Hello all, I am new to canning (as in I just got my pressure canner today hah) and I have a silly newbie question. Can this Barton 22 qt canner also be used for water bath canning? Or is this JUST a pressure canner and do I need something different for water bath canning? If I do need something different for water bath canning what would you recommend?
Thank you!
by PizzzaMyHeart
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You can use it as a water bath! You just need to make sure you can completely cover the jars with 1-2 inches of water.
I have a Presto 23 Quart pressure canner and I water bath in it, I just use a different lid that won’t build up pressure. I think you’re fine if you make sure your jars are covered in water and you can maintain the level of boiling called for.
There is a caveat about pressure canning on glass cooktops.
I think the heaviness of the kettle and the heat differential in the sheet of glass can lead to catastrophic failure.
Check the manual of your stove to see if there are any recommendations against canning on it. Glass top electric and induction stoves have been known to shatter/crack/explode. It’s usually a combination of the much heavier weight of the canner and the longer time that the canner is hot in comparison to regular cooking.
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Yes, you can do water bath canning in that — the requirements for WB are being able to cover the jars with at least 1 inch of boiling water throughout the processing time while also having the jars not in direct contact with the bottom of the pot. Common ways to do this are a wire rack that holds the jars, a towel in the bottom (not the best option in my experience) or using extra jar rings attached together with twistie ties as a trivet of sorts.
The bigger issue I see here is it looks like there’s limited overhead space with the microwave — or is it set back from the front of the stovetop?
Either way, make sure your stovetop can handle the weight of a full canner and also you wouldn’t want to be dragging a canner across the surface.