Pressure canners come in various sizes and capacity, so picking an appropriate size may be a little difficult. What makes it more challenging is that the cost of pressure canners increases with size as long as other features remain the same.
If you’re about to buy a pressure canner and you’re wondering what size to buy. You need to read this article to the end. It gives you a detailed answer to the question – what size of pressure canner should I buy?
Choosing an Appropriate Pressure Canner Size:
There are various sizes of pressure canners and it might be a little difficult to choose one for yourself. If you have the same challenge, you’re not alone. Many people are also finding it difficult to make the same choice. That’s why we decided to write this article to answer some of the frequently asked questions about choosing a pressure canner.
If you buy a smaller size than you need, you may not enjoy using the pressure canner. This is because you’ll have to can your food in several sessions. On the other hand, if you purchase a bigger canner than you need, you’ll be throwing money away.
Bigger and more spacious pressure canners are more expensive. So, if a 16-quart pressure canner will easily take care of your canning needs, why pay more for a 22-quart pressure canner? It doesn’t make much sense to pay for what you don’t need. So, before you choose a pressure canner, you need to determine the exact size that you need.
First of all, you have to choose from either pint jars or quart jars. Which of them will you prefer to can with? Now, the next step is to determine how many of the jars will be enough for your canning sessions.
If 7 pint jars or 7 quart jars are enough to can your food, you can go for a pressure canner whose capacity is about 7 to 8 pint/quart jars. The required number of jars will help you decide on the size of pressure canner to purchase.
What is the biggest pressure canner?
There are several sizes of pressure canners but the biggest of them is the 23-quart pressure canner. It can take 7 quart, 20 pint, and 24 half-pint regular jars. Also, it can take 7 quart, 8 half-pint, and 8 pint wide-mouth jars. Generally, if money isn’t a constraint, we’ll advise you to go for this size of a pressure canner.
However, the bigger the size, the more expensive pressure canners will be. So, if you don’t intend to use up to the number of jars your pressure canner can take, you may opt for a smaller size, which will cost a little less. You don’t have to throw money away by buying a bigger size that you don’t need.
What size of pressure canner do I need?
Before you determine the most suitable size of a pressure canner for you, think of how many jars you’ll need. In addition to that, you should also consider your budget. If your budget covers the biggest pressure canner, you can go for it. But if your budget is not up to the price of a 23-quart pressure canner, you can buy a smaller size.
What size of a pressure canner is suitable for quart jars?
Every size of pressure canner can work with quart jars but the number they can take varies slightly. Whether you choose an 8-quart, 12-quart, 16-quart, 22-quart, or 23-quart pressure canner, they’ll all work with quart jars. So, all sizes of pressure canners are suitable for quart jars.
How many pint jars fit into a 16-quart pressure canner?
A 16-quart pressure canner can take 10 pint and 12 half-pint regular jars, and it can take 8 pint and 8 half-pint wide-mouth jars. If you prefer quart jars, we can tell you that this size of pressure canner can take 7 quart jars.
If you intend to can more jars in a single canning session, you may need to buy a bigger size. At the same time, if you think you won’t need up to those numbers of jars, you may go for a lower capacity pressure canner.
How many pint jars fit into a 23-quart pressure canner?
This is the biggest size of a pressure canner. It can take 20 pint and 24 half-pint regular jars. At the same time, it can take 16 pint and 16 half-pint wide-mouth jars. Furthermore, the pressure canner can take 7 quart jars.
Can you stack pint jars into a pressure canner?
Yes, of course. You can stack pint and half-pint jars into a pressure canner. You can stack the jars into two tiers – the upper and lower tier. Stacking helps to put more jars into the pressure canner at the same time. As far as we’re concerned, it might be better to carry out two canning sessions and can your foods, fruits, or veggies in two batches instead of stacking all the jars into a single batch.
What happens if I put less or more jars than the capacity of my pressure canner?
The capacity of a pressure canner means the maximum number of jars it can take. So, if you put less than its capacity, nothing will happen. In fact, it is not mandatory to fill your pressure canner up to capacity. On the other hand, if you put more jars than its capacity, there may not be adequate airflow. This may take its toll on the quality of your canning.
How do I know how many jars can fit into my pressure canner?
Every pressure canner comes with a user manual. Take the time to study the manual of your pressure canner. You’ll find the maximum number of pint, half-pint, and quart jars it can take. We won’t advise you to exceed the capacity of your pressure canner.
For instance, if your pressure canner can take only 7 quart jars, and you want to can 8 quart jars of soup, don’t try to stuff the 8 jars at the same time. Instead, can 7 quart jars at first, then you process the remaining single jar in the second canning session.
Final Word
As explained above, you can’t give a straight answer to the question. The number of jars you need to can your food and the quantity of food you’ll be canning are the two factors that will determine the size of pressure canner to buy.
When you check the review of any pressure canner, you’ll see its capacity/size. Finally, don’t waste money to buy a bigger size than you need.
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