Hi, I don’t can things but my aunt does. She sent me a Christmas list and these 2 things were on top. I at first I thought the first one seals the cans then the second one… idk really.
I was thinking about it this morning and looked at all the details of each and still don’t know if they are bother sealing the jars, just with different methods. That’s what it looks like and I don’t want to get her 2 things that do the same thing you know?
So are they essentially the same thing?
by QueenOfSleepyHollow
4 Comments
Hi u/QueenOfSleepyHollow,
For accessibility, please reply to this comment with transcriptions of the screenshots or alt text describing the images you’ve posted. We thank you for ensuring that the visually impaired can fully participate in our discussions!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Canning) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A vacuum sealer is for dry goods only, or maybe longer life under refrigeration. High acid foods like fruits and pickles can be canned with steam or water bath to be shelf stable. Low acid foods must be pressure canned.
No, the first picture is just used to suck the air out of jars when you store dry goods in them. Keeps things like nuts and flour fresher longer. It’s not canning since there’s no heat processing.
The second one is a steam canner. This is used instead of water bath canning for some recipes.
They are not interchangeable.
The first item is NOT for canning. It’s … almost a scam item, honestly. They make me unreasonably angry because they are sold and marketed as something they are NOT safe for.
All they do is pull air out of a jar.
Great if you have *dried goods* to keep dry. People who have and use dehydrators love them.
Anecdotally… my husband used to have a similar tool for aging tobacco back when he smoked a pipe.
Anyhow – They’re supposed to be good for “dry goods storage” but I open my sugar and flour and oats and stuff *almost every day* and I’m not about to sit there and go “WHIRRRRRR” on every container every time.
Who got time for that!?!
The second item is a steam canner and is a nifty alternative to a water bath canner that uses less water. One of our mods uses one regularly and loves hers.