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My old pressure canner started leaking steam right as I was finishing a batch of pickles

It happened last Tuesday when I had about 15 minutes left on the timer. I just turned off the heat and let it cool down slowly instead of trying to force the seal. Anyone know a good way to test the gasket before I try again?
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2 Comments
lee_gibson
Did you check the gasket for any nicks or cracks? Run your finger along the whole rubber ring and feel for anything rough. A good trick is to bend it gently to see if it's stiff or brittle. If it looks fine, try the seal test with just water in the canner, no jars, to see if it holds pressure. That way you won't waste more food if it fails.
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diana690
diana6907d agoMost Upvoted
My old canner manual said to always test with jars, but your water-only idea makes way more sense. I was ruining good beans every time a seal failed. Now I just do an empty run first, which saves a whole batch.
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