# Canning question.



## Tank_Girl (Dec 26, 2011)

Can you put more than one layer of jars in a pressure canner if there is the space and how would you go about this?

Where would you fill the water up to?
Does it matter if the bottom layer of jars are submerged?
Do you have to have under pressure for longer?
Is it ok if the two layers touch or do they need separated by something?

Cheers,
~TG.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Tagged for interest.


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## VUnder (Sep 1, 2011)

I know you can do it. The larger canners do two layer. I think the water level is at a certain height to make sure you don't run out of water before the canning process is over. You are really cooking with heat and steam. The steam fills the whole cooker and purges any air out. The pressure weight on the cooker raises the boiling point of the water so you can cook at a higher temperature than just 212 degrees. Water bath canners can only cook at 212, but a pressure canner is 240 or more, also it kills botulism, so you can do meats in there too. Water baths do not do meats, do not even try. 

I wouldn't worry about separating the layers, the system will process whatever is in the canner, and do it however you have it in the canner. Isn't there a fill line mark somewhere in or on the cooker? Now that I think abou it, my mother cans double layer is the jars are small. The policies we have forth held are in direct cohesion with that which has been facilitated, so in other words, "yes".


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Stack them as high as you have space for, my canners will handle 2 high(half pints). 

The amount of water is dependent, to a degree, on what type of canner you have. In my canner has a gauge and does not vent you need only put an inch or so of water in the bottom. 

If your canner uses the "Dancing Weight" and vents steam as it cooks, I put several inches to make sure it doesn't cook dry. 

Good luck and have fun, most of all, have fun.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I regularly put 2 rows of pints in mine as well. With 3" of water in the canner, the lower layer is almost completely covered. I had read somewhere that you should put something between the layers. I believe the large canners come with a plate to position between the top and bottom layers. I got mine off craigslist and the plate was missing so I took an old aluminum lid and drilled a dozen small holes in it to let the steam flow more freely. The top layer of jars are much more stable setting on the plate as opposed to setting on each other. Even with double the number of jars I still process for 75 minutes which is what the directions call for.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

a friend who cans, says to can a mixed load to the longest time for what is in your caner. she would do her soups without the meat and can the meat separately. that way her veggies would not be as over cooked and if she needed to stretch the soup she could just add more veggies.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

Ideally, you want to end the canning process with just enough water to keep the bottom wet... Risk is running out of water. More water, requires more energy to heat it.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

So far I only can quarts and new at it so good info here.Of course we can 7 at once.We end eating most of what we can on bad months,so mostly we can for the economy of it.


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## VUnder (Sep 1, 2011)

Meerkat, there is some good in having some fresh canned summer foods in the dead of winter. Makes it all worth it.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

my large pressure canner came with a rack to put between stacks of cans to enhance stability. It is basically a piece of metal with holes in it, just like the rack that goes at the bottom to keep the cans off the canner bottom. A cooling rack should work. All you need it for is to keep the cans from tipping over.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

I just stack my second layer of pints on top and if I don't have enough, input some empty jars in the fill the space. Keeps any from breaking and I put about the same amount of water in the canner. Never had a problem.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I put three layer of pints in my cooker more layers if I use half pints. I separate each layer with round cooling racks and one rack on the bottom to keep the jars off direct contact with the bottom of the canner. 

I put water about three quarters of the way up the first layer of jars. If you run you pressure canner dry you will lose all your product and most of your jars. If you add a gallon of extra water (in reality about half of that) it will cost you about 1000 BTU's to heat the extra water. That is not a lot in a cooking process that takes a couple hours.


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