# All American 921 arrives on Tuesday!



## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

So... I have wanted to take the plunge for awhile, I've read really great reviews on Amazon and here, so tonight I scooped up the 921 pressure canner! 

My problem is, I have a test on Monday, and midterms the following week, and we dont get to pass with lower than a B, so I have to be on my game lol, and on top of all of that, I still have a regular 50+ hour job to take care of paying the bills 

The timing could work for me though? I want the canner NOW, so I don't keep putting it off, and since the next couple weeks are jammed up with life type stuff, that gives me a little time to figure out what I want to do first

here's where you come in!!! Please help me decide what to do first as a total newbie to canning, and any advice you have to offer will be greatly appreciated.

I already have the Ball book on preserves, and 2 others I believe, I'm going to check my library tomorrow. I'm kind of leaning towards a salsa, and something meat. Not particularly choosy if it's chicken or beef to start with, and chicken might be better for me as a newbie since I will have an easier time controlling the fat?

Thanks in advance for any advice!!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Chicken corn soup was the first thing that went into my pressure canner when I got it. After that was boneless, skinless chicken breasts I found on sale for $.99lb. Did 40lbs. Not quite as much fat to deal with when there's no skin. I turned into a canning fool after these two successes. Have fun. It's addicting.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Dont pass with less than a B? Sounds like nursing school. Good luck with school and canning. I had the same excuses but if youre canning I guess they dried up. Time to get a canner.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Meat eh, well ya can't get easier then hot dogs!

Meat loaf be a good en to.


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## PennyPincher (Dec 5, 2011)

easiest thing I have canned was chicken breast. I buy mine boneless and skinless.you can raw pack. no prep/cook required. I have seen people who add water or broth and others who don't. I used a store bought, lo sodium, chicken broth as that is what i use when cooking if i need it. in quart jars i can get 4 breasts in. Pints would likely be 1+ large breast each.

Also, buy 2 timers. I have 2 of these http://http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Digital-Timer-Silver/15750044 I use one set to the overall processing time and the other for 3 minutes so I can check on the pressure and adjust the heat if needed. I just hit stop on the second one and then start after I have checked on things. It stays at 3 minutes (or whatever you decide to set it on).


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

CrackbottomLouis said:


> Dont pass with less than a B? Sounds like nursing school. Good luck with school and canning. I had the same excuses but if youre canning I guess they dried up. Time to get a canner.


EMT school! not sure about excuses and dried up??? anyway, I'm ready to start canning soon, and really looking forward to it!


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Meat eh, well ya can't get easier then hot dogs!
> 
> Meat loaf be a good en to.


uhm.... can mac&cheese with hotdogs be canned? :2thumb:

I'll definitely be looking into meatloaf before hotdogs as a single item in a jar though! Good tips, thanks!!!


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

PennyPincher said:


> easiest thing I have canned was chicken breast. I buy mine boneless and skinless.you can raw pack. no prep/cook required. I have seen people who add water or broth and others who don't. I used a store bought, lo sodium, chicken broth as that is what i use when cooking if i need it. in quart jars i can get 4 breasts in. Pints would likely be 1+ large breast each.
> 
> Also, buy 2 timers. I have 2 of these http://http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Digital-Timer-Silver/15750044 I use one set to the overall processing time and the other for 3 minutes so I can check on the pressure and adjust the heat if needed. I just hit stop on the second one and then start after I have checked on things. It stays at 3 minutes (or whatever you decide to set it on).


Great tip, thanks! I think I will probably use my iphone for that, but I definitely wouldnt mind having something that is stuck right near the work area. I'll have to add that to my list

Is there an advantage to raw pack instead of cooking?

If I'm going to open a jar of canned chicken breasts I'm thinking if they're precooked that's working in my favor, I'm going to drop them into a skillet of chicken-helper and 10 minutes later, dinner is done!


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

Dakine said:


> Is there an advantage to raw pack instead of cooking?


It's far faster to cut out the cooking step. Raw pack creates its own juice and cooks in the pressure canner. The downside is that you can't pack quite as much chicken (the cooked chicken loses volume so when you pack it cooked you can cram more chicken in per jar.)

How important is time to you versus jar capacity?


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

Bobbb said:


> It's far faster to cut out the cooking step. Raw pack creates its own juice and cooks in the pressure canner. The downside is that you can't pack quite as much chicken (the cooked chicken loses volume so when you pack it cooked you can cram more chicken in per jar.)
> 
> How important is time to you versus jar capacity?


Okay thanks for explaining it, and good question.

Since I like doing things in batches, the cooking time to prepare the chicken honestly wouldnt bother me at all, I'd plan for it and do it, and bam, it's done. But if I have to pull down a jar from the cabinet and to use it I still have to cook it, that will not be good.

When it comes to day-to-day living, I'd eat a lot better/healthier if I spent a few hours every weekend preparing meals instead of only eating when I'm hungry and then going for the easiest thing I find first lol.


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## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

My sentiments too Dakine!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Dakine said:


> uhm.... can mac&cheese with hotdogs be canned?


 You can can almost anything but I think the mac and cheese would be a pile of mush after canning for the length of time hotdogs require. I've never tried it so maybe Coot or Davarm have some tidbits to add.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Never done it cause the mac an cheese will keep longer unprepared the canned. So, I just whoop up the mac an cheese an put some canned wieners in it.

I be afraid like Uncle Joe says, gonna get mushy.


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

I've always raw packed all meats I have pressure canned. The meat cooks very well done during the 90+ minutes under pressure and high heat. Just take a jar off the shelf, open, dump in a pan, add whatever spicing and dinner is ready to go in less than 20 minutes no matter the meat/fowl. Saves hours of prep time all around cause it will take hours to properly can meats to start with counting the meat prep time, stuffing it in the jars, bringing the canner up to pressure, letting it "cook: for the proper time and then waiting for the canner to cool/lose pressure so you can take those hot, bubbling jars out to competely cook, covered on the counter. You're looking at 3 hours minimum for each batch of meat canned.


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## Moby76065 (Jul 31, 2012)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Meat eh, well ya can't get easier then hot dogs!
> 
> Meat loaf be a good en to.


Most any meat is a good thing to start with. Find sales on meat. It's definately going to get more expensive. It's easy to can and will be needed later. Even if things don't go south, you saved money by canning meat.
Brisket is a great meat to start on. It's cheap (though not as cheap as hotdogs) and tastes GREAT when canned.

I can quart jars of meat. Your canner will hold seven. Get 14 lbs of brisket and can it. Wait a week and open one to try it. Heat it for 10 minuets (boiling) then pour it over rice and add gravey. You'll love it.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

Bobbb said:


> It's far faster to cut out the cooking step. Raw pack creates its own juice and cooks in the pressure canner. The downside is that you can't pack quite as much chicken (the cooked chicken loses volume so when you pack it cooked you can cram more chicken in per jar.)
> 
> How important is time to you versus jar capacity?


I personallly have a problem with raw pack meats. Its not the meat itself persay it is the look. Just looking at raw packed meat makes my stomach churn. It's the thought of meat laying in blood. It makes me gag.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Only thin I'll differ with Moby on be jar size.

We do lots a pints cause they average a pound a meat an that be perfect fer the two a us ta use. 

Quarts do bout 2 pounds an ifin ya got a family, be the better route.

Now be a good time ta do meat, pork er beef even chicken. In the next 3 months yer gonna see the prices rise alot as the effects a the drought hit.


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