Methodology
Last reviewed July 2026.
What we do — and emphatically don't
We publish no process times, no recipes, and no safety advice. Home canning
of low-acid foods is a botulism-stakes activity, and the only sources for process schedules are
the tested authorities: NCHFP (nchfp.uga.edu), the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, and your
state extension office. What we do is clerical: for each canner sold today we record (1) what its
marketing claims, and (2) what those authorities actually have on record about its equipment
class — quoted, dated, and linked so you can read the original. Every verdict cites a source or
the field is null; we never fill a gap with a guess.
The four verdicts
- USDA-process basis — a stovetop pressure canner in the equipment class NCHFP's recommended-canners guidance describes (the seven-quart class, dial- or weighted-gauge, UL-listed; small pressure saucepans excluded). This is the equipment the USDA processes were developed on. It is a statement about equipment class, not an endorsement of any unit.
- Acid foods only — boiling-water-class equipment (including the one electric canner NCHFP explicitly excepted, for acid foods): the right tool for high-acid foods, not a pressure canner, and not marketed as one.
- Manufacturer claim — canning capability that only the maker stands behind. The claim may involve genuine engineering (Presto publishes a description of its thermocouple validation for the Precise); it remains the manufacturer's own until an authority adopts it. If USDA or NCHFP ever endorses a specific electric canner, the row changes same-day.
- Not recommended — authority on record — NCHFP's position on electric multi-cookers is explicit: it does not support USDA canning processes in them, canning buttons notwithstanding, and university extensions concur. We quote the record; we don't editorialize past it.
Sources we accept
NCHFP pages and NewsFlash statements, USDA publications, and state university extension publications — all public, all linked. Manufacturer pages are cited for what a product claims and for stated capacities, never as safety authority. Retailer listings, influencer content and forum consensus are not sources here.
How we're paid
Some rows carry Amazon affiliate links; purchases through them may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Links appear only on rows the authority record supports (USDA-basis stovetop canners and the classic water-bath) — never on manufacturer-claim or not-recommended rows, so a verdict can never be bought.
Corrections
If NCHFP, USDA or an extension program publishes new guidance, or a manufacturer changes a claim we quote, the dataset changes and the pages regenerate. Every quote links its source — if we disagree with the source, the source wins. Corrections: [email protected].