# Help on what size American Canner to order



## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

Husband has said to go ahead and order my American Canner, I will be cooking on a gas stove, 29 inch clearance from top of stove. Lucky for me the seller on EBay, reads this forum and now ships to NZ. 
So what size/model would you suggest?


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

hey if you can swing it bigger is always better lol


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

Good on ya, All Americans are wonderful!

Mine is an 8 qt and I wish I could have afforded a larger. I would get the biggest one you can get. As for stove size, i believe any size canner will work on an average size burner. 

I use mine on an electric burner and on the woodstove.


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

Ha-ha Yeah, bigger is normally better, but I will have to open it when it is full on the stove, so was hoping, someone would have some advice, can't really return it, if I get it wrong. I've been wanting one for a long...... time.


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

Jewel said:


> Good on ya, All Americans are wonderful!
> 
> Mine is an 8 qt and I wish I could have afforded a larger. I would get the biggest one you can get. As for stove size, i believe any size canner will work on an average size burner.
> 
> I use mine on an electric burner and on the woodstove.


It's more the height. Will go look at the 8 qt, my Christmas present, he is getting his first gun.


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

Consider the weight also. Those things are heavy. That is the reason I own Prestos. The AA description says it weighs 20 pounds empty.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

gardenshepherd said:


> It's more the height. Will go look at the 8 qt, my Christmas present, he is getting his first gun.


I can't recall the exact size but the next one up from the 8 qt should still be very usable. It probably depends on your height and frame.

I've had mine for 5 or so years and probably wouldn't trade it for a larger one now. I use it all the time, for canning but also to sterilize and just to heat water in winter when the solar shower doesn't heat up.

edited to add --- they are heavy!


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

:scratch
All American Pressure Canner 921 21 Quart
All American Pressure Canner 921 21 Quart
Capacity - 21 1/2 Quarts (Liquid), 19 Pint Jars, 7 Quart Jars



(50 reviews) 
Price: $219.99 

All American Pressure Canner 915 15 Quart
All American Pressure Canner 915 15 Quart
Capacity - 15 1/2 Quarts (Liquid), 10 Pint Jars, 7 Quart Jars



(8 reviews) 
Price: $199.99 
Competitors average price: $219.99 
All American Pressure Canner 910 10 Quart 
All American Pressure Canner 910 10 Quart
Capacity - 10 1/2 Quarts (Liquid), 7 Pint Jars, 4 Quart Jars



(1 review) 
Price: $195.99 
Competitors average price: $209.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

The 915 is the one I have, 7 qts, not 8 like I said. It holds one layer of pints instead of two. I don't think that the next one up is a lot taller.


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

I have the 921. I think they may be the most popular.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I went with the 930. I'm single so can in mostly half pints, the 930 will fit 36 jars in three layers. My way of thinking was it is nice to have the room and I'm not really wasting anything by not filling it all the way. It actually works out great for making sauce or chili type things. I have a big SS pot, no idea what size, it is old, but two-thirds full will make a batch to fill around 36 half pint jars. If there is more, it is what's for dinner until it is gone.

I can also buy produce by the case at the farmers market and process at one time. Hit the market early, when they open. Spend the day getting into production mode and process it all. Fire up the canner and when time comes, pull it off the burner, go to bed and open the next morning.

Cons. It is friggin heavy and bulky. It gets loaded and unloaded right on the stove, no way to move it once full. I can shift it off a burner, onto another one, but could never lift it off the stove. 36 half pints sounds like a lot, but it is only 9 quarts of actual product. What takes time is processing each jar, the same amount of work goes into cleaning, filling and closing each one as does a quart jar.

It takes a lot of produce to fill the jars to make a full load. If you do not have help, or the time, to prepare for a full run, it is wasted space each time.

So think about how much you would can at a time. If you have a small garden or can't dedicate a full day to processing produce for a load, get a smaller one. Maybe you will only ever have a few quarts of beans, tomatoes or whatever to process at once.

Maybe long term plan to have two smaller ones? You could still can a lot in a day but in two batches. For me, being single, it is more efficient to get a single step production line going. Say tomatoes. I get a pot of water boiling. I get the big rubbermade tubs out. Put some in the boiling water for a minute, fish out and into cold water. Put some new ones in the boiling water. Peel the ones on ice and put into a large tub. By that time the ones boiling are ready to pull out... When all are peeled I can core or seed them and into another pot to heat. I can then get a pan of water ready to heat the tops and have the 930 setup and ready for them. Clear the peeling/coring mess up and setup for putting into cans step. By the time the tomatoes are heated, I am setup for putting into jars and into the pressure cooker. When one layer of jars is in there, fire it up and by the time it is full, the water is boiling and ready to close up.

I know folks are going to tell me it doesn't take all day to do this, but for me it does. When I bought mine I only had the weekends to can, so needed to do it all at once. But enough OT talk...

I would buy the size that best suits the size batches you plan on doing. If you can can every day, in season, or every few days, a smaller one would be the best bet. Once a week, a larger one. Lots of farmer's market shopping, a larger one. Small garden, small canner.


