<<Many reasons to get one, you can pressure cook in them too. And you can always use a pressure canner to hot water bath process too.>>

Yes, no need really to buy three pots/appliances.

[QUOTE=encore;590012]just did tomato juice and it calls for citric acid or bottled lemon juice, right out of the presto canner instruction and recipe book. so it's up to you what you do. read somewhere that bringing it up to 15 lbs. of pressure for the last 5 min. works too (without lemon juice or acid).[/QUOTE]

I just looked at the recipe and instructions.
Here is the deal.
It is for both pressure canning AND hot water bath.
And the processing time isn't long enough.
The national center for home food safety has the instructions for tomato juice too.
Both processes they say you have to acidify it.
In these instructions it says to process pressure canner for 20 and 15 minutes pints or quarts.
The link above for the spaghetti sauce no acid added is 20 and 25 minutes.

Now my opinion on acid.
I prefer to use the powdered citric acid over the lemon juice.
If I want a lime or lemon flavor in something then I add it too plus the citric acid.
If I want the acid to be gone like in a sauce I put a wee pinch of baking soda in it when I cook it when I am ready to eat it.

About 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of the stuff will make a big tangy glass of tomato juice taste sweet.
Worth

[QUOTE=coronabarb;590014]If the recipe calls for citric acid/lemon juice, then that is what it has been tested as. You should follow those guidelines even if it is a pressure canning recipe. For instance, tomatoes - if you delete the acid, the processing time might need to be different.

Worth, that rule (can for the longest ingredient time) does not always work. Density is an issue as well, and can be a reason for longer processing needed. Depends on what it is you are canning.[/QUOTE]


Well stuff like stew soup chili and gumbo.
The recipes and times are there but the spices aren't to my liking.:lol:

What I was trying to say was I pressure can this stuff for a long time.
I process for 90 minutes.
I just looked on their site and they have beens in their chili con carne.
Chili Con Carne never has beans. if it had beans it would be chili con carne y frjoles. :evil::lol:
So then again I treat it like ground meat and process for 90 minutes because I dont put beans in chili.
The one with beans says 75 minutes.
If something has just a wee bit of fish it has to go to 100 minutes.
You just have to read the instructions they have and use you head it isn't that hard.

Worth

Well I have moved on to spaghetti sauce now and since I do put the meat and veggies in it, I process it for 90! I need a bigger stove! Yes that is a 100 quart stock pot! And a pic of the first 7 out of the canner . . . gonna be at this a while!!