How to Use a Pressure Canner (Beginner’s Guide)

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Here's how to use a pressure canner in one breath: put jars of food prepared by a tested recipe on the rack in 2 to 3 inches of hot water, and lock the lid. Vent steam for 10 minutes, bring the canner to the pressure your recipe gives for your elevation, and hold it there for the full processing time. Then turn off the heat and let the canner cool down on its own before you open it. That's the procedure in the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, and every step exists for a safety reason.

Below is the full process, step by step, with the numbers from the USDA guide and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP). It works for any stovetop canner, whether it has a dial gauge or a weighted regulator. If you're new to canning and want shelf-stable green beans, stock or meat, this is the skill to learn first.

Safety first: use only tested recipes from the USDA, the NCHFP, your state extension service or your canner maker's book. Never invent processing times or pressures, and never shorten them. Low-acid foods that are under-processed can carry botulism.

Before You Start: What You Need

• A real pressure canner. The USDA and NCHFP processes assume a canner that holds at least four quart jars standing upright. Small pressure cookers and multi-cookers don't qualify. See our best pressure canner picks if you're shopping.
• A tested recipe that lists jar size, pack style (raw or hot), headspace, processing time, and pressure by elevation.
• Your elevation. Pressure changes above 1,000 feet. If you don't know it, the USDA suggests asking your county extension office.
• Canning jars and new lids, a jar lifter, a funnel, a plastic bubble remover and clean towels.
• A tested dial gauge if your canner has one. The USDA says to check it for accuracy every year.

Step-by-Step: How to Use a Pressure Canner

Get the canner ready

1. Inspect the canner. Clean the gasket (if it has one) and check that it isn't cracked, hard or shrunken. Hold the lid up to a light and look through the vent pipe to make sure it's clear. Presto says to clear a blocked pipe with a small brush, pipe cleaner or wire, never a toothpick. On a metal-to-metal canner like an All American, wipe a thin film of olive oil or petroleum jelly on the sealing edge, as the manufacturer directs.
2. Wash and heat your jars. Wash jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well, or run them through a dishwasher. Keep them hot until you fill them: the USDA suggests a simmer at 180°F (82°C) or a closed dishwasher. Jars for pressure canning don't need to be sterilized, per the USDA. Prepare lids following the lid maker's directions.
3. Add the rack and hot water. Put the rack in the canner and add 2 to 3 inches of hot water, unless your recipe calls for more (the USDA notes a few do). Your canner's manual may give a volume instead; Presto's stovetop canners call for 3 quarts. The USDA says to heat the water to about 140°F (60°C) for raw-packed food and 180°F (82°C) for hot-packed food.

Fill and load the jars

4. Fill the jars following the recipe. Leave the headspace it specifies. The USDA says low-acid foods usually need 1 to 1 1/4 inches.
5. Release air bubbles by sliding a flat plastic (not metal) spatula between the food and the jar, then recheck the headspace.
6. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp paper towel, center the lids and screw on the bands per the lid maker's directions. Don't overtighten. The USDA warns that bands that are too tight trap air, can cause discoloration and buckled lids, and can break jars, especially with raw-packed, pressure-processed food.
7. Load the jars upright on the rack with a jar lifter, gripping below the band. If you're stacking pints, the NCHFP says to put a small rack between the layers.
8. Lock the lid following your canner's instructions. On All American canners, tighten the wing nuts in pairs.

Vent, pressurize and process

9. Vent for 10 minutes. Leave the weight off the vent pipe (or open the petcock). Turn the heat to high until steam flows freely, then let it flow continuously for 10 minutes. The USDA says all pressure canners must be vented this way, because trapped air lowers the temperature at a given pressure.
10. Pressurize. Put the weight or regulator on the vent pipe, or close the petcock. The USDA says the canner will pressurize over the next 3 to 5 minutes.
11. Start timing at pressure. With a dial gauge, start when the needle reaches the recommended pressure. With a weighted gauge, start when it begins to jiggle or rock the way your manufacturer describes. All American says to aim for 1 to 4 jiggles per minute, and Presto describes a slow, steady rocking motion.
12. Hold the pressure steady. Adjust the heat to stay at or slightly above the target. Avoid big swings, which the USDA says pull liquid out of jars. If the pressure drops below the target at any point, bring it back up and restart the processing time from the beginning.

