Presto Vs All American: Which Pressure Canner Is Best For Beginners?

Presto Vs All American: Which Pressure Canner Is Best For Beginners? This video reviews each canner in detail. What parts are the same? What is different. Which one is 'safest'? And which one would I recommend for beginner canners.

Edit to add...... Since doing this video I have purchased a 3 piece weight set for my Presto Canner. I really really like it! I prefer listening for the weight as it processes and I know if I can't get the gauge checked I can always count on the weights. So I'm updating to let you all know that .... I admit, I pull out my Presto much more often than my AA these days. That weighted gauge was a game changer for me.

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[SimplyCanningSharon]

So this video is several years old but still so valid. I did not mention in the video but... Presto has a weight that you can purchase that makes it so much better! Love using my presto with the weighted gauge. I still think both canners are of equal value, but with the presto weight... I use it much much more.

[Recoil]

Excellent and very visual review.  Thanks for the video.

I favor the Presto canner, and my mom has the All-American.  Here's a couple of additional points.
1.  The presto is much lighter than the All-American, as mentioned.  My mom is 72 years old with arthritis and that huge canner is just too heavy for her to lift easily.  More specifically, that lid alone is also pretty big and you have to manipulate it carefully to make sure it sits level before sealing.
2. The presto lid sits flat and seals smoothly, like it's on rails.  You don't have to balance the weight of the lid to seal it. It seems to glide into place
3.  Don't underestimate the value of the pop-up lock.  That pop-up tells you all kinds of things:  when to start timing your 10-minutes before the weight goes on for example, and when the pressure inside has fallen at the end
4.  My Presto canner came with a three-piece rocker weight regulator.  Set it and forget it, no watching the dial.  I find listening to the rocker much more peaceful than that crazy hockey puck regulator.
5.  Presto's plastic handles stay cool enough for me to move it off the burner when time is complete. All-Am metal tabs are not at all friendly.
6.  My dad calls the All-American the "Ordnance Disposal Chamber" and it lives in the garage.  My Presto stays in the kitchen on the bottom shelf.

[sarahepton]

Okay so I learned more in ten minutes of watching this video than I did in an hour and a half of scrolling through Amazon reviews. Thank you!

[sinpac]

The big difference for me is the Presto is made in China and the all American is made in the U.S.A. I might point out I have nothing against the Chinese people I just prefer to support American Companies and Labor.

[wvg]

Thank you for getting right to the point of the title. So many videos take 5-10 minutes of blathering to get to the point. It's so frustrating to have to wade through the non-essential information and is also a time waster. So, I just wanted to say thanks for having a matter-of-fact video that is accurate to the title. Your information was clear and concise. No irritating back ground "music", hand waving while you're talking, etc. Just a plain, to-the-point great video. Thanks!

[flyingfishsurf]

I've had a couple of Presto's.  Eventually, I got so tired of the gasket style of seal that I thought I'd try the gasketless All-American cooker.  That was 40 years ago.  Since then, I've used my 941 hundreds of times.  I've even loaned it out to people starting small farmer's market operations.  It's a beast of a machine and it's probably simply too big and too heavy for most folks.  But if you need to can large amounts, it works great.  It's actually cooling down as I type this.  It's so massive that it will take well over an hour to completely cool.  This was a batch of assorted unsoaked dried beans:  black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans and kidney beans.  17 glass quarts in total. Total cooking time,  from preheating to final shutoff,  was only 50 minutes!

[bkodra]

My grandmother, born in 1912, had a very early All American and used it for many, many years. When she passed, my mother received it as my father was an only child. I looked forward to the day that I would get the canner but my mother proved to be more than a match for it. She forgot to lube the beveled edge most of the time and finally it ended up being a time capsule... But the story doesn't end there - my wonderful husband, knowing my depair at having to do multiple batches of quarts, purchased the largest All American they make. And now I enjoy showing my daughters and granddaughters how to pressure can. And I will take good care of it so that I don't have my own time capsule.

[Lantanana]

I do want to point out that the All American says not to pick the canner up by the handle on the top of the lid.  That handle is only to lift the lid off.

[beebop]

Well enough said. I've got a 921 and a 930 that I love using. They are the best if only because they are engineered to last more than a single lifetime and can literally be passed down for generations.
That said, I've never had a Presto myself but my mother had a canner back in the day that was built on that design if it wasn't a Presto canner. And I know mom's canner ran pretty much non-stop for about 2 1/2 months a year during all daylight hours. Hundreds of jars of canned food stored in our basement. Her little canner worked it's heart out just like mama did and kept right on kicking.

[adamchurvis]

With all due respect, I believe your comparison of the two pressure-regulation systems is incorrect, in that they are identical. I believe your confusion comes from conflating the pressure reading function with the pressure regulation function. Pressure gauges only MEASURE the pressure of each chamber; weights REGULATE that pressure.

The weight on one has the exact same function as the weight on the other; the All-American has three settings and the Presto one, but it's the same exact mechanism. And the weight on the Presto IS significant in its function, in that it is the mechanism which regulates the pressure by providing resistance against steam pressure until the requisite pressure has built, then it raises the weight (thank you, James Watt) just enough for a little steam to escape and then it drops the weight again to seal off the vent. For this reason, the Presto "jiggle weight" is precisely made to a specific weight and with a specific surface area inside the bore in which the vent sits, such that it precisely controls the pressure in the chamber (as in, "pounds per square inch"). It has only one setting, and so the vent on which it rests is just a typical pipe.

