Over the last decade, the Ball Canning folks have brought a handful of canning appliances to market. The first was the FreshTECH Jam and Jelly Maker in the summer of 2012. The FreshTECH Automatic Home Canning System was the thing during the 2014 canning season. And now, we have the Ball FreshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner and Multi-Cooker.
This electric canner is exactly what I know a number of you have been hoping for. It’s a giant pot that has an independent element so that you can move your processing pot off your stove top and over to the counter.
It holds 8 quarts, nine pints, or a dozen regular mouth half pints (that means that if you stack them, you can process 24 quarter pint jars at once). It’s particularly great if your stove is slow to boil water or if you’ve been warned off canning on a glass top cooktop. It works like any other boiling water bath canner, so if you live at higher altitudes, you will still need to adjust your processing time upwards.
It has a spout on the left side of the canner, so if your kitchen is arranged in a way where you can set the canner to the right of your stove, you can drain the water directly into the sink. The canner comes with a steaming rack as well as a canning rack, so that you can use it for all your high capacity steaming needs (I could see it being perfect for tamale parties).
It can also be used as a portable cooker, so can work for large amounts of soup, chili, or even something like mulled cider. Nice if you help with community potlucks or church suppers.
I’ve now run a number batches of jars through the canner and I am really happy with it. It’s not going to become my primary boiling water bath because I make a lot of small batches and it doesn’t make sense to heat up this much water for two or three pints, but for larger batches, it’s a boon.
It’s also incredibly useful during tomato season and I’ve started bringing it with me to my classes and workshops where I know we’re making multiple batches and so we’ll need more canner space.
This canner does cost $149.99, which is a pretty penny if you already have a canning set-up you like. If you like the idea of moving your canning pot off your stove top but can’t swing that price point, there is a more affordable way to create something similar.
Get yourself an induction capable stock pot (a classic speckled canner with a flat bottom will work) and the induction burner I have (it’s just $60) and you have a canner you can run anywhere (I highly recommend outdoor canning on really hot days).
My bottom line on the Ball FreshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner is that it’s a great tool for people who do lots of large batch canning. If you have the budget and storage space for it, I highly recommend it.
Disclosure: The folks at Ball Canning sent me a FreshTECH Electric Canner for review and photography purposes at no cost to me. They are also provided a giveaway unit. No additional compensation was provided for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.
I am still using a very old blue granite color water bath canner. This looks like it would be fun to use! Used to can all the time when my kids were young…not so much now. However, I really want to get back into canning again as I have access to a bounty of organic produce.
I use an old canning pot that I found on Craigslist – I paid $5 for it! It has an old sticker on it that won’t wash off that says “canning pot,” but I can’t tell what the brand is. I like that it is vintage, but it is getting some rust spots and I am definitely in the market for a new one.
My canning rig depends on what country I am in! I have “made do” with multiple small pots, huge graniteware canners and everything in between! Whatever it takes!
I use stockpots I got off of craigslist and a pressure canner–all on top of my glass top stove!
I use a victorio to can, but I would love to win this! Thanks for the chance
I use a pressure canner with a rack in the bottom for processing. On busy summer days, there may be three pots going on my stove at one time while cooking sauces and processing. I’d love to be able to move part of that to another part of my kitchen with this type of electric unit.
I have only been canning 4 years.slowly increasing my supplies. I usually have one large waterbath going wish I could have 2 but don’t want to put that much weight on my glass top. I have a small stock pot for canning jelly. And picked up some silicone trivets to try this year.
I currently have to can at my in-laws… The stove in our rental is set a little lower than the counters, and the first time I canned here, the big pot scorched the sides of the countertops! I can’t use really big pots or pans on it anymore – especially not at the sustained high temperatures required for canning. This would be perfect!!!
No REAL canning setup, per se. Just an old canning pot and rack. My mom used to can and I miss it.
just started canning. i would love to try one of these!!!!!
Well, my mom gave away all her canning stuff to my younger brother, so I had to start with a set from the hardware store. Still makes me incredibly happy, though, so it does the job! 😀
As a family we have always used my mother’s canning equipment as we only use it a few days a year
I use a stock pot, balling canning jars and canning tongs. Would sure love to upgrade to this electric set. Sounds like it would make canning so much easier and way more fun!
My wife does most of the canning but I have recently discovered “shrubs” so I will be canning these interesting drink additions with the old standby freckled pot
Hi, this is great info, and even better to have the chance to win one of these canners. Currently I am in the market for a good canner. I just moved to a house with a big yard this past summer, and have plans for an eventually large vegetable and fruit garden. I want to learn to can and preserve food. Also, I love the fact that this canner can also be used as a portable cooker. Will be great if we need to bring a dish to a family gathering and to keep things warm for home entertaining. Thanks!