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

Woody said:


> I went with the 930. I'm single so can in mostly half pints, the 930 will fit 36 jars in three layers. My way of thinking was it is nice to have the room and I'm not really wasting anything by not filling it all the way. It actually works out great for making sauce or chili type things. I have a big SS pot, no idea what size, it is old, but two-thirds full will make a batch to fill around 36 half pint jars. If there is more, it is what's for dinner until it is gone.
> 
> I can also buy produce by the case at the farmers market and process at one time. Hit the market early, when they open. Spend the day getting into production mode and process it all. Fire up the canner and when time comes, pull it off the burner, go to bed and open the next morning.
> 
> ...


Just got the measuring jug out, to find out how much my jars take, we don't use pints or quarts here. I put the tomatoes in two pint jars, one pint jars will be fruit and beans. My garden is rather large, so will be doing some everyday. I have family that will be helping me.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

Great Idea on having two smaller ones! they would fit better on many wood stoves as well and if one breaks down for some reason you would still have a back up


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## myrtle55 (Apr 1, 2014)

I have an AA915. 7 quarts is all i can lift. It does all i need canning for 7 of us, but i cant so more than 2 loads in a day anyway. I love mine


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Personally, I wouldn't consider anything that wouldn't do 7 quarts.


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## HomegrownGal (Feb 11, 2013)

This is the one I got! I didn't want the 941 because I couldn't handle it myself. I love the fact that I can double stack quarts (with rack between) and triple stack pints!

Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I thought the 941 would be overkill for me also. What a monster it must be!!! When I first got the 930, opened the box, set it on the floor and looked in it, all I thought was Holy Moley!!! There is no way I could ever fill it! But, it does get filled just about every run.

When I was looking to buy I was also price conscious. It was a major investment for me. The 910 was almost $200. For less than $10 more I could get one with a larger capacity. For $20 more I could get the 921, which would hold twice as many quarts, and almost twice as many pints. The 925 was $40 more than the 921 and didn't offer any more jar capacity, according to the specs. The 930 was less than $70 from the 910 and offered almost three times the capacity. The 941 was about $100 jump over the 930 and would have 50% more small jar capacity than the 930.

I had originally settled on the 921, for the above reason. I went with my gut and experience on the choice. For my current needs, the 921 would do the job. But... down the line, what if my needs change? I have bought tools to do a job and later found that if I had upgraded just a tad, I wouldn't have to be buying a whole new tool to do the job I now needed to do.

One example that comes to mind, early in my careers. I bought an F-150 with the 300 straight 6, after school when I started carpentry. Great truck, did what I needed... A year later I found I was abusing the heck out of it, because it was too small to do the job I required of a truck. That 300 engine, while pretty good on gas, just didn't have the torque for much more than hauling itself around. After I just about killed it, sold it and bought a K-20 with a 350. Did what I needed for many, many happy years. I should have bit the bullet and just overbought a bit in the first place. Not buy a F-750 or anything like that though!! I have done that ever since. What do I need to do a job? Make a step up in my purchase. You are not pushing the tool/implement to its limits each time you use it, so it is going to make it last longer and make it easier on it.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

I want a 915, REALLY want a 915. They are $695.00 here so not going to happen soon. I have 2 presto 23 quarts and it's not at all unusual to have both running and be waiting to reload a few times. I wouldn't use it all that often but when we have beef processing weeks it would be seriously nice .


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

Wellrounded said:


> I want a 915, REALLY want a 915. They are $695.00 here so not going to happen soon. I have 2 presto 23 quarts and it's not at all unusual to have both running and be waiting to reload a few times. I wouldn't use it all that often but when we have beef processing weeks it would be seriously nice .


It's cheaper for me to purchase from the States than Australia, I'm still deciding what size I will need.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

gardenshepherd said:


> It's cheaper for me to purchase from the States than Australia, I'm still deciding what size I will need.


I always include Australia when I list things for sale on ebay.

The cost to ship there is outrageous, though.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

gardenshepherd said:


> It's cheaper for me to purchase from the States than Australia, I'm still deciding what size I will need.


I bought one of my prestos from an Aussie seller to get the local warranty then the other from the US. I'd save a couple of hundred on the AA buying from the US but will have to decide if I'm willing to go without an Australian warranty. I'm one of those people who always seem to get the lemons... if there is going to be a bad one in a batch I'm going to get it hahahhaha.


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

Wellrounded said:


> I bought one of my prestos from an Aussie seller to get the local warranty then the other from the US. I'd save a couple of hundred on the AA buying from the US but will have to decide if I'm willing to go without an Australian warranty. I'm one of those people who always seem to get the lemons... if there is going to be a bad one in a batch I'm going to get it hahahhaha.


Yep there is always the Lemon, I'm hoping cause it's American made, it will not fall apart like Chinese made products. We also have no alternative than to buy from Aussie or USA, cant buy them here. I have read so many reviews on the American canner, not one of them Bad.


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

:2thumb: Just ordered the 930, so now just have to wait for it to arrive. Something to look forward to. Just under $700 but looking at it as an investment.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

gardenshepherd said:


> Just under $700 but looking at it as an investment.


WOW! 
Would it have been any cheaper to just have one of us post one to you?


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

I don't think posting it would have been cheaper, the size and weight. That price includes the taxes our Government charges for me to import, also the exchange rate. So I'm happy. Well I will be when it arrives.


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