If you are new to this, pressure canners are used for cooking, sterilizing, and preserving low-acid food canned for future use. It’s different from a pressure cooker and consists of different components.
To choose the best pressure canner for beginners, there are some features to consider. But first, below are the five top options on the market:
Here are the best pressure canners for beginners you can buy in 2024:
- Best For A Large Family: Mirro 92122A
- Best For Dried Beans: Zavor DUO ZCWDU03
- Best For Stew: Zavor EZLock ZCWEZ22
- Best For Soup: Buffalo QCP412 Classic series
- Best For Vegetables: T-fal P25144 8.5-Quart 7114000516
| 5 Best Pressure Canners for Beginners | ||
|---|---|---|
Best For A Large Family | Mirro 92122A | |
Best For Dried Beans | Zavor DUO ZCWDU03 | |
Best For Stew | Zavor EZLock ZCWEZ22 | |
Best For Soup | Buffalo QCP412 Classic series | |
Best For Vegetables | T-fal P25144 8.5-Quart 7114000516 | |
Best For A Large Family: Mirro 92122A
- Able to accommodate huge quantities of food – 22-quart capacity
- Trusted, efficient and safe - side gasket pressure release & sure locking lid system
- Easy to use - user guide with recipes included & 3 cooking pressure options
- Bulky and a bit hard to store/clean
If your big family is now living in an altitude that requires higher pressure to can your food, this is the best choice.
It is huge and works as perfectly as those Fort Knox looking type but prices way more affordable.
The unit is also the most useful because it cans 18 regular and 16 wide mouth jars OR 7 quarts. With it, you’re able to can lots of green chile, red chile sauce, tomatoes and okra, and bone broth for soups.
Compared to the electric pressure gauges, it is much more trusted, efficient, and safe that you don’t have to fiddle with monitoring the pressure.
We would recommend this for both beginners and pros.
| Mirro 92122A Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 15 pounds |
Dimension | 17 x 14 x 17 inches |
Size | 22-Quart |
Material Type | rustproof heavy gauge aluminum |
Highlight Features | 22-quart capacity |
Designed with 22-quart capacity, the Mirro 92122A is our favorite pick for big families.
Best For Dried Beans: Zavor DUO ZCWDU03
- Significantly time-saving when canning dried beans – under an hour
- Trusted and reliable to use - UL listed and award-winning design
- Flexible – able to be used on various cooktops
- Not good for canning meat
- Feature a very tiny orange top that pops us, not very visible
The Zavor DUO ZCWDU03 impressed us by its unbelievable performance in cooking dried beans.
While most others take at least 2 hours to soften them, this is able to finish the task in under an hour and the food comes out deliciously.
Using this pressure canner is very reliable because it has not only been UL listed but also won many precious awards. Such as “best of the test” of stove-top pressure cookers by other leading culinary magazines and named “best buy” pressure cooker by America’s test kitchen/ Cook's illustrated.
The unit is also flexible that can be used on most domestic stoves, such as induction, ceramic, electric, and gas.
Besides, it is backed by a 10-year warranty provided by Zavor.
| Zavor DUO ZCWDU03 Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 9.8 pounds |
Dimension | 17.7 x 10.7 x 9.3 inches |
Size | 8.4 Quarts |
Material Type | 18/10 stainless steel |
Highlight Features | Soften dried beans in a fraction of time |
We give the Zavor DUO ZCWDU03 a seal of approval for dried beans.
Best For Stew: Zavor EZLock ZCWEZ22
- Time and effort saving – take 3x less time to stew prepared food than others
- Versatile and trusted - compatibility with most cooktops & two pressure options
- Safe and easy to use - Universal Locking Mechanism
- A bit pricey
Most of our testers agree that this pressure canner from Zavor has a standout performance in stewing foods. The reason is it can cut off nearly 3x the preparing time than other counterparts while stewing is originally a time-consuming task.
With it, you’ll save lots of effort and time with no compromise of the food’s flavors or nutrients.
It is, on the other hand, very reliable and versatile, highlighting the compatibility with most cooktops, including the induction stoves. It also has two pressure options – the low at 8 psi and the high at 15 psi.
The Universal Locking Mechanism is a big bonus for beginners as it easily locks into place for safety during the use.
| Zavor EZLock ZCWEZ22 Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 11.77 pounds |
Dimension | 15.3 x 13 x 12.8 inches |
Size | 10 Quarts |
Material Type | 18/10 stainless steel |
Highlight Features | Take 3x less time to stew prepared food than others |
After testing, we all agree that the Zavor EZLock ZCWEZ22 is a worthy competitor in the stewing performance category.
Best For Soup: Buffalo QCP412 Classic series
- Make soup in 2x faster than other pots - Exclusively made from BUFFALO Clad
- Safe and dependable – obtain Safety Goods (SG) Certificate from Japan & ISO 9001: 2000
- Durable - mortise and tenon joint design & German gear
- Easy to clean
- Expensive
- The manual is in broken English
The total volume of this pressure canner is 12 quarts, measured by 15 x 9 x 12 inches, and the weight is acceptable. But what impresses us the most is its soup-making performance.