My original pot had started leaking so a new one of some kind is in order for summer canning
I bought a very basic, cheap beginners’ canning set a few years ago. I use the tools from that along with a big stockpot with a towel in the bottom. My jars are, for the most part, a motley assortment that a neighbor was throwing out and that I salvaged.
I would seriously love to win this prize – it would make my spring/summer! Here’s hoping. Fingers crossed….
My mom taught me how to can and I use a large stockpot with a rubber trivet type of thing.
I was on my 3rd speckled canning pot when we had a fire (not from canning) so now is a great time to step up and try something new
Don’t have anything yet – will be learning to can now that I’ve retired!
Thanks for the opportunity.
I use a traditional Ball water bath on my glass top stove. I am very careful but am concerned about damaging my stovetop. This new electric water bath is a dream come true!
We use my parents pressure canner from the 70s and a water bath canner.
Currently, I just put a few veggies in a jar and pickle them. Or make yogurt in the oven.
Holy Cow, this is cool! Look how many comments you are racking up after posting just yesterday!
My canning set up is in need! I have been searching for a pressure canner at garage sales for about a year now- no luck. I’ve got TONS of jars, and am just waiting for that special day when a canner will come my way.
God bless! Daina
I have a big presto canner. It is big and heavy and the water takes forever to heat up on my gas stove. This would make my canning experiences much more enjoyable. I would love to win.
I am definitely in the market for a new set up! I appears that my big canning pot is starting to erode/disintegrate and I don’t think it’ll make it through another summer.
uggg!! Using an old hand me down set! I need this!
We had been using a big stock pot and need something that works with our burners better. This seems like a great alternative solution to have an electric option instead!
Thanks for the kind offer to a reader.
I have been using a large stock pot to do my canning & last canning season I ended up losing 12 quarts of green beans because it didn’t seal correctly. I have been waiting to catch one on sale but no luck yet. Would love to have one like this…
Just using a regular old stockpot. Would love this!
I’m busy helping young, interested canners get started. I use my old speckled canner for water bath canning. The spout on this unit is genius! I’ve been canning for 30+ years and love the fruit BBQ/Dipping Sauces the best.
i am just starting out and have only canned pickles and some jam a couple of times. I just used a big pot on top of my stove. Would love to get something more professional! 🙂
I am new to canning and I bought a stove I can’t do it on! This is PERFECT!!!! My fingers are crossed along with my toes! My marriage would be much better if I could use this to pickle my SO carrots!
i received my Ball Jam maker as a Christmas gift from my father… He passed away 13 days before Christmas and never got to see it being used… I would love to get the electric water bath so I could get that stock pot off my stove… I have issues with the microwave being low above the stove so the pot doesn’t fit on top of the stove easily…
I have been using my grandmother’s old pot for years and recently purchased a big stock pot that I put a rack in. This would be a great addition and I know it would make life easier. Thank you for the Giveaway and thank Ball Brands…
I use my mom’s old unit, which has seen better days, and is not handy for small batches but the price was right. I use a trivet at the bottom, and I’ve only lost one jar in all the years I’ve canned, mostly because I’m a stickler for following the rules.
I’d love to win the electric set up and get one burner free while canning. Heaven!
I use a stainless steel stock pot with a wire rack. I tried the silicon flower rack, but it kept curling up. I saved your tip on keeping them flat and want to try it this summer when I get back to heavy-duty canning. But heavens, I would love to switch over to an electric unit!!!
growing up, I helped my mom can. Now that I am married and have a garden I just got a large canner at good will and plan on canning for the first time alone this summer.
I still use a 35 year old basic aluminum canning set. Would love to upgrade!
I use two large stainless steel pots on my glass-top stove, which for some reason has survived the abuse. These things are like 24 qt huge pots. One has a small trivet of canning rings I wired together and on top are a couple pieces of hardware mesh. This is enough room to let me do about a half-dozen quart jars no problem.
I’ve been considering investing in some brewing equipment so I could move to outdoor canning with some huge gas burners.
I currently use the standard Ball Canning pot on my glass/ceramic stove. It works just fine but I’m afraid the glass top will crack from the heat. Having an electric canner would be so much more convenient.
