So me and my dad were talking about pressure canning and how it’s very uncommon. I’ve never talked to anyone irl that pressure cans, maybe some water bath canning but that’s it. I wonder why it’s so uncommon? You can get a pressure canner for less than 150$ and it’s incredibly useful.

I mainly use it for stock/broth but you can use it for so many things, tomatoes, soups, chili, baked beans, stew, spaghetti sauce, etc… Honestly, anyone who cooks whole chickens somewhat regularly should invest in a pressure canner. I cook two whole chickens at a time and use the carcass to make about 14 litres of stock. I also make beef, turkey, pork and smoked variations of these.

It’s so much better than buying your stock at the store. I will admit that it is a lot of work, from start to finish it takes me about 3 days because I wet brine my chickens. But you could just buy the bones from your butcher which I have done. Just wondering if anyone else does this or reasons why you don’t do it?

  • PM_ME_YOUR_ZOD_RUNESOP
    3·
    7 months ago

    I also have an instant pot style pressure cooker and I agree that it’s not really the best for canning, but I love it for cooking. I’ve canned stock in it but only small batches of a few jars. Seems that the downside for pressure canners is that they take up a lot of room for the specific use you need them for. I can see that and it’s a good reason but I would suggest finding the room for one.

    Cooking something on your smoker/BBQ and making stock with it is a game changer. It actually retains the smoke. Plus I use stock to cook all my rice. Rice cooked in stock is so much better than water. I’ve made shoyu stock for my Asian dishes, makes a world of difference.

    You could always make small batches in your pressure cooker and if it’s something you like, you could upgrade to a designated canner.

      • PM_ME_YOUR_ZOD_RUNESOP
        1·
        7 months ago

        So I know that Shoyu typically uses Bonito Flakes but I use dried shrimp as a substitute. I just grind it up in a mortar and pestle. You also need to use Kombu and a good amount of soy sauce. It’s usually made with pork and chicken stock but I’ve made it with chicken only. I use both dark and regular soy sauce.

        Just simmered all of the ingredients for most of the day. I’m not someone who enjoys seafood but I actually liked the flavor the dried shrimp added. It’s not your traditional Shoyu broth but it’s close enough.

        The next time I make it I want to use Bonito Flakes instead of dried shrimp. But overall, it’s amazing stuff and I love using it for ramen and rice.