Cool down and unload

13. Turn off the heat and let it depressurize naturally. If you can, move the canner off the hot burner. Never cool the canner with water or open the vent early. The USDA says forced cooling can cause unsafe food, liquid loss and seal failures, and can warp older canner lids. Modern canners are depressurized when the vent lock or air vent/cover lock drops. The USDA notes older heavy-walled canners without a vent lock take about 30 minutes with pints and 45 with quarts.
14. Wait 10 minutes, then open. Remove the weight or open the petcock, wait 10 minutes, unfasten the lid and lift it away from you so steam doesn't hit your face.
15. Remove the jars upright with a jar lifter. Set them on a towel or rack at least 1 inch apart, out of drafts. Don't retighten the bands.
16. Leave them alone for 12 to 24 hours, per the USDA, then check the seals.

Check, label and store

17. Test each seal. The USDA lists three checks: press the center of the lid (it shouldn't spring back), tap it with a spoon (a sealed lid rings, an unsealed one sounds dull), or look across it at eye level (it should be slightly concave).
18. Deal with any unsealed jars. The USDA says you can reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid, using the same processing time, or refrigerate the jar and eat it within several days. The NCHFP notes reprocessing costs quality.
19. Store sealed jars without bands. Wash off any residue, label and date the jars, and store them in a cool, dark, dry place. The USDA says to keep them below 95°F (35°C), and that 50 to 70°F (10 to 21°C) helps keep quality. The NCHFP says properly canned food keeps its best quality for at least a year.

Pressure by Elevation: An Example

Every USDA recipe has its own table, so always use the one printed with your recipe. Here's what it looks like for snap green beans, from the NCHFP (processing time: 20 minutes for pints, 25 for quarts):

The NCHFP's dial-gauge table for green beans stops at 8,000 feet. If you live higher, ask your county extension office before canning. Notice the trade-off the USDA describes. A weighted gauge can't make fine corrections, so above 1,000 feet it goes straight to 15 psi. A dial gauge steps up 1 psi at a time but has to be tested every year. Our green beans guide has the full recipe, and our pressure canning altitude chart explains the bands.

How Long a Load Really Takes

The USDA Complete Guide gives a typical timeline for a loaded pressure canner:

For a full load of quarts of green beans, that adds up to roughly 1 1/4 to 2 hours from burner on to jars out. Don't schedule a second batch with less time than that.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Skipping or shortening the 10-minute vent. Trapped air means a lower temperature than the gauge suggests.
• Starting the timer too early. The clock starts at pressure, not when the canner starts to hiss.
• Not restarting after a pressure drop. Topping the pressure back up isn't enough. The full time starts over.
• Force-cooling to save time. It risks unsafe food and seal failures, and it's hard on the canner.
• Using the wrong pressure for your elevation. Above 1,000 feet, the numbers change.
• Trusting an untested dial gauge. The USDA says a gauge more than 2 pounds off should be replaced.
• Opening a jar to top up liquid. The NCHFP says lost liquid doesn't make food unsafe. Don't open sealed jars to add more.
• Using a pressure cooker or multi-cooker. The NCHFP does not recommend its canning processes in electric multi-cookers, and the USDA says small pressure saucepans aren't recommended.
• Using untested or "family" recipes. Times are tested for specific foods, packs and jar sizes.

Not sure whether your food even needs a pressure canner? Our pressure canning vs water bath canning guide explains the pH 4.6 rule.

Which Canner Should a Beginner Buy?

A full-size stovetop canner that holds seven quarts is the easiest place to start. Presto's 23-quart is light, uses a dial gauge for precise altitude adjustment and doubles as a quart-size water bath canner. All American's 921 trades a higher price for a gasket-free seal and a weighted regulator that never needs testing. Our Presto pressure canner review and All American pressure canner review compare them in detail.

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