I have been helping can all of my life with my parents. The past couple of years I have pretty much taken over the canning for our family. I use my mom’s pressure canner and water bath canner. It gets crowded on our stove we have two big units but only one is working so it would be wonderful to have an electric canner to free up space. When we can I take care of putting everything in the jars and my pop puts the stuff in the canner and takes it out. He also helps preparing the food to be canned. I am so excited for canning season to start up again!!! Happy Canning!!
I live in a really old house. So I have to start heating my stove before puttingmy pot of water on otherwise the whole coil doesn’t heat up. I use an aluminum pot with bands tied together as my canning rack. I tried a silicone trivet but it must not have been “real” because it melted.
I received gift cards and went out to buy a canning set. I have all the equipment and my Food In Jars book. I have friends that are willing to can with me. Now I am just waiting for the fruit to come in season.
I’m using a black granite bath canner for my water bath canning. I also use a pressure canner for the other items to can. I’m always in the market for anything to make my life easier.
I use my multipurpose stock pot for boiling water canning. It works fine, and for big jobs I use my pressure canner. This would be very nice and convenient!
i have the weck electric water bath canner; haven’t seen them on offer for years. i’ve had mine for more than 15 years. i love it. it gets a massive workout every canning season. i wouldn’t mind a second one during tomato and pickle season!
I just use my stock pot – so winning this would be Great!
I have the old school black speckled enamel water bath canner with rack. This would be awesome to run as a second pot. I’ve also invested in a Presto pressure canner this year, but have yet to have time to use it. When my work schedule gets back to normal, I’m canning like crazy!
I have 2 water bath canners now. I LOVE them. My only issue is they take up too much room on my stove to run them 2 at a time. I use them mainly for jelly and tomato sauce <3
I have a Presto pressure canner for the big jobs (not easy on a glass top stove to regulate temperature, though) and I use my 4th burner pot for half pints. I could sure use this electric one for we two elderly folks; it would make life so much easier for us. I am now buying some things in bulk at Sam’s to can because it is so much cheaper for those of us on a tight Social Security budget. Thank you for sponsoring this wonderful gift!
I use the speckled blue Ball canner and a lot of Mom’s old tools. Some of them are older than I am!
I have a graniteware water bath canner. It works well but as I garden a lot I have a bunch of fruit and veggies in my garden. I added a lot this year and plan to do a lot of canning. The water bath canner I have is good but I have a little beat up old stove and can’t fit another canner on there so I would really like one of these to set up on the counter and do several batches at once.
i use an old giant pot that I have had for a long time. Bought a seperate canner basket and canning supplies to save some money.
I use a stockpot with a wire rack at the bottom (my husband tweaked it to fit, now it won’t come out). I was using the classic speckled canning pot on my glasstop (oh, horrors! I hate this stove so I thought, may as well) until the steam from the pot shorted out the stove for awhile.
I have a granite ware 21qt pressure canner and a ball 20qt water bath. For my 21st birthday I asked for a good stainless stock pack pot and it is still going strong 30years later. When I moved to LA 7 years ago I discovered canning as a way to preserve all the wonderful fruit growing in our garden And I recently bought a 24 qt food grade ss stockpot. The more I get into canning the more I want to explore. An automatic waterbath would be a great addition
This. Is. Awesome! I have the “classic”, and a smaller version, of the speckled canner for water-bath canning and was given my Grandma’s pressure canner for things like green beans. My husband sometimes gets a wild hair when the tomatoes are growing gangbusters and we have a pot going inside and outside!
I use a canning pot and a gas stove, the idea of being able to drain directly into the sink is great.
I use a pressure canner which I hate. Definitely going to check this out.
I just use my ol’ trusty-rusty standard black water bath canner. It takes up most of my stove, so this would be such a time and space saver! Thanks for the opportunity to win! Good luck to everyone entered 🙂
My setup is pretty makeshift every time, but since my stove is “apartment sized” and my tools generally multi-use, I haven’t yet gotten a pot big enough to handle quart jars safely. I hadn’t thought to move to the countertop (or outside!!), so thanks for the tip!
I have been using my mom’s best friends old canning pot for 20 years so its pushing 50 years old. I do love it because of the nostalgia of all my canning adventures with many friends but it is missing handles and I have been thinking of adding a new one to the mix. I can a lot during the summer and to not have to can over the hot camp stove in 90º weather on the deck would be awesome. I think I need to do some more research on this product! I would love this!!!
Oh, wow, I would love one of these! I use a stock pot with a silicon trivet in the bottom — a trick I picked up from Marisa, in fact! But my stove only has one large eye, so it really limits my ability to apply even heat to whatever pot I’m actually cooking my jam in.
