Can a pressure canner be used to water bath?

Yes, a pressure canner can be used for water bath canning, but only if the maker states that the pot works as a boiling water canner and the pot is deep enough to cover the jars with water. The Presto 01784 23-Quart Induction Compatible Pressure Canner is the one pick in our Best Pressure Canners for Large-Batch Home Canning guide whose maker lists that dual function.

Most pressure canners are sold for pressure canning alone. Running one as a water bath means using it as an open pot with the cover off or loose, so the jars sit on a rack under boiling water rather than under pressure. Whether that works depends on what the maker publishes, and several picks in our guides say nothing about it.

What the Presto maker states

Presto describes the 01784 as having dual functionality: the canner doubles as a boiling water canner for fruits, jams, jellies, pickles and salsa. The same listing gives the pot a published size of 24.3 quarts and space for 7 quarts, 20 pints or 26 half-pints of regular Mason jars. The body is heavy-gauge aluminum with an induction-compatible stainless steel-clad base, and the maker lists a 12-year limited warranty.

Those jar counts matter for water bath work. A boiling water canner needs enough depth for a rack, the jars and an inch or two of water above the lids. The maker’s own jar figures show the pot is tall enough for upright quart jars in a single layer, which is the arrangement water bath canning uses. The published dimensions are 17.5 inches wide, 13.5 inches deep and 15.5 inches high, and the listed weight is 12.49 pounds.

The maker also lists the air vent and cover lock, which builds pressure only when the cover is closed and keeps it shut until pressure drops. For water bath use the cover comes off, so that mechanism plays no part. What remains is a deep aluminum pot with a flat base and a rack, which is the same shape as a purpose-built water bath canner.

What the other pressure canner picks publish

The All American 921 is listed at 21.5 quarts and holds about 19 pint jars or 7 quart jars, with a metal-to-metal sealing system and a steam gauge. Its published features describe pressure canning and pressure cooking. The maker does not publish a boiling water canning function for this model, so this site has not compared it for that use.

The RVGMBO 12-quart cooker lists three pressure settings from 10 PSI to 15 PSI, a tempered glass lid and a steamer basket, and the maker describes converting it into a classic pot or a steamer. A classic pot with a glass lid is not the same published claim as a boiling water canner, and the maker does not state a jar capacity for water bath canning.

The Siftary 24 QT canner lists a 14.5 PSI gauge, two stainless steel racks and one aluminum rack, and a 7-piece starter kit. The Hestroney 10.57-quart cooker lists a six-tier safety system and 304 stainless steel. Neither maker publishes a water bath canning function, and neither publishes jar counts for open-pot boiling. For those two, the absence is specific: no boiling water claim and no published jar capacity for that method.

Depth and jar clearance are the real test

A pressure canner used as a water bath needs the water to cover the jars by a published margin, and the pot has to be tall enough to hold the tallest jar plus that water. The Presto maker’s figures give the clearest picture: 15.5 inches of height and room for 7 quart jars standing upright. A quart Mason jar is tall, so the remaining headroom above the jar rims is what the water bath has to work with.

Compare that with the purpose-built pots in our Best Water Bath Canners for High Acid Preserving guide. The McSunley Prep•N•Cook is 21.5 quarts, 14.2 inches wide, 14.2 inches deep and 11.2 inches high, and its rack holds 7 one-quart, 9 one-pint or 12 half-pint jars. The Kendane pot is 21.5 quarts at 15 inches by 15 inches by 9.8 inches, with a rack for 7 one-quart, 9 pint or 12 half-pint jars.

Those heights are lower than the Presto pressure canner’s 15.5 inches, yet the water bath pots are built for the job because their racks sit low and the pots are wide. Width and depth decide how many jars fit in one layer, and height decides whether the water covers them. A pressure canner that is narrow and tall can hold fewer jars per layer than a wide water bath pot of similar capacity.

When a pressure canner is the wrong tool for a water bath

If the maker publishes no boiling water function, do not assume one. The Kendane maker goes further and states that its water bath canner is not suitable for induction and glass cooktop hubs, a reminder that stovetop compatibility is published per product. The CLMSTE 2-pack is likewise not recommended for glass cooktops. A pressure canner with an induction-ready base, like the Presto or the Siftary, carries a different published stovetop list.

Capacity is the other limit. The KITCHEN CROP Harvest pot is 20 quarts and holds 8 pint or 7 quart jars, and the JY COOKMENT pot is 21.5 quarts with a rack for 7 one-quart, 9 pint or 12 half-pint jars. If a recipe fills a 21.5-quart water bath pot in one layer, a smaller pressure canner used open will need two rounds, and the maker’s jar count tells you which is which.

For low-acid foods, pressure canning is the method the makers describe, and the Presto listing calls it the only method recommended by the USDA for vegetables, meats, poultry and seafood. Water bath canning is for high-acid preserves. Using a pressure canner open does not change which foods need pressure; it only changes the pot.

Setting up a pressure canner for boiling water

Use the rack. Every pick in both guides ships with a rack, and the rack keeps jars off the bottom so water circulates. The Presto maker lists space for 7 quarts, 20 pints or 26 half-pints, and those counts assume jars stand upright on the rack in a single layer for water bath work. Stacking is a pressure canning arrangement, not a boiling water one.

Leave the cover off or use a plain lid, because the pressure lock on a canner is built to seal. The Presto cover lock prevents opening until pressure is reduced, which is a pressure canning feature. In an open water bath there is no pressure to reduce, and the gauge reads nothing useful. The maker’s dual function claim covers this use; the safety hardware simply stays idle.

Check the published height before you commit a batch. The Presto is 15.5 inches high, the All American 921 is 17 inches high, and the water bath picks run from 9.8 inches to 11.5 inches. A taller pot holds more water above the jars, but it also takes longer to come to a boil and is heavier to lift when full. The Presto’s listed weight is 12.49 pounds empty; the All American 921 is 20 pounds empty.