Is the All American worth the 3x price tag or does everyone just use the standard Presto one?

Never having to mess with a seal was worth it to us.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
Is the All American worth the 3x price tag or does everyone just use the standard Presto one?

Short answer? Yes.

I have one from walley world and only used to can corn.
Most my canning is with water bath system and serves me ok.

I bought a used All American. If serious about it then yea, it is a good investment.

Otherwise a basic unit will work.

I would buy something pre chicom though. Regardless of what it is.

I haven't ever pressure canned, but my wife just bought an Instant Pot, which has a pressure canning setting.

It has a miniscule capacity compared to a dedicated pressure canner, but I'm thinking about giving it a shot and seeing how it goes.

maladat, we canned a bunch of pints of Salsa using something like that. It works fine. We have done it for a few years now. 5 pints at a time. It is easy pease.

Sounds good, thanks!

I have a old Presto, works fine but I always worry about that old gauge. It has canned many thousands of jars. I've had it tested before and it was within specs. I'm of the understanding that there are getting to be fewer places to get them checked out for safety and proper operation and gauge accuracy. Lately it has not been so easy to get a replacement gasket.

I have the precursor to the modern day All American, I can update it to current All American by replacing a few parts on it. I have not done that, it's been just a backup should I need it.

Having said all that, about 5 years ago I purchased a brand new All American.

I will highly recommend the All American. It's more money, for sure, but you never have to try to get a new gasket when you need one.

To me, the All American appears to be overbuilt and I just never give it any thought that it might fail. They're the best. Should you need any parts they are easily available, without any issue.

Presto is a loooooooong time brand but now they're all made in China, as far as I know.

The All Americans are built in Wisconsin.

If you have the extra Scheckel's and want to support American works and business, buy the All American.


EDIT TO ADD: What ORC said above: I bought a used All American. If serious about it then yea, it is a good investment.

An used All American is an excellent deal. Any and all parts are available. If you find one, see if your local county extension office will test it for proper and safe operation. If it has the old petcock thing, you can replace it with the modern day rocker weight thing from All American, bringing it up to date, easier to use.

All American 519 Mine is old enough that it says #7 on the lid, which puts it pre 1995.

BUY once, cry once! I also say All American for many of the same reasons mentioned.

All American is certainly the answer. Just canned some vegetable and ham-n-bean soups the other week in ours.

We have two All Americans. One for testing and small batches, one for going industrial.

There is no way that I'm trusting a pressure cooker from China. Catastrophic failure could be catastrophic.

Now to find one. Seemsthe sell out faster than 9mm ammo.

Manufacturer says earliest direct shipment is September 202!

Ill look for a 25 quart.

All American here, buy once and all that

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
I haven't ever pressure canned, but my wife just bought an Instant Pot, which has a pressure canning setting.

It has a miniscule capacity compared to a dedicated pressure canner, but I'm thinking about giving it a shot and seeing how it goes.

I think the jury is still out in if instant pot gets hot enough to handle meats, so be careful.

Huh, I will look into it. The manual says the high pressure setting is 15 PSI, which I think is the same as dedicated pressure canners. Thank you for the warning.

My sister in law is a die hard insta pot fan ( we are noobs in the pressure cooker scene ). However, they use a American for all there canning.

At Christmas, my Brother in Law was painstakingly showing me all the pro's and no Con's to his American. There was free beer involved. He was also selling me on the benefits of "Mountain House" meals as well.

My Point: They have an InstaPot but use the American to can.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:


My Point: They have an InstaPot but use the American to can.

We do the same thing, we actually have an 8 and 6 quart Instapot, the All American is only for canning.

We have two sizes of the presto canners as well as a hot bath canner tub. I just replaced the jar rack with a stainless steel one for the hot bath canner.

I have been headed towards the all american on a rapid pace. I spent about two weeks canning while recovering from surgery last year. My biggest concern with the presto is the gasket. Sure I could buy replacement parts, but will the new gasket fit my older canner?

Three things really draw me to the all american. The tapered seat lid, multi-pressure settings weight, and the material thickness of the pot.

For anyone concerned about things like grid security, I have seen videos of the all american being used over open wood fires too.