Only money for one: canner or foodsaver? - Page 2

dustdevil · March 18, 2015

Go to garage sales and you can buy used small canners as cheap as $5. The big ones go as cheap as $10-$15 dollars. They usually are older models, but I see them all the time. Make sure you get the weight(s) and the lid seal.

Keiththibodeaux · March 18, 2015

It really depends on your end goals, what you want to save, and for how long, and under what conditions.

**coronabarb** · March 18, 2015

I freeze a lot more meat than I can but can see the issue of being in an area where the power might go out in storms. For things like tomatoes, tomato sauce, etc that can be water bath canned, I prefer that to freezing. Tough call really.

Father'sDaughter · March 18, 2015

I ended up going with both - Presto Pressure Canner (currently $89 on Amazon) and the Foodsaver V2244 (selling for $69 on Amazon).

I use the canner (either pressure or water bath depending on what I'm canning) for all liquids such as tomato sauce, broth, etc., and the Foodsaver for meats and cheeses I buy in bulk, and dry foods.

Stvrob · March 19, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

I ended up going with both - Presto Pressure Canner (currently $89 on Amazon) and the Foodsaver V2244 (selling for $69 on Amazon).

I use the canner (either pressure or water bath depending on what I'm canning) for all liquids such as tomato sauce, broth, etc., and the Foodsaver for meats and cheeses I buy in bulk, and dry foods.

But will you have enough $$ left over for a dehydrator?

Father'sDaughter · March 19, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stvrob

But will you have enough $$ left over for a dehydrator?

I too have to spread my acquisitions out. Last year was the Presto and Foodsaver, year before was the Excalibur dehydrator. The year before that was when I invested in a larger supply of canning jars (picked them up just before winter on clearance). And I believe the year before that was when I bought my shelves and lights.

I haven't come up with anything I need this year...yet.

whistech · March 19, 2015

Pressure Canner!

Marcus1 · March 19, 2015

We got a food saver for a wedding gift 21 years ago and love it. I do the canning my wife does the freezing. For stuff that is juicy we put it in the freezer bags close the top with a clothes pin and freeze first then seal. Just found some chillies dated 2006 the other night in the freezer that were as good as anything we froze last year. If you get all the air out and seal good stuff lasts forever. We like to freeze cherry tomatoes to put on pizzas or garlic bread, very tasty !! Also freeze some larger toms for chile and such, the skin comes right off when you run them under warm water.

Good luck
Marcus

Worth1 · March 19, 2015

Every time someone votes it shows up as a new post but it is only the vote causing it.

Worth

splash79 · March 19, 2015

Lots of replies! Regarding power outages, we do have them somewhat frequently, but most generally last less than a day and are due to thunderstorms. Our severe weather risks are from ice storms and tornadoes, so if there was an ice storm, I'd stash stuff outside if needed and if there was a tornado, I wouldn't care about the freezer.

My budget for this item is around $70. When I checked Walmart online, getting a WBC with accessories would run me about $40 and a 24 pack of jars would be about $30, and a foodsaver would be about $70. Then there's also the fact I'd need to get a food mill.

I may end up having both, but getting them both this year isn't in the budget at the moment.

Worth1 · March 19, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by splash79

Lots of replies! Regarding power outages, we do have them somewhat frequently, but most generally last less than a day and are due to thunderstorms. Our severe weather risks are from ice storms and tornadoes, so if there was an ice storm, I'd stash stuff outside if needed and if there was a tornado, I wouldn't care about the freezer.

My budget for this item is around $70. When I checked Walmart online, getting a WBC with accessories would run me about $40 and a 24 pack of jars would be about $30, and a foodsaver would be about $70. Then there's also the fact I'd need to get a food mill.

I may end up having both, but getting them both this year isn't in the budget at the moment.

I have a question.
What kind of stove top do you have?
If you have the glass top it wont get hot enough to boil the water in a water bath canner.
At least mine doesn't.
I have to use one of my huge and I mean huge stainless thick bottomed kettles to water bath can in.

