u/Accomplished-Pack756

Finally found one locally! Had a lot of metal marks but got those removed. Hoping this is a sign that more will finally appear 😁.

Making some good ol’ Kung Pao tonight, decided to break out the army.

Been searching for ages, and actually came across the Centura Spice of Life plates. TWELVE of them. I am over the moon, and 8 are staying packed in bubble wrap for the time being. Near mint 🤌

Tried the All-American 921 for the first time tonight. 7 pints of chicken stock. Before this I was using the Presto 16qt (for the last 6-7 years).

Weight: The AA is significantly heavier, adjust accordingly (for glass stove tops).
Heat up: the AA seemed to take much longer to reach pressure, but it’s also a larger, thicker pot.
Pressure maintenance: The AA needed zero help to stay exactly at 10psi, where the Presto has always given me issues staying consistent and having to adjust burner temp.
Cool down: Honestly didn’t see any difference here, in fact I thought it cooled down rather fast at a hard 40 minutes from canning complete to opening.

I would never go back, though the price tag and few extra steps are notable. Also it has a slightly (~1/2” smaller diameter) base than the Presto, for those who care.

Purely a public FYI on function. 🤌

Finally got to try Peek after seeing a few comments about it. Whoever has ever suggested that, may your pillow always be cold.

Found the A-1-B and A-10-B together today, only some minor sprucing up needed. Not sure what happened but pieces are flooding in this past week.

Another 403 popped up today in the “bargain bin” price range, so this time it came home 😁.

Found a cranberry for the first time in a long time today. Released, but lovely piece! Made me think of a certain someone 🤣.

There must be another surge of Pyrex/Corningware donations lately because many more fun pieces have been turning up. Found these two nested in a large plastic mixing bowl on a back shelf, luckily saw the spout and started digging. Sadly not cinderellas again 😭.

We all have certain canning equipment that is necessary for the job. My question is, what is something you utilize that may not be mainstream to make your canning life simpler? I ask this for the opportunity to grow for myself and others, as some of us may have something or use something that others don’t, which could make canning a more fluid/accessible process.

I’ll start with a few in my kitchen:

1. A vast measuring cup set with spouts, to make measuring ingredients and cutting down recipes easier/faster.
2. A metal set of jar funnels with a removable strainer to catch spices or large items, and not worrying about damaged plastic.
3. A mixing/soaking/straining bowl, to use one tool for the process.
4. An old asparagus steamer (I believe discontinued sadly), which is the perfect “1-jar” water canner when the harvest isn’t enough for a full canner load.
5. An old Corningware sauce pot with internal measurements, which has been amazing at keeping brine warm enough without burning anything or boiling off.

So what are your secret canning items for an easy life? Photos welcome!

(I was making a single jar of Ball’s “Cucumber Rings” recipe with a few leftover cucumbers, which sparked this thought.)

Oh how I had hoped these were cinderellas when I walked in. Sadly not the style I like to use, but they were near mint. Someone is going to be very happy.

My parents garden is exploding so I got sent home with about 20 pounds of cucumbers. First batch up is some spicy sandwich slices and a 2 liter jar of dill cucamelon fridge pickles. I have to say if you haven’t grown cucamelons, they make amazing little pickle bites.

Horizon Blue 442
Flamingo loaf pan (late grandmothers)
Town and Country 1.5 qt divided
Spice of Life 2L storage jar

Good week I believe. 👌

Wasn’t going to go blue in my Frankenstein set, but this color caught my eye from a mile away at the outdoor flea market. Love it!

This is the one I truly wanted, finally showed up at my local reuse. Badly warped and dried out, but steam and weight treatment took care of that nicely. Little wood butter and we’re back in business 🙌. (Not actual Corningware I know, tis my Corningware pattern).

So the other day I randomly wondered what would happen if I tried to clean some daily use pieces with power wash and coarse kosher salt. I figured if nothing else it would remove some burnt on gunk in my small rangetopper (it’s burnt food and stuck since I found it). It actually appears smoother, and nothing has stuck since 🤔. I also tried this on my daily A-3-B which also had some troublesome marring. Same result there. Has anyone else tried this combo, or would you want to and let me know your result? It seems like a much safer deep clean method than many out there. And yes, the pans are dry in the after photos.

Wanting to keep a fall color theme in mind, what would be the best 442 for this Frankenstein working set? Any and all ideas welcome 😁. I’ve seen a couple that I’ve almost pulled the trigger on, but nothing screams “this!”

Spam fried in sesame, tamari and homemade maple syrup. Layered with homemade kimchi and Furikake seasoned sushi rice.

$3, some TLC and wood butter and this thing is almost good as new. One of the off-brand set productions, still a very fun piece.