As summer winds down and gardens overflow, it’s the perfect time to fire up the pressure canner, preserve the last jewel-toned stone fruits, and stash away tomato sauce so thick it tastes like August. If you’ve been eyeing a digital pressure canner to ease your canning load, the Presto Precise® line has four excellent models—each with strengths depending on how much you preserve, what jars you use, and how much kitchen space you have. Here’s a guide to help you choose and some inspiration for what to can while the season’s still generous.
Why Go Digital
Presto Precise® digital pressure canners sense temperature, display guides for each phase, and maintain the exact processing temperature you need. You don’t need to fuss with regulating heat or watching pressure gauges every few minutes—they do the heavy lifting.
How the Four Models Compare
Here are the four Presto Precise® digital pressure canners, and what each is best suited for. Key features you’ll want to keep in mind: jar capacity (especially for quart jars), size, height (quart jars + 1" overhead water cover), how many jars you can fit, and whether you often do large batches. All specs below are from our comparison guide.
| Model | Capacity / Jars | Best For… | Trade-Offs / Things to Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-Quart Digital Pressure Canner (Stock No. 02144) | Holds pint & half-pint jars. | Smaller kitchens, smaller batches, and preserves like jam, pickles, chutneys. Great if counter space is limited. | Not tall enough to accommodate quart jars covered with the recommended 1-inch layer of water for boiling water canning. |
| 17-Quart Digital Pressure Canner (Stock No. 02152) | Fits quart and smaller jars; more room for big batches. | Preservers who handle large harvests like tomato sauce, meats, beans, or whole tomatoes when efficiency matters. | Bulkier and heavier, requires more space, water, and heating time. |
| 16-Quart Digital Pressure Canner (Hybrid Style, Stock No. 02154) | Similar jar capacity as the 17-quart; decent footprint; carries features of newer “hybrid” style – lighter weight than original digital style but comparable in size. | Frequent canners who want a balance of capacity, lighter handling, and manageable storage. | Still requires more space, water, and heating time, so check if the hybrid style works for your kitchen setup. Also worth checking if the hybrid design meets your style for handling and cleaning. |
| 23-Quart Digital Pressure Canner (Stock No. 02153) | The biggest of the lot: fits a large number of quart and smaller jars. | When you're canning whole tomatoes, making huge batches of sauce, or doing multiple large food-preserving tasks at once. If every minute counts in late summer, this can save you several loads. | Bulky, heavy; takes more time to heat; needs ample space and water; handling large loads is more taxing. |
Which One Should You Choose?
Depending on what you’re preserving now and what you expect to preserve in future, here are some heuristic suggestions:
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If your preserving tends toward small batches of jam or pickles, the 12-quart model likely fits your needs.
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If you haul in bushels of tomatoes, peaches, plums, or stock, go for a 17-quart or 23-quart pot so you don’t spend all evening doing batches.
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If you occasionally need quart jars but also want something a bit lighter, the 16-quart hybrid is the “best of both worlds.”
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Think about where you’ll store it, where you’ll use it, and if you’ll move it often—weight and size matter, especially when hot and full.
Late-Summer Preserves You’ll Love
To put these tools to good use, here are some of my favorite late-summer preserves—perfect for any of these canners, depending on capacity.
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🍏 Apple Butter — Use Jonathan, Winesap, Stayman, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, or other tasty apple varieties for good results.
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🍅 Tomato Salsa — Best with paste tomatoes such as Roma. Slicing tomatoes, such as Beefsteak, require a much longer initial cooking time to achieve a desirable consistency
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🌶️ Spicy Cranberry Salsa — A fresh take on a tart, sweet, spicy, and super flavorful salsa, oh my.
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🍝 Spaghetti Sauce with Meat — A “heat and eat” home-canned pure, ready for spaghetti sauce.
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🥕 Carrots — Leave them whole, sliced, or diced.
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🎃 Pumpkin and Winter Squash — Great for pies and quick, tasty sides.
All of which can be found on GoPresto.com under our informative Canning Index. Get to canning today!