{"id":237,"date":"2026-01-10T19:19:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T19:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/?p=237"},"modified":"2026-01-17T13:48:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T13:48:05","slug":"pressure-canning-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/pressure-canning-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressure Canning: What You Need to Know Before You Start"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">On YouTube, there are several videos that explain very clearly what you should and should not do when pressure canning. It&#8217;s important to first familiarize yourself with what pressure canning actually involves. Below you&#8217;ll find a number of links to videos that can help you gain a better understanding of the whole concept.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Using the right equipment is essential when it comes to pressure canning. <\/font><\/font><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Please do not attempt pressure canning with a instant pot or a slow cooker \u2014 they are absolutely not suitable for this purpose.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized has-custom-border\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Don't use an instant pot or slowcooker for pressure canning\" class=\"wp-image-147\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-top-left-radius:25px;border-top-right-radius:25px;border-bottom-left-radius:25px;border-bottom-right-radius:25px;width:258px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-995f960e wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Important: a slow cooker cannot reach the high, consistent pressure required to kill bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum. This creates a serious risk of botulism if you try to preserve vegetables, meat, or other low-acid foods in a slow cooker as if they were properly canned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What else do you need for safe pressure canning?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Glass, heat-resistant canning jars \u2014 such as Vita Mason jars<\/strong> \u2014 and always check that they are specifically made for pressure canning. Choose the jar size that is most practical for you: 250 ml, 500 ml, or 1000 ml.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Glazzen-potten-1024x341.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-164\" style=\"border-top-left-radius:25px;border-top-right-radius:25px;border-bottom-left-radius:25px;border-bottom-right-radius:25px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Glazzen-potten-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Glazzen-potten-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Glazzen-potten-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Glazzen-potten-1536x512.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Glazzen-potten-2048x683.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Glass Vita Jars Pressure Canning Portugal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Airtight lids and rings \u2014 metal lids and screw bands <\/strong>\u2014 these are two-piece systems, which is essential so your jars can form a safe vacuum seal. Do not use one-piece lids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jar lifter<\/strong>, to safely remove hot jars from the canner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Funnel<\/strong>, for easy and clean filling of jars without spills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bubble remover<\/strong>, to release trapped air bubbles and check proper headspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Clean kitchen towels<\/strong>, to wipe the rims of the jars clean before sealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Timer or kitchen timer<\/strong>, for accurate time control, which is crucial for food safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are you ready to get started with pressure canning?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once you have all the necessary equipment, you can start thinking about what you\u2019d like to prepare first. However, I strongly recommend doing your first run with water only. This allows you to get familiar with how the timer, pressure gauge, and weights work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s helpful to first get a feel for the entire process before putting food into the jars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">Below, you&#8217;ll find a few links to videos where experienced canners show you how to approach pressure canning step by step.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pressure Canning for the first time, water only.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">This is a video made by Stocking My Pantry, a lady who, for the first time, tried pressure canning using only water. It&#8217;s not meant as an instruction or a guide to follow, but as a way to share the experience and show what the process feels like for a beginner. Sometimes it&#8217;s simply helpful to see how others approach something new. <\/font><\/font><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lnIywYW2n8k&amp;t=3s\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\"><font dir=\"auto\" style=\"vertical-align: inherit;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lnIywYW2n8k&amp;t=3s<\/font><\/font><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Please watch this video if you&#8217;d like to start with Pressure Canning. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this video, made by Prepper Potpourri, this lady explains pressure canning in a relaxed and unhurried way, walking through the process and the basic tools you need. It\u2019s meant to feel approachable and reassuring, making pressure canning easier to understand without feeling overwhelming. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aV-mpIwAs9s&amp;t=433s\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aV-mpIwAs9s&amp;t=433s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On YouTube, there are several videos that explain very clearly what you should and should not do when pressure canning. It&#8217;s important to first familiarize yourself with what pressure canning actually involves. Below you&#8217;ll find a number of links to videos that can help you gain a better understanding of the whole concept. Using the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[15,13,14,12,16],"class_list":["post-237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-start-canning","tag-equipment","tag-pressure-canner","tag-pressure-canning","tag-start-canning","tag-starting-with"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Foto-13-scaled.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":391,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions\/391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressurecanning.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}