Using a Pressure Canner as a Water Bath Canner

To use a pressure canner for a boiling water bath simply set the lid on without latching it.

Hi Sharon,

I'm canning applesauce right now. I've got wide mouth quart jars, filled to about 1 inch below the rim.

I put them in my pressure canner because my BWB canner is not deep enough. I closed the lid and processed them with water just over their lids, boiling, for about 30 minutes with the 5 pound pressure weight on.

But I went to take them out just now and found they'd all overflowed. I'm thinking this is not good for sealing. Why would they overflow, with 1 inch of head space? Was it the 5 pounds of pressure?

Faith ~

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Sharon answers:

Hi Faith, nice to hear from you.

Yes it is the pressure build up that is causing the problem. It makes the temperature of your applesauce MUCH higher thus causing the extra expansion and overflow.

Leave off the weights off and just set your lid on without clamping it or screwing it down. This way it is exactly like the water bath canner and simply boils.

I am so looking forward to apple season. It doesn't start for a few more weeks here. So much more fun than canning beets. (smile)

Sharon - who is buried in beets right now.
SimplyCanning.com