Cooking a whole chicken with a garden of vegetables and mixed beans but it takes just under 30 minutes and no soaking of beans required.
Importantly, the soup tasted incredibly flavorful, soft beans, and delicious chicken.
We also love that it is easy to handle and simple to clean. Very highly recommended!
| Buffalo QCP412 Classic series Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 11 pounds |
Dimension | 15 x 9 x 12 inches |
Size | 12-Quart |
Material Type | Stainless Steel |
Highlight Features | Mortise and tenon joint design & German gear |
Offering faster thermal conductivity with safe, reliable design, the Buffalo QCP412 is our proud recommendation for people who are finding a pressure canner for soup.
Best For Vegetables: T-fal P25144 8.5-Quart 7114000516
- Durable and well-built – sturdy lid gasket & good locking mechanism
- Easy to use - variable control operating valves & Pressure indicator
- Less cooking time, more flavorful foods
- No directions
If you usually find yourself cook vegetables, soups, and beef, then the T-fal P25144 8.5-Quart 7114000516 is an ideal option.
It is made of excellent materials, well-built, and carefully thought out with ease of disassembly for cleaning. The lid gasket is durable and the locking mechanisms work well.
The whole cooking process is also effortless and fast while the final results is unexpectedly tasteful. The flavors of the seasonings and vegetables all perfectly permeated the meat, bringing an excellent taste.
We also tested it with even the toughest of cuts but all the same, our foods came out always tender and juicy.
| T-fal P25144 8.5-Quart 7114000516 Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 9.43 pounds |
Dimension | 18.06 x 11.51 x 12.48 inches |
Size | 8.5-Quart |
Material Type | Stainless Steel |
Highlight Features | Sturdy lid gasket & good locking mechanism |
With faster cooking performance, well-build construction, and full of safety features, the T-fal P25144 8.5-Quart 7114000516 is the right choice for vegetables.
How To Choose The Best Pressure Canner for Beginners?
Capacity
To make sure the pressure canner is useful, you should choose the right capacity.
This should be based on your specific needs, but the common capacity for a pressure canner is between 20 and 25 Qt. A too-small pressure canner won’t hold enough jars while a too-large one won’t do you any good.
For comparison, a 21.5Qt canner can hold 19-pint jars or 7-quart jars, a 16Qt canner can hold 9-pint jars or 4-quart jars.
Accurate Pressure Gauge
Pressure canners heat up jars by sterilizing them.
For this to work, the temperature inside the canner must reach 240 degrees F by maintaining the pressure at 10 to 15 PSI. Unless the pressure reaches the required threshold, the food won’t be sterilized properly.
Therefore, you need to choose a pressure canner with a pressure gauge that indicates the exact pressure inside, or it will be no use.
Gauge Style
The gauge measures and displays the pressure inside the canner.
There are two gauge styles, including a weighted gauge and a dial gauge, both of which work effectively and you can choose either of them depending on your own preference.
The dial gauge uses a needle to show pressure, it’d easy to use but needs checking at least once a year to ensure accuracy.
A weighted gauge jiggles when you achieved a required pressure. It’s noisier, better for a reminder, and easier to use than the dial gauge.
Which Brands Make The Best Pressure Canner for Beginners?
Zavor
Zavor is a 25-year-old brand that specializes in culinary tools. It focuses on providing consumers with simple, easy-to-use products that help them make healthy dishes for family and friends. The brand is favored by both home cooks and expert chefs.
Buffalo
This Taiwan brand was established in 1957 with its founder being a professional in stainless steel products. The brand aims at offering healthy cookware material for cooks. The company has achieved SG, CH, and IH certification and became the first foreign firm to do this in Japan.
T-fal
This French brand was founded in 1957, specialized in small appliances and cookware. Some of its best product lines are the non-stick cookware items as well as frying equipment that requires low fat.
FAQs
Is a pressure canner worth it?
While a pressure canner’s use seems uncommon enough, you will find it useful at times. With a pressure canner, you can buy a large quantity/amount of certain foods to get a lower cost, then preserve it for future use.
What is the difference between a pressure canner and a pressure cooker?
The main difference between a pressure cooker and a pressure canner is that the canner not only cooks the food but it also preserves them. Meanwhile, a pressure cooker is specifically for fast cooking.
Do jars need to be submerged when pressure canning?
Yes, they do.
Submerge the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes to actually sterilizing them.
Can you put too much water in a pressure canner?
No, you can’t.
In fact, using too much liquid is one of the 5 most common mistakes when you use a pressure canner. Remember that you need about 0.5 to 1 cup of liquid for well-cooked food in the canner, but too much liquid will take away the flavor of the food.
How long does it take a pressure canner to depressurize?
It takes a standard pressure canner about 30 minutes to depressurize for pint jars and 45 minutes for quart jars.
Conclusion
Overall, if this is the first time you have ever got a pressure canner of your own, please follow the enlisted guidelines that we’ve provided above and your decision-making process will be much easier.
To choose the best pressure canner for beginners, there are only three features to keep in mind: capacity, accurate pressure gauge, and gauge style.
Well, this is also the end of our ultimate guide. Good luck and thanks for reading!
Jane Orta
