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 would LOVE to win one of these for my daughter who loves to can!!!!!!! She cans due to allergies and has such a small counter space….this would be so helpful for her to have.
I’m just getting started and have used a large stockpot.
I have the canning supplies from my Mother in Law. Her baby boy needed canned green beans. When I was first married 13 years ago, she gave me everything I needed and taught me an invaluable skill! I can’t imagine not canning now. Surely my 3 girls will know this life skill!
Have a very pot that I picked up 20 years ago from a garage sale
I can in a big stock pot with a rubber trivet inside. Gets pretty hot in the summer!
My mom recently gifted me a a canning pot with metal rack – the rack has these handles on it then I do not love and makes it a little more cumbersome to use, still figuring it out as I go since canning has never been a family tradition for some reason! The more I can, the more I want to explore and can!
I don’t rally have a setup yet. I’m just starting to put things together.
I have one of those classic speckled enamel canners. Have used it for years. Would love to try a new canning pot.
I just use a stock pot. I don’t have a set up yet and this would be a great way to start. I’m planting my tomatoes and would come in handy for the season.
I use a regular giant canning pot with a circular cooling rack in the bottom. This electric canner would make my life so much easier.
Last summer I used the blue speckled pot and at the end of the season I splurged for a new canning pot. But this looks great, and I love the spigot to drain the water!
I currently use a large stockpot. It works well but takes up so much space on my stove. I would love to be able to use that stove eye for more preparing. I can lots of jams, salsas, and (my favorite) spaghetti sauce.
I would like to get back to canning and this would make life grand. Please choose me. Thanks
Occasionally use the stockpot/silicone trivet setup, more often a full-size canning pot. But we have a glass cooktop and even though the mfr says it’s safe for canning and I’ve had no problems, this new gizmo would set my mind at ease.
Hand me down stove top water bath canner. Maybe time for a new one since I think one has a hole in the bottom.
Unfortunately over the last several years I have had the problem of having a glass cooktop for canning. Well when I moved last year, I was determined to get a house with a gas cooktop. Well guess what? I live in another house with a glass cooktop. This electric canner would solve all of my problems, so that I don’t have to stand in the rain at the propane tank and portable burner with my water bath canner.
just an old stockpot with a trivet for me!
I use my spaghetti pot and a beginning canner set from Ball that is plastic and doesn’t really fit the pot. It only holds 4 quart jars. I’d love a new set up.
We use a Ball canning pot, but this would be so much better!
Last year I splurged on a new Ball canning pot but I always used my Mom’s old blue speckled canning pot before that. I would love one of these!
I am using the grandmother’s pot. I like canning for my family. Something like this would be a huge help!
i have a canning pot I purchased at a thrift store! I love it but I don’t think it has much life left in it. I like the idea of this electric one. We have outside plugs so I could still can outside 🙂
I would love to have one, still doing the water boil.I could put up more vegetables, pickles, jams.Would save time, more compact. I would be so excited and tell all my faimly and friends. My sister canned alot. Just her.mabe could keep up with her.
I usually can with my mom with the big speckled pot on the stovetop, but this year I’m growing a lot more veggies and I need to step up my canning setup! This would be awesome!
When I started canning last summer I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on supplies (and mason jars are already very expensive) so I went to a dollar store and bought the cheapest stock pot I could find. I think it cost like $18 and is definitely not something I would feel comfortable using to cook food.
I use a super old canning pot with a DIY trivet in the bottom. The pot is gigantic and very cumbersome to deal with once it if full and on the stove.
I’ve been using the same agate blue canner for about 40 years. The rack is about rusted apart but it still works. A new canner would be great. I could use the old one for growing food.
Yep, I’m using my Grandpa’s waterbath canner and pressure canner!! And using these is risky since I now have a glass stove top. I’d love this!
My stove top is pretty cramped so canning can be quite a challenge.
I’m currently using a Cuisinart stock pot with a silicone trivet. This set up works much better than my old canning pot. But a girl can never have too many options! Thanks for a chance to win a pretty electric canner. 😀
Wow. This could also double as a hot drink dispenser. Perfect for holiday parties when I like serving hot cider. Now I’ll be able to use the slow cooker for foods and not drinks. Much safer since I won’t need to ladle out the cider.
I have an old stock pot I use that leaves burn marks around my stove! I could def use this to help save my oven!!!
I used to use the old fashioned canning pot, but it takes up too much room on my new stovetop. As a result I end up having to split up my canning into two pots- one on the stove and one on a portable electric heating unit I have. Boy, would this be wonderful!
My mom gave me her huge Revere Ware stock pot which I use to cook my jams and jellies. My large stock pot has a dark interior which limits my ability to see the changes as the jam cooks. I use an old light-weight aluminum pan for the water bath. I have learned to work with it, but would love an upgrade to my canning outfit before jam making season hits it’s stride!
A cousin gifted me with your Food in Jars book. I love it!
I’ve only been canning a few seasons. This product would
be a nice option! Thank you!
i use a large stock pot with a silicone trivet – always dependable but this set up seems super efficient, would love to try it!
I have some supplies, but this would make a fantastic addition!
I’m in the market for a new setup since we bought a glass top stove. This would ansolutely rock!
I use the blue granite, this would be a dream, for my jars.
I have a big blue enamel pot from my mother, but usually use a small pot from the thrift store.
As a child of the 60’s from parents of the WWII rationing period growing up in the South, we canned everything that didn’t move. I have continued and now can for myself and many others in need. I live in AZ and would think I was in heaven to have this and not have to heat up my kitchen and or get my husband to lift it when full.
I literally have to borrow my canner from my grandma still. This would be amazing!
I’m still using a 8 qt stock pot and don’t have the capacity I need; a new rig is definitely needed!
I just have a regular water bath canning pot. This looks amazing!! I want one now!
My stove recently died. It went out with a loud pop and a fire ball. We went out and bought a large toaster oven and a double burner hot plate. I told my husband the only down side is I won’t be able to can. My current scanner is way too big and heavy for the flimsy little hot plate. I am planning to freeze my veggies this summer as I do have a large freezer.
I did have an old aluminum water bath canner but when I moved to my new house I couldn’t use it on the glass cooktop. So since then I have been using my pressure canner (with the lid loose). I would love this new set up!
I have a big canning pot – very light metal but it does the trick. This baby would be fabulous because we tend to do big canning projects (peaches/ tomatoes/ pears) and the water bathing process tends to hold things up a bit!
I have a classic speckled enamel canner, but it doesn’t fit well on my stove. It would be great to be able to can outside this summer!
I recently bought a pressure canner but haven’t used it yet. I like having specific tools for specific tasks, so this would be great.
Yes, I am one of those people using my grandmother’s canner (and I am now a grandmother myself).