Posted by
letmwhirl
(10/22/23 07:39 PM)
pressure cookers can be found cheap on Ebay, you don't need the fancy All American $300 and up... a $40 Presto will be fine. If you buy one used, replace the rubber parts before you test it out for the first time. The one I got off Ebay had a rubber ring seal that looked fine, but I replaced the emergency rubber pop-off and the rubber washers for the lock and the gauge Those 3 rubber parts totaled $10 straight from Presto.
I haven't seen anyone mention this yet, but to ensure your jar contents reach the right temp for the right time, you have to start the process by venting the steam for a full 10 minutes before you put the stopcock/jiggler on. When the 10 minutes have passed, you put the jiggler on then when it reaches 15psi (at sea level up to 1000ft above), that's when you start the recipe's processing time.
If you don't vent the steam for 10 minutes first, the pressurized air inside will insulate the contents of the pot, preventing the jars' insides from reaching the right temp for the right time. If you find your products are ending up contaminated even tho you know you're doing everything else meticulously clean, it could be bc you're insulating your jars and undercooking them when you sterilize.
You have to start sterile to stay sterile. No amount of sterile technique, still air boxes, HEPA hoods, lid styles, inoculation techniques... nothing will prevent your stuff from going bad if you start off with bacteria inside your jars that you didn't properly kill in step zero-point-five. Vent your pressure cooker so the air doesn't insulate from the steam. After the 10 minutes of venting, there's nothing but boiling water and steam inside, the air is essentially gone. While the pot is venting,
(zeroPSI) the water inside is 212 degrees F, when you put the jiggler on and it gets to
5psi that's about 228 F, at
10psi 240 F,
15psi 250 F
(this is all at sea level up to 1000ft above, if you're over 1000ft above sea level, look it up or call up your local Extension office for your county, it might even be on the packaging of the jars you bought... the 10 minute venting instruction is on the one I bought, and in the manual that came with my PC, and on my county's extension website).
If you don't vent the steam for 10 minutes first, you can throw these pressure/temperature equivalents away and just know you're somewhere lower than these temps and take your chances on whether or not you killed all the germs inside your jars. My sterilized jars can be stored at room temp for months (probably years) and nothing grows in them while they remain sealed.
Edited 10/24/2023 10:08 PM
Posted by
Drblackbird
(07/02/23 12:36 PM)
Can you use a modern electric large Insta-pot pressure cooker instead of the original wobble weight types...?
Posted by
eosphorus
(08/25/15 10:49 AM)
[url=http://files.shroomery.org/files/15-35/052132637-Pressure_Cooker.jpg][image]http://www.shroomery.org/forums/thumbs/15-35/052132637-thumb_Pressure_Cooker.jpg[/image][/url]
Edited 8/25/2015 8:50 AM
Posted by
marvel
(04/07/12 03:13 AM)
I swear I recall reading somewhere that you shouldn't leave a jar in a pressure cooker overnight? Does anyone know why this might be?
Posted by
cdmc1984
(11/13/11 12:20 PM)
so dose this mean i (need) key word need a pressure cook can i just use a big ass pot to steam them and to the guy up there i think any thing with a core temp over 90 would be bad but i only got 1 year with the bags and i order them so dont take my word for it as you can see im on here still leaning all i can its touch and go
Posted by
willyjones7
(04/23/09 09:53 PM)
hi there
so SWIM pretty much did everything it says here with the exception of waiting over night before inoculating them.
basically what i did was wait about 4 hours after the PC cooled down and i inoculated the jars already... (pf tek)
do you think the spores will make it or did the heat kill them?
thanks!
Posted by
rayrayforthewin
(04/19/09 08:37 AM)
is there an alternative to a pressure cooker cause there is no way i can afford one :/ maybe a veggie steamer or something?
Posted by
Dustinbob
(10/25/06 09:15 AM)
VERY helpful! Thanks so much!