{"id":26304,"date":"2026-09-03T13:51:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T20:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/?p=26304"},"modified":"2026-09-03T13:55:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T20:55:41","slug":"if-pressure-canners-could-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/2026\/09\/03\/if-pressure-canners-could-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"If Pressure Canners Could Talk\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At our recent Pressure Canner Gauge Testing event, we tested 21 pressure canner gauges. Along the way, we also heard some wonderful stories about the canners people brought with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these pressure canners were old enough to have stories of their own. One woman brought in a canner she had inherited from her parents, who received it when they were married in 1936. The canner does not have a \u201cfail-safe\u201d feature found on many newer models, something we were able to bring to her attention. She assured us, however, that she never leaves its side while canning. While her food is processing, she sits alongside it writing letters to friends and family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had to pause and wonder: If a pressure canner could tell stories, oh, the stories it could tell!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another memorable canner was an older, compact model that held only a couple of quarts. It had a unique pressure gauge that looked more like a tire gauge than the dial gauges we commonly see today. When the correct pressure was reached, a small line would rise to indicate that the proper pressure had been met. We tested it, and after all these years, it was still spot on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we also heard stories from people who had been using their pressure canners for years without ever having their gauges tested. Some of those gauges were found to be several pounds off.<\/p>\n\n\n

\r\n \n
\r\n\t\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Old<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n
\r\n\t\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pressure<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n
\r\n\t\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Old<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Why Does a Pound or Two Matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When pressure canning, the pressure inside the canner is directly connected to the temperature needed to safely process low-acid foods. Your tested recipe calls for a specific pressure and processing time for a reason. If your gauge isn’t reading accurately, you may not be reaching the pressure\u2014and therefore the temperature\u2014required by the recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And food safety isn’t necessarily linear. A pound off isn’t simply a pound off. Industry guidance from Sterilizers.com uses the educational guideline that a 1 PSI deficiency can result in approximately a 10% decrease in sterilization, while a 2 PSI deficiency can result in approximately a 30% decrease in sterilization. The point is simple: even a seemingly small difference in pressure can have a significant effect on the sterilization process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why we recommend having your pressure canner gauge tested every year before canning season<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing that may surprise you is that buying a new gauge does not guarantee that it will be accurate. We have tested new gauges that were not reading correctly\u2014and we’ve also tested gauges that were 50+ years old and still right on target. Age isn’t necessarily an indicator of accuracy. Testing is the only way to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your pressure canner may have decades of stories behind it. Make sure it’s ready to help you write the next chapter\u2014safely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At our recent Pressure Canner Gauge Testing event, we tested 21 pressure canner gauges. Along the way, we also heard some wonderful stories about the canners people brought with them. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":26306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wsuwp_accessibility_report":null,"_external_link":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[68,19,66,67],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26304"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/270"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26304"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26310,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26304\/revisions\/26310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/kitsap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}