zxcvbob wrote:

> Charlie wrote:
>
>> 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
>
>
>
> Dial gauge:
> Disadvantages: You have to get it calibrated periodically. You have to
> watch it more closely.
>
> Advantages: You have more flexability to adjust the pressure to
> compensate for altitude. They are silent.
>
> Dead weight:
> Disadvantages: Noisy (big problem if you can at night and have a surly
> or phobic spouse). If you are over 1000 ft elevation you have to adjust
> the processing pressure all the way up to 15 pounds in one big jump
> (leads to overprocessing)
>
> Advantages: Never needs calibration. You don't have to watch it to
> maintain the right pressure.
>
> The two systems seem evenly matched to me. And the cost is about the same.
>
> I think All American canners have both a weighted gauge and a dial
> gauge, so you can use it either way, but they are big and heavy and
> expensive.
>
> Best regards,
> Bob

I can't speak for weighted "wobblers" as I have never owned one. Have
owned a dial gauge canner for about 40 years and it's never failed me. I
get the pressure gauge calibrated annually before canning season and
have had to replace it once, about 5 years ago. I also have a background
in science and industry and actually ran high pressure (3000 psig)
boilers for about 5 years over 30 years ago. I personally trust the
pressure gauge more than I do a "jiggler/wobbler" to tell me pressure. YMMV

George