Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker

I love canning, but in the past have used Maid of Honor and National-brand canners - sturdy ware produced in the USA. I'm having trouble finding the right seals for these (the Prestos that are supposed to work are an inch too long) and decided to buy a newbie. Even though I can regularly, I was still a little reluctant, because of reviews where the gauge flew off. What I really wanted was an All American, but it just wasn't financially feasible, so this was the happy compromise. Before use, I read through the instruction booklet twice before I used it, because this canner is a little different than the ones I'm used to. If you haven't used this type or brand, definitely read through it carefully and follow the prep instructions before you begin. Quality Obviously, this is a newer item and not nearly as heavy as the older canners, or as extra sturdy as the All American. However, it is heavy-duty enough to do its job for more than just a few pressure canning sessions. The lighter version is MUCH easier to carry around than the older versions. This model has plastic handles. My older canners have wood handles - which I LOVE. They are much sturdier than plastic; however, I'm a realist. This is 2010 and you won't be able to find a new model with wood handles. If you want something super heavy duty, then bypass the cheaper models and get an All American, because you won't be happy otherwise. If you are on a budget, this is definitely worth a look. Seal I LOVE the seal with this canner! It is super heavy duty - much thicker than other seals I've used. It is about half an inch wide and fits snugly in the cap. I'm assuming it's thicker because this canner is tall - holds up to 20 pints - and it needs a heavier seal. Whatever the reason, it is terrific. The thicker size makes it easier to fit into the lid. It is a nightmare to try to fit the thin seals in the thin areas on other canners. I hope this seal is heavy duty enough not to wear out quickly. I will keep you posted on that as I finish up my canning season. Regulator I didn't really care for how the pressure regulator just sat on top of the vent pipe. To me, that is just a little dangerous. However, after using, I can see that it works. It sits loosely on top - easy to pull off and on. However, if you turn it slightly, it somehow catches on the vent pipe. It's still loose, but slightly more secure. If you watch your pressure, you would have no problems with it coming off. What confused me is that the black knob turns - which is typical for canners that allow you to regulate pressure by releasing steam AND changing the amount of heat used. However, the book says nothing about being able to turn this knob to release steam - and the regulator sits too loosely on the top to be able to turn the knob. It would definitely help regulate the pressure to release steam slowly. I plan to contact Presto to ask them about this - and look through the book one more time to be sure I didn't miss something. Ease of Use Again, I read through the booklet carefully a few times before I used this canner. I use a gas range and found it tough to keep the pressure regulated, even when I turned the heat all the way down. I had to sit with it the whole time - but was prepared for that. When canning, you cannot do much else but watch the pressure gauge. It sealed up quickly and pressurized fast. I love the lines on the inside that show how much water you need. Makes it a no-brainer for those intense canning days. The lid is also easy to put on. I only use these for canning foods in jars. I never use them for pressure cooking food. However, there are instructions for that as well in the book. Please note: It says not to use on gas stoves above 12,000 BTUs. Also, do not use on glass top ranges Overall Thoughts For the price, the Presto canner is worth a look. So far, I'm pleased with the purchase and plan to keep you posted on how it works out. You just never know until you get a few years into it.

I've been using this for over a year now, and it's been amazing. The quality is really good and it's the best canner I've used. I checked prices everywhere, and Amazon had the best deal by far. It's all aluminum and works great on my glass-top stove. The thick bottom plate spreads heat evenly, and it easily holds 18 PSI by adjusting the heat. It's way lighter and much quieter than my old All American canner - no loud noise that bothers anyone in the house. I use it almost weekly for canning vegetables, meats, and soups. It holds a lot, heats evenly, and keeps pressure really well. Super simple to use, and cleanup is easy too. If the rubber gasket wears out, it's only $7 to replace. The manual warns not to use it on outdoor propane burners over 12,000 BTU or it'll warp, but on a regular stove, it's perfect. It's held up perfectly with frequent use. Definitely worth the investment and should last me a long time. Highly recommend if you want a solid, no-fuss pressure canner.

