I'm new to home canning. Other than helping my grandmother dig
potatoes and shell peas, but that's another story... I successfully
canned some pear preserves in a boiling water bath recently. No
problems there. Before making the preserves I read the first few
chapters of "Putting Food By" and skimmed the rest.

Now I want to start pressure canning. We're getting into soup
weather. When I make soup, it's usually in a big pot, so we often
have to eat the same soup every day for a week. (In the past I've
frozen individual portions, but freezer space is limited.) I'd like
to start canning pints to use as lunches.

So I need a pressure canner. I don't want to spend a lot of money up
front, but at the same time I don't mind paying a little more for
quality. It looks like my choices are dial gauge or dead weight. I'm
confused about the practical differences.

My background is in science and engineering, so naturally I prefer
knowing *exactly* what the pressure is. Not some vague approximation
that involves counting blips. I know dials have to be calibrated
periodically, but still, it seems better to have a slightly unreliable
thing with numbers than an equally unreliable thing without numbers.
An educated guess is better than a shot in the dark.

Yet people still buy the dead weight type... There must be a good
reason. Maybe it has something to do mechanically simple designs
possibly being more reliable than complex designs. Or maybe it's
because the little weights cost so much less. Saving money is a good
thing.

So what am I missing here? And do you have any suggestions for
specific brands and features that might work in my situation? If it
helps, we have an electric range with coil burners.

Thanks!!

- Charlie in Norman OK