All American 1930: 10.5qt Pressure Cooker/Canner (The 910) - Exclusive Metal-to-Metal Sealing System - Easy to Open & Close - Suitable for Gas, Electric, or Flat Top Stoves - Made in the USA

This canner is no joke. It is big, it's heavy, and it is solid American-made construction. I've been using mine for 2 years now. I typically can at least 200 quarts of various vegetables, meats, 'meal in a jar' and meal starters annually. This canner is easy to operate, has great videos and clear written instructions to troubleshoot any issues you may encounter, and it holds A LOT of jars, making processing move along more efficiently. This is an investment, for sure, and a worthwhile investment to anyone looking to stock their home pantry. I look forward to using it for many more years.

To be clear, if you are going to can anything, stop, and think it through. If your intent is to put up a quart of beans with no expectations for success, you could probably do just as well with a cheaper model. If, on the other hand, you are intent on putting up your chosen harvest with a high expectation of success, you are in the right place, looking at the right model.First, it must be understood, that this is not an inexpensive device. Poking about the internet you will find several manufactures of various prices and constructions, not all necessarily bad, however, not all necessarily good either. What sets this device apart from the rest is the "no-gasket" configuration, and, YES it makes a difference. Fighting with a big rubber gasket on a simmering pot on the stove is not exactly conducive to a positive canning experience, and, the experience of your first batches will likely determine if you ever do this again. So, why start with cheap equipment? Look on the internet, and, see who the experienced canners use as the benchmark, then, you decide for yourself.Out of the box, you will be struck with the sheer weight of the device. The saying goes, "You get what you pay for", and you certainly are not left with a feeling that you lost anything on this purchase. It is industrial grade aluminum, and, thick enough to survive a flaming re-entry if it fell from the shuttle. (OK I exaggerate, but, you get the point.) To seal the deal, it is made in the U.S.A. !The manual is actually printed in English, on good quality paper, and, inherently thick enough to survive a lifetime of reads.The unit itself, upon inspection, exudes quality. The machining is first class, the fit and finish is first rate, and, you are left with the gut feeling you made a wise investment. You will, however, at his point be pummeled with jokes by other family members regarding the size, shape, profile, purpose, blah, blah, blah. Just laugh and move on.What my dear wife and I discovered was this. It is all about your physical strength. DO NOT OVERLOOK THIS POINT. The canner is heavy--- EMPTY, now, add 7 quarts of you favorite substance, 3 inches of water, and, what you will find is that you are not as strong as you believe yourself to be. Lifting this thing with outstretched arms to the stove at chest height is not an easy task. (Yes Mr X, that goes for you too....) Respect this fact and all will be well. All loading of the device MUST occur on the stove, as I have said, you won't be able to do it afterwards, at least NOT SAFELY. Observe the fact it is NOT intended for glass top stoves for an obvious reason. OK, now onward>>>>Using the canner could not be any easier. Leave the explosion stories for Hollywood, and, be assured they WON'T happen in your kitchen. It is equipped with an overpressure device (fail-safe), and, unless your bent on breaking the thing you won't hurt it, or you.Our experience with the ever so scientific "1-4 jiggles per minute" is this... it is not that critical. What we found is that once you have a steady steam stream coming out of the weight stack (be patient IT TAKES TIME), put the weight on, keep the heat on high until you get to the 5, 10, or 15 pound reading ON THE DIAL. Let it heat until you get the necessary 4 "jiggles" a minute (the weight - I thought it necessary to clarify) then turn it down SLOWLY to moderate. Trying to start on the "cold side of the jiggle" and regulate up is fruitless. The mass of the pot prevents successfully regulating in this manner. You will just keep overshooting the mark in this manner.Some have complained about the lid sticking..... never happened, not even close. Manual suggested olive oil on the rim, and, I can tell you it works perfectly. Remember, the lock downs are not lug nuts, so you do NOT need much torque to firm the lid down. Following directions will yield promised results.Finally, be careful when you open the lid. As I mentioned the mass of this thing holds heat... and lots of it. Allow yourself at least an hour for the pot to cool down AND verify there is no pressure in the pot before loosening the lid.All in all, while expensive (relatively speaking) I think this canner will serve us for years and years and years, our kids for years and years and years, and the grandkids for years (you get the point) I figure by this time, noone will really remember the price, but, in all likelihood will thank us for a quality product. Now, on to the beef stew....

The AAPC is the best unit on the market for my money. I can about 2,000+ jars a year so I know my equipment. With shipping and tax Amazon does have the best price..my last AAPC was bought as a gift for me on another account which is why this is not a verified purchase review. The AAPC's are made in the USA and its built like a tank. Boiling hot liquids, steam and glass under 15lbs of pressure make that a very good thing. There are no plastic seals or gaskets to mess with or replace, easy to clean and AAPC sells replacement parts reasonably and provides inspection services and their warranty is outstanding. All AAPC units are heavy for their size..again that is a good thing. Look at what they weigh before you buy...plan on unloading jars on the stove instead of moving them loaded...it's no big deal. They can shatter or break flat cooktops. Make sure you have a burner large enough "around" for the unit base. This isn't about BTUs...it's how big the bottom of the pot is compared to the diameter of your burner..if the burner is too small, the canner and the heat sits on your cooktop...bad things can happen. If you have one of the small units you should not have any problems. Follow the first time use directions carefully or you can ruin the seat. Lube your seat well (yeah I know how that sounds)..DO not use "scented" Vaseline or the like, they can have abrasives in them and might pit your seat (I know that sounds bad too). These are safe and easy to use, don't be intimidated. Occasionally they vapor lock at zero pressure. Loosen the two clamp screws with a paper towel wrapped flat head and let it sit for a few.. it should turn freely..if its good and stuck use a dish towel wrapped flat head duty screw driver to gently pop the lid under the arms. Always wrap your screw driver...this is aluminum it protects the metal. Always use with the label facing you do not remove the label...match the pot and lid arrows up. Tighten the knobs correctly, two at a time across from each other gently at first, this ensures even sealing, when all are done, go back and tighten two at a time harder the same way. If you don't that, you will get uneven seals, uneven wear on the knobs and lots more vapor locks. Tighten the two clamp screws if need be. IF you process a great deal of low acid quarts spend the extra money and buy the double stack quart units like the 930 model. If all you do is pints make sure its sized for your needs..if you don't need 18 pints at a time don't buy the double stack. A little research goes a long way for sizes. I love my 921 for processing 18 pints but 3-4 hours of prep and process for 7-8 quarts of low acid like corn, didn't work for me. I had to buy a second unit the 930 (14-16 quarts) to make it time efficient. You will get mild to heavy mineral buildup depending on your water supply. Do not use just anything to clean them. Aluminum and cleaning products are not always good friends.. chemical reactions and pitting can occur and use a soft sponge or such. You can also use filtered, distilled or preboiled water to fill..it's only an inch or two of water you need and it saves you a lot of time cleaning the unit and the processed jars from scaling. I use this strictly as a pressure canner..yes people use them as a pressure cooker..I don't..it can reduce the lifespan and its more work to clean plus, you may get pitting from acid erosion with certain foods. Pressure cookers are cheap comparatively..pressure canners like these...not so much. I have had my AAPC 921 for over 4 years and no noticeable wear ...seriously I can 2,000+ jars a year that is more than most people do in 5 years. If you buy an AAPC and don't use it, put it on craigslist and you can sell it in a day... canners in your area will beat your door down to buy it for less than new...that's how good and how well known these are with canning enthusiast.