I’ve enjoyed canning with my Presto. I purchased this in September of 2025 and have prepared 100s of quarts and pints on my family’s favorite foods. The instructions are easy to read and understand, and using this is relatively straightforward. I love canning so much that I’m now looking for a smaller electric canner for smaller batch items.

I just received my unit and although I have not used the unit, I have read the book completely and called presto and they say there's no need to have the gauge checked. If it's new, it's ready go to, just follow the cleaning instructions on page 6 and 7 of the book. They also state there's no reason to buy another 15lb rocker because it comes with one. I ordered the extra rocker for $12 but the unit came last night and has a 15lb rocker in it. Pressure regulator would be the better more proper term, not rocker. I also work in the air pressure industry for a living and we rarely test our gauges unless something obvious is happening and we have variable testing at our facility that goes from 10psi to 300 psi, which that kind of pressure can be dangerous. So I'm not sure why people think they need to get their gauge tested. Even if the gauge is faulty, the rocker is going to rock at 15lbs and never let the pot get higher than this. Additionally, the books states there is a vent pipe (page4) is the "primary pressure relief valve and will release pressure in excess of 15 pounds. The pressure regulator sits loosely on the vent pipe." That's a quote. So this unit is designed to be at 15 lbs or below which the pot can handle. I'm not sure why anyone would blow the lid off unless they rolled their rubber ring, their ring was old or not seated properly or the top was not locked. Again, I haven't used the unit yet, and will follow up soon with a review on that, but from my perspective, I'm going to can tomatoes over the next couple of days and that is 11 lbs of pressure which means I will need my gauge and my rocker should never rock. I have to play with the heat to find where my stove dial holds the pot at 11 lbs and make sure I never see the pressure regulator move or that means the pot has reached 15 lbs. ?? Some of these reviews were confusing and also caused me to buy a 15 lb regulator that came with the unit. It seems unnecessary. ?? Sure seems it's ready to go out of the box, no need to check or buy another item. Okay, I went home and used it last night. I have updates. First, this is a great unit. I can't imagine anyone blowing the lid off if you align it and lock it down. I filled it with water, put it on and ran it up to 15 lbs of pressure. On my stove it took 19 minutes to get there but that's going to vary. I think I understand why people suggest getting the variable weight. In my case, I can a lot of tomatoes. I need this at 10-11 pounds for 15 minutes. I either have to play with the heat setting on my stove to get it to stay at 10-11 pounds, while keeping an eye on it, OR if you buy the rocker weight that is 5-10-15 lbs, you can take it apart, make it a 10 lb rocker and just set it and forget it. I see the logic but don't think that makes buyin the other part necessary, it just saves a little time. Plus, for tomatoes, they suggest 11 lbs. If you are anal and want 11, the variable weight can't do that. if you don't mind 10-11 pounds, no big deal. Either way, I didn't take my cooker to have the gauge tested, This is ready to go out of the box. Just make sure and put a little oil on the ring to keep it in good shape and you might just want to have a back up ring on hand as the unit ages so that on that weekend you want to can, if the ring splits, you slide the new one in and keep going. Great unit and it's HUGE! I love it. Another update...this baby is getting a good workout. Canned a bunch of sauce last night, working on more as I type. We bought the additional weight/rocker that you can make 5-10-15 pounds. Put it at 10 pounds and let it pressure for 16 minutes. Gets the tomato sauce in the jars up to 240 degrees killing all that might be present. Great pressure canner. Highly recommend. Again, still don't understand how anyone could blow the lid off if you align this properly. No blown lids here. Just gotta read the book and use it properly I think. Another update - well, we've done 7 gallons of roma tomato sauce, 5 quarts a session and this pressure canner is great. It's so easy to lock the lid. I've also realized it has a special lock that when pressure starts to build, but even before it can be read on the gauge, the lock pops up and there's no way you can open this canner with pressure so no danger. I will say that when my 16 minutes at 11 lbs for tomato sauce are up, I take a kitchen knife and lean the pressure rocker over to let the steam out quickly. Within 4-5 minutes, all the pressure has bleed out, the lock goes back down and I take the lid off. This is not in the book, but I was just dying to see how the jars looks. As I took them out, they were still boiling and we put a laser temp gauge on them and they were reading 210-215. Given the heat was turned off over 4-5 minutes ago, it's reasonable to assume it was indeed up to 240 which is what is needed to kill all the stuff for tomato sauce. Keep in mind, this is different for every food, for every size and for every elevation. So read the book for your food and it will tell you what to do. I recommend citric acid as well as the adjustable pressure regulator (rocker) and a canning kit, particularly to get the jars out. Taking them out at 215 degrees is careful business. But it's cool to see them boiling inside the jars. And within 10 minutes, they are down to 160 which is when the 'tinning' or vacuming starts. As you know, the cooling is what causes the air tight seal, not the pressure canning. Pressure canning is to raise the temp up high enough to kill all the germs, when you take them out, they do the tinning sounds and you can hear all the tops going ting, ting.....ting...then you know you are getting a great seal!

