Pressure cookers

[darwinslair]

So I splurged, bought an all american canner.  21 qt.  new.

looked like the least things that can go wrong with it compared to the prestos and other low end ones.

Does anyone here have a lot of experience with them?  and what if any parts do I need to stockpile?  There is not a rubber gasket (machined aliminium) so hopefully there is a minimum of things that can wear out.

Tom

[opsec]

Paint the outside with bbq black and use it in a solar oven and you could can food totally off-the-grid.

[Sniper]

Paint the outside with bbq black and use it in a solar oven and you could can food totally off-the-grid.

Ospec,

I like how you think.  Have you tried that?

Looking to buy a stainless steel.  I don't care for cooking in aluminum.  A bit more expensive, but worth it. IMHO.

[Dame]

Canners do not come into contact with the food so aluminum will not contaminate the food.  Stainless steel in that size would be quite expensive and the money better spent elsewhere unless of cource you intend to use the thing as a distiller as well. 

Last time I checked the canner sized food grade stainless steel distillers (need external heat source) were in excess of $500 and would not have doubled as a pressure cooker without additional and probably custom alterations/attatchments.

I have used presure cookers extensively in the past and would not operate one that did not have a pressure release valve.  I have not seen one of the ones you are referring to so do not know if it has some sort of pressure release valve mechanism.  If it uses as an automatic overpressure failsafe, you likely need to have parts as most of them, if there is an emergency where the pressure has rapidly become unsafe, will destroy whatever is intended to let go and release presure when the pressure gets too high.

[opsec]

Sniper,
    I haven't tried it personally, but I've heard of it being done. I can't remember if it was on youtube or in a book on solar cooking, but I do know it can be done. You would have to keep an eye on it because varying sunlight can overheat the system rapidly, so you need to be there to regulate things.

    Yea, the pressure release valve is a must have. Without that, a pressure cooker turns into a grenade.

[Sniper]

Good point about aluminum not coming into contact with food if you are canning.  It's just that I may be tempted to use it for cooking in an emergency.  I haven't priced SS.

But I like the idea of solar cooking in it, therefore, would need a SS pressure cooker so my rice and beans would be extra yummy in a hurry.

[opsec]

What works really good for solar cooking is a good old fashioned cast iron pot. It's already black and it won't hurt you to cook in it. If memory serves, I think they make those same kind of pots out of stainless steel now, but it is much thinner stainless steel. That could make for uneven cooking, a particular advantage of the cast iron.

[Sniper]

Yes, I have a dutch oven, but never thought to use for solar cooking.  Good idea.

[B-Lue]

Have been looking into solar cooking myself.  I bought a light weight "granite-ware" piece with solar cooking in mind, but am uncomfortable about cooking in aluminum.  Spied a cast-iron dutch oven at Sears today for ~$40 (while shopping for a pressure cooker).  I've no idea if that's a good price.  Opsec, have you done much solar cooking?  If so, what type cooker do you recommend.  Shall we start a new thread?

[opsec]

I haven't done any solar cooking myself. I used to live with an ultra-crabby Irish old man who did. He lived on social security + my rent and he cut corners any way possible even if it meant saving $20 a month on the gas bill. He used home made ovens out of a cardboard box overlaid with aluminum foil. Inside went the cast iron dutch oven. It takes a fairly long time to cook that way. It's not like a regular oven, but the price is right and it's as dependable as the sun.

I recently posted a link to an outfit called Solar Cookers International. I'll have to see if I can find that again.

Here it is: http://mutuallyassuredsurvival.com/smforums/index.php?topic=1668.0

[B-Lue]

Yup, that post is what got me interested!  So your friend did okay without the $100 parabola, just used a foil-lined box?  That'll work! 

[Average Joe]

I built one as an experiment.  In the winter it got warm enough to cook for about 30 minutes on a cold sunny day.  I think it will work well in summer.  I made it out of cardboard boxes, duct tape and aluminum foil.  I bought a piece of glass to hold in heat and give it the greenhouse effect.  I thought of using a fresnel lense to amplify the rays, but haven't bought one yet.

[opsec]

If you only get 20 min of useful heat, then maybe the $100 parabola would be a wise investment. I saw a video where somebody used a large dish from a satellite tv. This was an old style dish, 6 feet across.

[Average Joe]

This was mid winter.  I am in Missouri so the sun is pretty low, and the air temp was about 30 degrees.  I was excited about the temperature getting that high.  From March 21 on, there should be a rapid lengthening in the hot period, and I can do some cooking.  If it works well, I plan to make one out of plywood, insulation, and a gimbal to hang the dutch oven on.  I may use mirrors instead of aluminum foil, and I still want a fresnel lens to improve the heat to the dutch oven. Should cook well as a hot oven and without the glass cover as a slow cooker.

[opsec]

Careful you don't wind up building a food incinerator instead of an oven.