I use 2 varied sized stock pots on an electric stove, depending on the size of my harvest and what I’m canning. Makes for a VERY busy stove top so something like this sounds AMAZING and fun to try. Can’t wait!
I have to go to my mother’s house. We have a glass top stove and I worry about cracking. This would be amazing to learn to cam on my own!
We have extended our vegetable garden this year, and I’d love an electric canner it really would help make my life a little easier during the harvest time.
I’d love to have this!!!
I use my mom’s old canning pot on an electric stove in my kitchen. I have to take the drawers below the stove out when I’m canning, because it gets too hot. I’ve melted handles on can openers and the like in the drawer. Being able to move a pot to the counter, (or your trick for outside!!) would be very helpful in the summer!!
I use an old speckled water bath canner and my mother’s Presto pressure canner. I am ALWAYS short of burner space and on my gas stove, if the pot is too close to the back, the flames will follow the side of the pot and singe the backsplash. This is NOT a good thing. I am looking for options to get the canner off the stove. I LOVE this idea.
After years of using a standard electric stove, I’ve struggled with finding the right combination for my glass cooktop. For the most part, I’ve switched to small batch canning and use a stockpot with a silicone trivet but both my aluminum and enameled water bath canners still get called into action on occasion (like when I feel like waiting HOURS for the water to heat). Love the idea of a countertop canner!
I use a stock pot (sometimes two), but they can only hold half-pint jars and 4 ounce jars, and my stove cannot handle a larger stockpot. This would be ideal for me so I would finally be able to do pints and quarts.
I use a stck pot, pressure canner, 5th burner pot,outside on a propane burner as much as possible.
I have 3 old pressure canners which I use on a wood cook stove as well as my gas stove. I enjoy using the wood heat because it is so even. Would be totally open to trying something new. Absolutely love canning and we can a lot. We grow and can almost everything we need for our pantry!
I have been canning for 40 years. I was raised on a farm. We grew vegetables, had fruit trees, animals, etc. I still have my original Ball Blue Book! I stagger 2 canners as it takes less time. One canner rusted so now I have one but it is very old. When my mother saw I did not have an updated Ball Blue Book she bought me one. I have taught many women how to can, freeze and make jam. It is so much better homemade. I would get a lot of use out of this new canner! I love kitchen gadgets. My daughter bought me a canning kit with jar lifter, etc. My mother sends me all extra vegetables and fruit because I will not let it go to waste!
I have both a medium and large granite ware water bath canner and I have used both on my smooth-top range. For small batches, i have a smaller stock pot and the blossom silicone trivet. I also have a pressure canner from my husband’s grandmother, but I’ve never used it!! This Ball appliance would be wonderful; maybe I could eliminate the large enamel pots.
I have an old single canning pot from the grandmother, I love using for small batches. I also have a big ole pot with a trivet I use for canning. It’s either single batches or the big ole pot that gets takes up a whole cabinet! It is probably past time to invest in some new equipment and this new canner looks amazing! This girl is green with envy! 😛
I use a stock pot for most of my canning which is great for making all the small batches in your cook books! I’m planning on putting up tomatoes this summer and would love something larger that didn’t take up precious space on the cook top! I’ve looked this specific electric canner and I think it’d be a great tool in the arsenal…great giveaway thanks!
Now that I have a 2.5 year old I have had to switch to doing a lot of freezing. But I would like to get back into it and I think the electric canner would be a great option. I could keep it on a table away from curious hands! This machine looks great and I am so excited! I’ve been making a lot of Indian chutneys and I need to experiment with them. Plus my friends and I were just talking about having a tamale party!! Perfect timing! Clearly I need this machine! Pretty please, with a canned cherry on top?!
I have a glass top stove..and have been very reluctant about using it for canning. Used to have a gas stove. This sounds perfect. I’ve been canning since I was a little girl. I have old food mills and the old style tomato juicers with the hand cranks…old grinders…all sorts of odds and ends. I love it…my kids even like it too..especially the eating part!! And a shout out to Ball….I adore your jars!! I have never ever had a problem with them…they’re the best!!
I currently use an enamelware pot with a cake cooling rack in the bottom. It works well for most applications but I have to fill it pretty close to the top to get 1 inch over my quart jars, and it takes FOREVER to boil on the stove. Also the regular mouth half pint jars have a tendency to tip if not placed on the rack just right.