I live in New Mexico. Home of Green Chile. I mostly use this puppy for canning green chile forty pounds at a whack. Full weekend at a whack. A lot of work, a lot of mess peeling those roasted chiles, and sheer exhaustion, followed by a promise to myself to not do it any more. But then, I am eating the most delicious chile all winter and summer long. I put it in food that friends eat and they love it. I give them pint jars all the time and they love those chiles. So by the time fall rolls around again and my stockpile is depleted, and I drive by a place roasting those truckloads of green chile and smell that oh-so-lovely smell, I am ready to do it again for another year. I am a city boy. I don't know any farmers. Or hang out with old grandmas. I just have the Ball Blue Book guide to preserving, the instructions that came with this pressure canner, and a guide to preserving that I downloaded from New Mexico State University (my state's agricultural college). Your state has a college and a guide like this, too. ALL the people I know have thought I might kill myself preserving food. But as I am still alive many seasons later, they have swung around to the fact that I might actually be doing something right. They also see me opening my little room-temp jars and eating my lunch right out of them. They also take and eat the chile. Food preserving can be dangerous if you don't do it right. But if you can just follow the directions EXACTLY as are laid out, hit the right pressures for the altitude of your location, which will hit the right temperatures for the right amount of time using the right type of jars and lids, you can do it. After the first time, it is not even hard. The reason for getting this pressure canner is--you can do it without any chemicals of any kind. Just water. And it will sit on your shelf at room temperature for a long time and be perfectly safe when you are ready to open the container. I've canned sauces and soups and stews. Venison. Tomatoes. Potatoes. Asparagus. Artichokes. Green beans. Pinto beans. Onions. Mostly I just played to see what can be done. But every year, the green chile. That alone has made it worth the purchase price. Is it pot itself safe? You bet. The lid locks down very securely. The pot is thick and heavy. It is wider than my kitchen (electric) burners, but there is a plate on the bottom that fits those burners perfectly. There is a guage provided so that you can see the pressure performance at all times. If you want to take your canning to the next level, buy this pot!

It’s beautiful and big but you have to babysit it the whole time turning to heat up and down constantly trying to maintain required psi.

Works great. Would recommend and would purchase again. Cost seems high but what isn’t.

This is a great item to have in the kitchen. Though large, it works well and completes the job. Cooking time is cut in less than half. It cook everything evenly as well. I can do a soup and place all my ingredients in at the same time and when the pressure reaches 15, everything is completed and I don't have the problem with some food melting away and some not cooked. No leakage, no fear of explosion, nothing sticks to the bottom, neither does the water evaporate quick, actually you have to be careful you don't put too much water in the pot. Excellent!

Ainda não usei.. Quando usar, deixo uma nota sobre o produto. Usei, e é perfeita! Um enlatador de pressão mais que completo ! Cozinha com perfeição, e faz o vácuo direitinho. Aprovei o resultado. Recomendo a compra. É uma cultura que deveria ser mais praticada aqui no Brasil, mais falada inclusive.

Nice product. Good quality just what I need.

A mi mamá le gustó Ella tiene restaurante y necesitaba una nueva Se la regalé y le gustó mucho

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good cooker for the price, still getting used to it