How to Can With a 6-Quart Pressure Cooker
- 1). Check your jars, lids and bands for chips or cracks and discard any not in good condition. Make sure that they fit inside the pressure cooker with the lid on. Jars are made in a variety of sizes, which you can find online or at many grocery stores. Wash jars, lids and bands thoroughly with hot soapy water. Rinse well and dry.
- 2). Heat the jars and lids in hot, not boiling water in a large pot. This will prevent them from breaking when you add hot food, but do not boil the lids.
- 3). Fill the pressure cooker with 2 to 3 inches of water and bring the water to simmer. Keep the water at a simmer until the jars are filled and placed in the pressure cooker.
- 4). Prepare your fresh vegetables, meat or seafood according to a preserving recipe. It is best to use a preserving recipe that has been tested or comes from a reliable source, since improper canning can lead to serious food poisoning.
- 5). Remove a jar from the hot water using your tongs and fill with prepared food, leaving the amount of space at the top recommended in your recipe. Usually with low-acid foods you want to leave 1 inch of space.
- 6). Push the rubber spatula between the food and the jar to release any trapped air bubbles. This will ensure you have the proper amount of space at the top of your jar. Clean and food residue from the rim and threads of the jar using a clean, dry towel.
- 7). Remove a hot lid from the water, and center the lid on the top of the jar. Thread a band on the jar until it is finger-tight. Place the jar in the pressure cooker.
- 8). Repeat the process until the pressure cooker is full. Since you are using a small pressure cooker, it make only fit up to two or three jars at a time. Ensure that the water in the pressure cooker is 2 to 3 inches high.
- 9). Lock the pressure cooker's lid into place and leave the vent pipe open. Adjust heat to medium-high and allow the steam to vent until there is only steam and no air left inside of the pressure cooker. This will take about 10 minutes. Close the vent and adjust the heat until you reach the appropriate level of pounds of pressure, according to your recipe.
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Cook the jars for the amount of time and at the level of pressure specified in your recipe. Once the time is complete, remove the pressure cooker from the heat and allow the pressure cooker to cool thoroughly and reach a pressure of zero before removing the lid. Tilt the lid away from yourself when you remove it. - 11
Remove the jars and sit them upright on a towel. Leave the jars from 12 to 24 hours, checking the lids for successful seals during that time. Press the center of the lid to ensure the center does not flex up or down, and try to lift the lid with your fingertips. After 24 hours, if the jars do not seal you can reprocess them in the pressure cooker with new lids or refrigerate them. - 12
Clean the jars that seal properly and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