The All-American jiggle weight has three positions corresponding to specific pressures. Notice the shape of the tip of the vent: it's conical. This enables a jiggle weight to be made with multiple bores that have conically-shaped ends inside the weight; the diameter of each conical end is sized for the pressure it is meant to regulate. So a larger conical tip mates with more of the surface area of the vent tip and therefore requires less pressure to raise the weight and vent the pressure, and vice-verse for the smaller conical tip requiring more pressure.

The All-American is a better regulator -- especially because it is inherently more precise, since two conical surfaces automatically nest securely under gravity. I hope this helps.

[Taleulah]

I was always terrified of pressure canning. I heard horror stories from family members. I finally decided I really wanted to can, so, after studying many reviews, I went with the All American. I love it! I do not feel insecure with those locking wing nuts. I have never had a problem with the lid not sealing. If you place it on, following the arrows, then lock it down in the manner recommended, there is no problem. Screwing the wing nuts down, making sure you go two at a time, diagonally across from each other, the lid is always straight and secure. Once the canner reaches pressure, that weight rocks just fine. I listen to it from the next room as I wait for the timer. I love that it is so well built. It doesn't dent. I've seen some Prestos that look like they have been to war. I store my All American with the lid inverted, to protect the gauge from bumping. It is a heavier canner, but that also tells me it is going to last. This is my 10th year using mine. I'm sure there will be many, many more and I will also pass it down. I'm in my late 60's. It is sitting on my stove right now, just canned 14 quarts of chicken.

[marzsit]

people complain about the presto having a gasket. in my experience, with proper care, the gaskets, especially the modern silicone ones last 10+years or more. so the gasket issue is really a non-issue because it is easy to store a few spare gaskets in your doomsday bunker along with all of the canning jar lids that you will also need to stockpile for 30+ years or and you can always get a new gasket and lids from amazon.

the all-american has no gasket and will certainly last a lifetime, as long as you don't drop the heavy lid on something hard and dent the sealing surface. you might have to find an aluminum welder to weld up and file down the damaged area, maybe you could fix it with jb weld if you have it in your bunker. if you store it improperly with the lid on in a damp location the sealing surfaces on the pot and lid might corrode. the all-american can also be damaged if you don't tighten down the lid clamps properly, and can be dangerous if you miss a clamp or two...

 the presto has a bayonet lid lock, and a pressure lock on the lid making it impossible to open if it has any pressure inside. the all-american has no lid lock and can be opened under pressure....

all-american makes them in many sizes while presto only offers one size. that is a big time saver if you are always canning huge quantities all the time if you live on a farm or homestead.

the presto is inexpensive compared to the cost of the all-american. this was the case when the presto was still being made in the usa decades ago, so nothing has changed. overseas manufacture did not lower the cost of the unit to the consumer, but did increase presto's profits for it's stockholders. so that's a factor for anti-corporate

if you are getting into pressure canning but not sure if you are going to stick with it, get the presto. if you are a patriot who hates corporate america and likes antiques from the 1930's while stocking your survival bunker, get the all-american. even better, if you are just getting into pressure canning, find a used pressure canner at a swap meet or 2nd hand store. try it, you might love it or you might hate it.

imho, the presto is easier to use, easier to clean, weighs less and has fewer moving parts. the results are exactly the same as the all-american.

[DionneU]

I have the presto and bought a weighted pressure release on Amazon. Works great. No need to worry with gauge.

[TheBobelly]

FYI Presto now sales a 3:1 weight for their pressure canners with weight of 5-10 and 15lbs so you no longer need to depend on the guage to regulate the pressure. You can buy the Presto weight from Amazon for about $11.00. Presto also sells them on their website too!

[papawx]

I went to an auction in Indiana last fall and bought a lot of six canners for $5 each! They were older models {2 All American, 2 Mirro, 1 Presto and 1 Sears & Roebuck} but were in fantastic condition. A few even had their old manuals and accessories.I kept the All American, because I like the idea of not having to replace expensive gaskets. Sold the others at my local flea market and now I have -$115.00 in my canner!

[snuggs]

The presto canner can be converted to a weighted gauge, you can buy kits on-line or find them in your local hardware store. It is really easy to do.

[cinapoowee]

It should be noted: The All_American pressure canner CANNOT be used on a ceramic glass top stove but the Presto can.

[kodibassInsideoutboards]

I own Both, & Love Them, I use Both For canning Salmon, & Venison, Elk, etc.. Both r Fantastic 4 R Great When used correctly . kodibass

[eckankar]

I've been canning for 50 years. I had an All American and sold it. It was way too heavy, took too long to heat up and cool down. Presto is so much easier to use. It's lighter and the heating/cooling time gets me ready for the next load to can so much faster than the AA. There simply is no reason to have such a beast as the AA to do pressure canning. My 50 year old Presto still cans like it did new. I do have a newer model so I can use both at the same time. Buy and Presto and use the money saved in cost, energy to heat it up, and time to invest in your food you will be preserving.

[bridgetpaley]

I bought my All American after attending a county canning class, and felt it met my needs.  So far I've just been canning broth but I hope for a much more successful garden this year.  Thanks for this video!