One thing about the canner you dont have to buy the bags over and over again.
Just take care of the jars and rings and all you have to replace is the lids.

FarmerShawn · March 19, 2015

We have tried pretty much every which way to preserve our food, and we have settled on this: The only thing we still can is tomatoes (and she prefers to just do them either whole or in chunks, depending on the size of the tomatoes in question; she likes to be able to decide what to do with them when the time comes to actually cook.) We decided that we just prefer the fresher flavor and broader cooking options of pretty much everything else when frozen. That especially applies to meats, but also goes for corn, asparagus, peas...well, you name it. So, since tomatoes can just fine with a boiling water bath and don't need a pressure canner, that's what we use. We no longer have a pressure canner. We do have a glass-top stove and a big, cheap, aluminum canner pot, and ours boils just fine. Must depend on the stove, Worth. But our stove is just a low-end Sears Kenmore, with a bit of age on it now.
So for the freezer, we make lots of use of our Foodsaver. For moister stuff and more delicate stuff (like berries) we pre-freeze, then pack up, as has been mentioned.
More recently I have started to dehydrate more. I like the dried produce, in general, but we need to retrain ourselves to remember to actually use it, since it is a relatively new process for us and our habits are old and somewhat dried up as well. Dried tomatoes, Oh Yeah! They add an almost fresh flavor to sauces and a nice thickening, like paste does. Dried leeks were pretty successful. And, of course, peppers and herbs. The nice thing about dried stuff is the minimal storage worries and space required, although I do keep our dried tomatoes in the freezer, since I did have some get moldy on me once.
Shawn

splash79 · March 19, 2015

Worth, we have an electric coil range, so we're good there.

**coronabarb** · March 19, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by splash79

My budget for this item is around $70. When I checked Walmart online, getting a WBC with accessories would run me about $40 and a 24 pack of jars would be about $30, and a foodsaver would be about $70. Then there's also the fact I'd need to get a food mill.

I don't know what size jars you use but I get the pints and quarts from around $8-$10 a dozen. $30 for a 24 pack seems a lot higher...is that including shipping?

SummerSky · March 19, 2015

I have a waterbath canner, a pressure canner, and Foodsaver. The pressure canner basically never gets used because canning with it is SO FREAKING ANNOYING and takes forever. I can anything that I can safely process via waterbath, most everything else is vacuum sealed and frozen. Shoot, I didn't even have a waterbath canner until last year. I just used a big stockpot I had and put rings on the bottom to keep the jars from touching the bottom of the pan.

That said, I also hunt and raise meat chickens, and I process everything myself. I hate canned meat, so I prefer to freeze anything that can handle freezing. If all the air is removed, meat keeps from being freezer burnt for a long time. I have chicken breast in my freezer that's nearly two years old and looks like it did the day after I froze it.

The vacuum sealer gets used A LOT. Best Mother's Day gift ever

View Poll Results: Canner or foodsaver?
Canner	21	65.63%
Foodsaver	8	25.00%
Other, which I'll tell you about below	3	9.38%
Voters: 32. You may not vote on this poll

March 18, 2015	#16
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	Go to garage sales and you can buy used small canners as cheap as $5. The big ones go as cheap as $10-$15 dollars. They usually are older models, but I see them all the time. Make sure you get the weight(s) and the lid seal. Last edited by dustdevil; March 18, 2015 at 10:45 PM.

