[ContainerTed]

Like Kat, I have the Presto 23 quart pressure canner. It has a pressure dial. My brother has an older model pressure canner with the "jiggler". After running both, I find the pressure dial much easier to work with.

I bought mine brand new two years ago. This past summer, I canned green beans, peas, beets, a few quarts of tomato juice, and other things. With things like tomato juice, I simply take the pressure up to 5 pounds and then turn off the heat.

Linda, like the others above, I strongly recommend you stop running cold water over the pot as part of the cool down. TomNJ nailed it. The pot and the contents need to cool down slowly together. The pressure raises the boiling point. It allows the temperature of the liquid to increase without forming those bubbles we associate with boiling. If the outside of the pot suddenly dips in temperature or pressure, the contents of the jars must release their stored up energy. The jars begin to boil and those air bubbles expand the contents of the jar. The accompanying increased pressure simply blows the liquid out of the jar.

The feature about my Presto Pressure canner I like the most is the internal pressure button that comes up when the pressure starts building and drops down when the pressure is back down to zero. It's a "no-brainer" that guarantees you don't rush the process. When the time at pressure is done, I simply turn off the heat and wait to hear that little button drop. Even then, I wait another 10 or 20 minutes to make sure the internal temperature of the pot has also come down and stabilized. Then the lid comes off.

I strongly recommend a pressure canner with the dial. I got mine for about $90 plus tax.