depressurized, letting you know you can open it.
Even though there is a dial gauge, you actually CAN use this canner as a weighted gauge canner! I contacted Presto about this, and the weight that comes with this canner is the same weight that is on their smaller pressure cookers, the 4- and 6-quart models, which cook at 15 PSI. Therefore, when the weight begins to gently rock, it is pressure canning at 15 PSI. However, people who live below 1,000 feet of elevation need to pressure can at 10 PSI, so you either need to make sure your gauge is accurate, or you can purchase a 3-piece pressure regulator from Presto (model #50332). The lady at Presto confirmed that by using this particular pressure regulator, it will then effectively be a weighted gauge canner with the dial there just for reference.
Now that I have a way to pressure can using just a weighted gauge and not depending on accuracy of a dial, I love this canner. I do not have a way to have my gauge checked other than by sending it to Presto, and that takes weeks to have it checked. Also, I don't know how accurate the gauge would be after being in the mail getting jostled around.
This canner is great because it is lightweight and, therefore, comes up to pressure quickly and also drops pressure quickly. Replacement parts for Presto products are readily available. Customer service for Presto is so far excellent. They will actually answer your e-mail within one business day.
I highly recommend this canner as well as most other Presto products.
"Pressure canning is easier than I thought!" 2005-08-02
By Juanita Lagrone (Greenwood, SC)
This is my first pressure canner, and I have already used it twice. As recommended, I took the lid and gauge to the local Extension Service for testing, and it worked perfectly. The instructions booklet that accompanies the canner is pretty easy to understand, though I wish the graphics were a little larger. I thought pressure canning was something akin to rocket science, but it was really very much easier to do. And now I'm continuing a tradition that has been going on in my family for generations.
By Kauaijohn (West Central Illinois)
I decided to purchase this pressure canner after an exhaustive search online. This was the best price of any of the other sites I checked. I'll admit that the review from the woman whose canner "LITERALLY exploded" had me a little concerned, but since it was the only negative review, I decided to chance it since the price was so good ($79.97 and Free Super Saver shipping)! Best of all, it arrived in TWO DAYS!!!
The first thing I did was take the pressure gauge to my local county extension office (as recommended by the manufacturer) where they tested it and found it to be working perfectly. After getting their "OK", I hit the produce sales at my local market.
Even if you don't have a garden, you can still can fresh fruits and vegetables. I've already made 8 jars of strawberry jam using the hot water method, and canned enough tomato sauce to get me through until my own tomatoes are ripe and ready for the canner later this Summer. Unlike commercially canned or frozen produce, I can control what ingredients go into my food!
The instruction book that comes with this pressure canner gives different ways to can most foods depending on if you want to can them (1)"cooked" so you can warm them up when you're ready to use them or (2)just safely preserved to be cooked right before serving or using in recipes.
Overall, an excellent pressure canner at a great price! Just follow the manufacturer's instructions - including having the pressure gauge checked by your county extension office - and you should have no problems preserving fresh, healthy foods for yourself, your family, and your loved ones.
By Cheyenne Ann (CHEYENNE, WY United States)
I had a pressure canner many years ago. Bought it at a hardware store. No guage, but it did the job. Did I sell it at a yard sale? Don't know where it went, anyway.
Decided recently to can again. So I read tons of reviews, Internet articles, compared features and prices. The Presto 1781 is the one I decided on. Amazon had it with free shipping, which made this doll the perfect deal for me.
I have used it as a canner about 5 times already. Have not just pressure-cooked in it. Here are my observations: Easy to use. Follow the instructions in the book, and you are good to go. This baby is heavy! Moving it off the heat when it is full of jars is no small feat (especially when using as a boiling bath canner)! Eat a good breakfast! Half pint and pint jars stack nicely. I have not tried to can more than 7 quarts yet, so am not disappointed that the max is 7 quarts. I put up 7 qts of chili yesterday and my huge cookpot was pretty full. Any more would have been too much anyway.
When using as a boiling bath canner, be careful when taking the jars out, especially when putting up half pint wide mouth jars, as the jar lifters are not very long and you can burn yourself getting that bottom set out. While you can use long tongs for half pints, I tried and ended up with a mess of hot strawberry jam all over and inbetween the stove and cabinet. So, use a jar lifter and hold it tightly!
I like the guage on this canner. I have never used one with a guage before. After a couple of uses, I find I can take my eyes off it once it gets to correct pressure by the sound of the pressure regulator. It gets noisy when it gets too high. I live at 6800 feet altitude, and everything pressure canned has to be done at 14 lbs. 15 makes a noise and that's my signal to lower the heat.
I have a ceramic top stove and have no issues with this canner on my stove top. The canner bottom is flat and heats up evenly.
I love this canner. Just wish it folded up when not in use--it's a big honker!
By L. Jamison
I've been wanting one of these for a while & glad I got it. It is easy to put together, is HUGE, and the book is helpful in calming any nightmare stories you have heard.
If you have wanted one of these things - this is a great one & you can't beat the price.
I have a flat top stove too & it worked. I think it may have taken longer for the water to heat to the right temperature but held up fine. Be aware that the pan is very large & even a gas stove will need the bigest flame it has.
By Paula (California, USA)
This is one of the best canners I have ever used. I used to have a Mirro, but this is better. The seal is tight and it doesn't leak. I love the little pressure indicator because it drops down when the canner is completely depressurized, letting you know you can open it.
Even though there is a dial gauge, you actually CAN use this canner as a weighted gauge canner! I contacted Presto about this, and the weight that comes with this canner is the same weight that is on their smaller pressure cookers, the 4- and 6-quart models, which cook at 15 PSI. Therefore, when the weight begins to gently rock, it is pressure canning at 15 PSI. However, people who live below 1,000 feet of elevation need to pressure can at 10 PSI, so you either need to make sure your gauge is accurate, or you can purchase a 3-piece pressure regulator from Presto (model #50332). The lady at Presto confirmed that by using this particular pressure regulator, it will then effectively be a weighted gauge canner with the dial there just for reference.
Now that I have a way to pressure can using just a weighted gauge and not depending on accuracy of a dial, I love this canner. I do not have a way to have my gauge checked other than by sending it to Presto, and that takes weeks to have it checked. Also, I don't know how accurate the gauge would be after being in the mail getting jostled around.
This canner is great because it is lightweight and, therefore, comes up to pressure quickly and also drops pressure quickly. Replacement parts for Presto products are readily available. Customer service for Presto is so far excellent. They will actually answer your e-mail within one business day.
I highly recommend this canner as well as most other Presto products.
By Juanita Lagrone (Greenwood, SC)
This is my first pressure canner, and I have already used it twice. As recommended, I took the lid and gauge to the local Extension Service for testing, and it worked perfectly. The instructions booklet that accompanies the canner is pretty easy to understand, though I wish the graphics were a little larger. I thought pressure canning was something akin to rocket science, but it was really very much easier to do. And now I'm continuing a tradition that has been going on in my family for generations.