March 18, 2015	#18
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	I freeze a lot more meat than I can but can see the issue of being in an area where the power might go out in storms. For things like tomatoes, tomato sauce, etc that can be water bath canned, I prefer that to freezing. Tough call really. __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

March 19, 2015	#27
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	We have tried pretty much every which way to preserve our food, and we have settled on this: The only thing we still can is tomatoes (and she prefers to just do them either whole or in chunks, depending on the size of the tomatoes in question; she likes to be able to decide what to do with them when the time comes to actually cook.) We decided that we just prefer the fresher flavor and broader cooking options of pretty much everything else when frozen. That especially applies to meats, but also goes for corn, asparagus, peas...well, you name it. So, since tomatoes can just fine with a boiling water bath and don't need a pressure canner, that's what we use. We no longer have a pressure canner. We do have a glass-top stove and a big, cheap, aluminum canner pot, and ours boils just fine. Must depend on the stove, Worth. But our stove is just a low-end Sears Kenmore, with a bit of age on it now. So for the freezer, we make lots of use of our Foodsaver. For moister stuff and more delicate stuff (like berries) we pre-freeze, then pack up, as has been mentioned. More recently I have started to dehydrate more. I like the dried produce, in general, but we need to retrain ourselves to remember to actually use it, since it is a relatively new process for us and our habits are old and somewhat dried up as well. Dried tomatoes, Oh Yeah! They add an almost fresh flavor to sauces and a nice thickening, like paste does. Dried leeks were pretty successful. And, of course, peppers and herbs. The nice thing about dried stuff is the minimal storage worries and space required, although I do keep our dried tomatoes in the freezer, since I did have some get moldy on me once. Shawn __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

March 18, 2015	#17
Keiththibodeaux Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Louisiana Posts: 587	It really depends on your end goals, what you want to save, and for how long, and under what conditions.

March 18, 2015	#19
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I ended up going with both - Presto Pressure Canner (currently $89 on Amazon) and the Foodsaver V2244 (selling for $69 on Amazon). I use the canner (either pressure or water bath depending on what I'm canning) for all liquids such as tomato sauce, broth, etc., and the Foodsaver for meats and cheeses I buy in bulk, and dry foods.

March 19, 2015	#22
whistech Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Between The Woodlands and Spring, Texas Posts: 553	Pressure Canner!

March 19, 2015	#23
Marcus1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Colorado Posts: 124	We got a food saver for a wedding gift 21 years ago and love it. I do the canning my wife does the freezing. For stuff that is juicy we put it in the freezer bags close the top with a clothes pin and freeze first then seal. Just found some chillies dated 2006 the other night in the freezer that were as good as anything we froze last year. If you get all the air out and seal good stuff lasts forever. We like to freeze cherry tomatoes to put on pizzas or garlic bread, very tasty !! Also freeze some larger toms for chile and such, the skin comes right off when you run them under warm water. Good luck Marcus

March 19, 2015	#24
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Every time someone votes it shows up as a new post but it is only the vote causing it. Worth

March 19, 2015	#25
splash79 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: mo Posts: 24	Lots of replies! Regarding power outages, we do have them somewhat frequently, but most generally last less than a day and are due to thunderstorms. Our severe weather risks are from ice storms and tornadoes, so if there was an ice storm, I'd stash stuff outside if needed and if there was a tornado, I wouldn't care about the freezer. My budget for this item is around $70. When I checked Walmart online, getting a WBC with accessories would run me about $40 and a 24 pack of jars would be about $30, and a foodsaver would be about $70. Then there's also the fact I'd need to get a food mill. I may end up having both, but getting them both this year isn't in the budget at the moment.

March 19, 2015	#30
SummerSky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Michigan Posts: 126	I have a waterbath canner, a pressure canner, and Foodsaver. The pressure canner basically never gets used because canning with it is SO FREAKING ANNOYING and takes forever. I can anything that I can safely process via waterbath, most everything else is vacuum sealed and frozen. Shoot, I didn't even have a waterbath canner until last year. I just used a big stockpot I had and put rings on the bottom to keep the jars from touching the bottom of the pan. That said, I also hunt and raise meat chickens, and I process everything myself. I hate canned meat, so I prefer to freeze anything that can handle freezing. If all the air is removed, meat keeps from being freezer burnt for a long time. I have chicken breast in my freezer that's nearly two years old and looks like it did the day after I froze it. The vacuum sealer gets used A LOT. Best Mother's Day gift ever