I purchased the Ball Freshtech automatic home canning system for my friend who has a glass top stove and doesn’t have the patience required to read through a recipe. It’s a good fit for her because she has a big garden and she can get a lot of stuff done quickly without carefully watching the clock and checking the canner. I also love that it sterilizes the jars for you.
In return she bought me the Freshtech jam and jelly maker, which is a good fit for me since I have trouble getting things to set. It does a good job making simple jams and jellys with commercial pectin. I haven’t done any experimentation yet so I can’t speak to how versatile it is for fruit butters or recipes that don’t need pectin added.
I would totally buy this item, I think it would be a great asset for me and free up valuable stove top, because when I get around to canning, I like to make a couple different things. This would also be great for doing something like pickles (short processing time) and Tomatoes (long processing time) at the same time, rather than having to finish one and wait for the pot to cool down then heat back up etc.
I currently don’t have a set up but am seeking one. This looks like a fantastic option!
I currently use a stock pot. After I divorced and moved to a different state I started slowly putting a garden in. Last year I had 4 kinds of bell peppers, 6 different tomatoes, onions, pumpkins, squash and watermelons. I let a lot of the tomatoes on the vines. I’m going to try and can them all this year into sauce, salsa, pumpkin butter, ummmm.
I use a water bath on the stove. I’ve been looking at these…curious if it cuts down on the heat in the kitchen on a hot summer day. Another attractive feature is the spout…it’s always scary carrying that big pot of hot water from the stove to the sink.
I use old blue enamel canning pots that were my dad’s. I can’t do more than pints on my ceramic cooktop. Quarts I have to do outside on a propane camp stove. I sure would to step up my game!
I have my mothers pressure canner and water bath canner that I use all the time.
my grandma gave me her entire canning setup as a way to pass the torch, I love it, but I would love an electric one too, to open up space on my stove!
Just a generic canning crockpot, one of those giant black graniteware deals, that I got off craigslist. Whatever works, right?
I’m a canning novice, as in never done it before. I do freezer stocks and sauces, but want to get deeper into it! In the meantime, I just help my mother-in-law eat what she cans!
I have a regular water bath canner from Walmart and a pressure canner. Can’t wait to get canning this year!
Right now, I have a stock pot, and an electric stove. With the weight of the water on the burner, seems like the stock pot is right down on the stove, and doesn’t allow any air flow. The electric stove doesn’t seem like it heats correctly because of this.
I would love to have one of these, as I think it would make canning so much easier and fun, instead of hoping that the stove doesn’t catch fire. We also live in an apartment, so no outside canning, and no garage.
This looks very nice, looks like it would fit on a counter top with no problem. Very versitile. Also with the spigot on the side, would make it much easier to drain the water then trying to move a huge pot of water across the room and hope to not drop it.
Love your site, love your book, and I have been lusting after this canner for a while. I use my grandmother’s aluminium pot. It is great because it is light weight and I don’t have to worry about the issue of aluminium touching the food.
Keep canning you are an inspiration to us all!
Marisa,
I use a boiler bath that was my mother’s and is 70 years old, it has a rack inside that annoys the heck out of me.
I too like to can outside, as you might remember, and covet your induction burner like no other!
This electric canner sounds like a wonder and I would love to have it in my stable to help with canning for kids.
I use my mother-in-law’s very old canner.
I have a water bath canner (black and white enamel) and a pressure canner, and I use them both on my gas range. If I am doing large batches, I use my pressure canner as a water bath so I can get more jars processed in less time. I would like to get a 2-burner gas camp stove to use outside for canning during the hot months! Would also LOVE to have this electric canner for many uses! Thanks!
This would be so awesome….thank you
What a gorgeous canning pot. And love it’s multi-use.
Currently use the granite ware canner, but stove/counter space is limited and takes a really long time to boil and then can. Would love to save water, electricity and time with this new one!
I have two pressure canners, 16qt and 23qt. I have a small gas stove top that I use in the my garage where my husband set up our old kitchen cupboards for a canning kitchen. It doesn’t have plumbing so this would be great to use for processing as the stove top is small and I don’t have to keep stopping to get water. I also have to constantly continue to swap out pots from the canner to the pot with jars to the pot of whatever it is I am canning at the moment. This would be marvelous to have and prove to be much more efficient than my current set up.
I use a 12 quart stock pot for small batch canning these days. Due to physical issues it is almost impossible for me to handle the standard 16/20 quart water bath canners. This would just be an answer to all of the issues I face with canning. Thanks for a chance at a wonderful prize!
I use the Ball anniversary blue pot on my glass top stove and cringe every time. An electric option would be so awesome and take the stress of cracking my stove away.