All-American Pressure Canners

The brand name of All-American pressure canners are made by the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc, WI.

The company was founded in 1909 ^[1]Retrieved January 2019 from https://www.wafco.com . It introduced pressure canners to its product line in the 1930s ^[2] Retrieved January 2019 from http://www.allamericancanner.com/All-American-Pressure-Canners.htm ).

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/All-American-Pressure-CookerCanners-126502714067886

Email: [email protected]

Models

As of 2017, All American offers six models ranging in size from 10 US quarts to 41 ½ US quarts. Or, put in terms of load capacity, 4 x 1 litre (1 US quart) jars to 19 x 1 litre (1 US quart) jars

The All American models get to be so big you can stack QUART jars in them even. Here are two of the big boys: 30 quart (litres), and 41.5 quart (litres)

Here’s a link to a breakdown of information about the different sizes of All Americans.

Gasket-free operation

One of the features in favour of the All-American over all other pressure canners currently being manufactured is that it requires no rubber (or otherwise) gasket to achieve a steam-tight seal on the canner. It is done on the basis of metal to metal contact. To be clear, no gasket is needed, ever, so there is none to be replaced yearly as is often the case with other canners.

Instead, you lightly oil the bevelled inner metal edges of the canner each time you use it. (See video below.)

Many people presume this gasket-free feature will let them use the canner for decades without needing factory parts.

That however, is not so. They will be betrayed in their expectations by the rubber overpressure plug. The manufacture says it definitely has a usage lifespan, and should be replaced at least once a year — more frequently if it shows signs of aging.

They say, “The overpressure plug needs replacing if it is worn, cracked or hard. We recommend that you replace the overpressure plug every 12 months, or before if it becomes hard or deformed. Never reuse a blown overpressure plug.” ^[3]All-American pressure canner manual. 2014, page 12.

Note: The All-Americans are currently the only pressure canners being made with this feature. There were others made before this, such as the Kook-Kwik brand of pressure canners made from about 1910 to the early 1940s, distributed by Sears apparently. A manual for the Kook-Kwik is here (caution: do not follow processing directions in the manual; they are now known to be very wrong.)

Dual-gauge

The All-American comes with both a dial gauge and a weight gauge. You may use either to monitor the progress of your canning, but even if you do decide to visually go by the dial gauge, the manufacturer still wants you to set the weight to the target pressure.

The manufacturer regards the weight as the primary pressure control.

Many people feel that it’s nice to have both the dial and the weight. The dial gives you a rough visual indication of how far you are away from achieving the desired pressure, and conversely, how far away from being completely depressurized at the end.

But, in terms of actual control of the processing, you ignore the dial. The weight is actually in control.  The weight becomes authoritative.

“The pressure regulator weight is actually more accurate than the steam gauge. Many pressure cookers with pressure regulator weights do not have steam gauges. Our gauge is accurate +/- 2 lbs, and is used only as a reference, and to determine when the cover can be safely removed, which is when the steam gauge returns to zero.” ^[4]Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry. All-American 1930 web site. FAQs. Accessed January 2019 at http://allamerican1930.com/faqs/

Please note that the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry will not test dial gauges for you.

The manufacturer says when the canner is at pressure, the weight should jiggle 1 to 4 times per minute.

More more information, watch the video shown at the end of this page.

See also: Dial Gauge or Weighted Gauge

Smaller All-American models

The two smallest pressure canners that All-American makes are the 10 quart and 15 quart.

The 10 US quart size can hold 4 US quart jars or 7 US pint jars.

All-American recommends against the 10 quart and 15 quart for home canning smoked fish, because the tested USDA procedures for that type of fish specify the minimum canner size is 16 quart: “The 10.5 Qt Model 910 and 15.5 Qt Model 915 are NOT suitable for canning smoked fish.” ^[6]All American web site. Accessed January 2017 at http://www.allamerican-chefsdesign.com/Product-Detail.asp?iBrand=1&hProductType=10 

All-American pressure canner manual

See here for discussion and download links: All-American pressure canner manual review.

All-American models that are suitable for glass stove tops

As of 2017, All-American supports the following pressure canner models on flat aka glass stove tops: 910, 915, 921, and 925.

They do caution though that you should check first with the maker of your stove, to make sure it can support the weight and heat of pressure canners in general. As well, they also give the standard caution to not slide the pressure canner over a glass range surface as it could scratch and damage the surface.

Though many home canners had been using those models on glass stove tops anyway, official support arrived only in 2017. All American confirmed it to us in an email dated 8 September 2017.

They don’t, however, support their two biggest models — 930 and 941 — on glass stove tops, as those models are just too heavy.

Note that as of fall 2017, they had not yet updated their web site or their official literature to reflect this new official support.

All-American pressure canner parts

Here is a parts number guide, from the All-American manual (2014, page 52.)

The Red Hill General Store store sells parts. You should also be able to find them at other retailers as well such as Amazon [affiliate link], etc.

All-American sterilizers are not pressure canners

The company also makes electric versions of its pressure canners that it calls “sterilizers” which may seem identical except for the built-in electric bases on them. These, however, are intended for lab use to sterilize instruments, bandages, etc, and not for canning.

The company explicitly says, “Never use the sterilizer for cooking or processing food.” ^[7]Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry. Model 25X Electric Pressure Steam Sterilizer. Operating Instructions. REV 4/09. Page 1.

All-American Web Site

The manufacturer’s factory site is run out of Wisconsin. The manufacturer runs an information page here about its canners, but with no direct to consumer sales.  For those wishing to do their canning in actual “can cans”, the company also offers can sealers.

The manufacturer also runs another website providing consumer information on its All-American canners at http://allamerican1930.com/.

There is a sales and information for consumers site at the domain name of http://www.allamericancanner.com, run out of Virginia by Red Hill General Store in Hillsville, Virginia. Despite the domain name, it is not clear what the relationship is with the manufacturer.

All-American canners can also be purchased on Amazon [affiliate link] and through many other retailers.

See also: All American usage and troubleshooting FAQ

All-American pressure canner operating video

Before purchasing or using your All-American canner for the first time, you would be well advised to watch this excellent video released by the manufacturer.

This is an official instructional video from Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Co. on how to use their All-American pressure canner.