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 use a very large, very old, stock pot I got from Goodwill for my WB canning, and a pressure canner i got form a friend for PC. I would love to try this!
I have the very basic, black speckled water bath canner. I also have an older model pressure canner that tends to lose pressure, and not work well half of the time. This would be amazing to try!
my canning equipment is all hand me downs from my step-mothers mother. The trivet is a cut up pie pan with holes punched in it that her father made.
My canner is the old speckled one and I use it on my 20″ stove which is quite a challenge. This looks so much better, would love to try it!
My set up for jam is a stock pot with a round cake cooling rack in the bottom and it works great. the setup for canning peaches isn’t so great. I’ve got one of the big cheep graniteware pots and if i fill it enough to get an inch and a half of water over the top of my jars, at a full boil, the lid rattles around and water goes splattering everywhere. I’ve been thinking of replacing it with the multi-use canner from blue kitchen(http://www.bluekitchencanning.com/product/stainless-steel-multi-use-canner/) but i can’t seem to get them on the phone to order it.
I would LOVE to have this countertop canner for canning peaches. I can see how it would make my life easier and probably safer 🙂
I use an old black speckleware canner.
Wow, moving to a new home with a new kitchen, this new canner would be PERFECT!
I actually have several different pots I use for canning. A large graniteware pot I’ve had for years, a smaller one and an enamelware pot with an insert that hold just 3 pint jars that I picked up at a church sale for a few dollars.
I have a glass top stove and a limited work area around it so being able to move to counter top space would be a huge benefit. Been canning since I was a kid helping out and have seen how the process has changed over the years. This is a great idea.
I have an old school water bath set… on a glass top stove. I have wanted one of these since I first saw they were coming out!
i have my moms old blue speckled canner with a rusty jar support. I would dearly love to have new equipment like this electric canner. Your two books have finally given me the confidence to make something besides freezer jams!
Oh Wow! There are a lot of responses to this one. I actually love using my vintage gas stove in the basement close to my canning room. I have the whole kitchen set up just for canning goods. I like the classic method of water bath canning – but this new get up would be Just Perfect for my little sister who has gradually stepped up her urban – sustainable way of living. She currently only has the glass top stove and has used her grill as a burner to can. What a fantastic break through in canning inventions!
I am a beginning canner, I have only done peaches & pears so far and I have used my mother in laws supplies and completed them at her house with her help! 🙂 would love to win!!
I use a big stock pot with a metal canning rack. I bought a pressure canner last fall but I’m a little intimidated by it so I haven’t used it yet!
I bought the Ball water bath canner a few years back and it has served me well. I have a small kitchen, so I could see how this new system w/b helpful.
thanks!
My canner was purchased from a garage sale. When my 38 year-old son told me about his canning cucumbers and salsa, I figured I could do it. I would love to upgrade with this new electric canner.
i have a pretty old setup…looking to make things a bit easier!
I use the large speckled pot or pressure cooker according to my ball canning book. Would love to have one of these!
Wow – this sounds great! I have a the classic speckled pot for larger jars; for the smallest jars I use my stockpot with a silicone trivet (also found on your site 🙂 ) .
I don’t have much experience in canning, We sold my Mom’s pressure cookers when she passed away because we were scared of them and didn’t know enough to use them. So I freeze a lot of stuff. However, I think I could definitely handle canning with this. I also have a ceramic glass top stove so this would work great. Thanks for the opportunity
I am recently retired and was considering a garden and canning as a new long term project. This new canner would be a great way to start! Growing up my mother always canned and our meals were great.
This would be amazing to own. Love the idea of freeing up a burner on my stove in the canning process.
I picked up a speckled canner at a yard sale but it is a big one. Kind of heavy with all that water. I learned to can from a friend a couple of years ago and am enjoying it. I look for recipes online and buy books to make sure I am doing it the right way. This looks like it would be easier to drain water and I like the idea that you can use the counter. My hood over my stove is way too low for canning. Interested in finding out how you like it.:)
Wow, that’s awesome! I agree with one of the other commenters – my stove top takes a beating and it would be nice to give it a break.
I use to use a standard speckled canner, with the ridged bottom, on a glass top stove – I know, bad idea. After a particularly heavy canning season, the main burner on my stove failed. So, now I have a flat bottomed giant stockpot with a silicone trivet in it. Work great so far. Oh, and now I know how to replace the burner in a glass top stove – annoying, but very doable. 🙂
I freeze everything in the Ball freezer jars, I hate plastic! I’ve wanted to can but my ceramic cooktop won’t keep a consistent heat and I’m also a little nervous. I think this would give me a little confidence!
i am so glad that Ball decided to make this product! I can all the time and can’t wait to get one for myself!
We use an old fashion water bath canner. Upgrade would be nice.
I use an ancient Cuisinart stock pot that is missing a handle and a mis-matched lid turned upside down to fit tighter. I have a silicone trivet and a metal canning rack.
I love it, but it would be awfully nice to give my stove top a break…I feel like it takes a beating.
I have a classic ball stoneware canner with metal rack. this would clear up some stove room nicely
Currently I use an small pot you previously recommended that just holds three little jars stacked on top of each other. Ultra small batch canning!
A speckled canner and pressure cooker. With a window unit during the summer, this would be awesome to use instead.
I’ve been canning for more than 40 years, and am now teaching my daughter and granddaughters how to can. Their stove is an old Thermador gas cook top, which is not ideal because the small, round grates stand quite high – not as stable as I’d like. For safety’s sake, the Ball FreshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner & Multi-Cooker is very appealing. Plus, putting a modern spin on an “old-fashioned” activity is a nice way to sell the process to my young ones. My inherited granite-ware canners that I use probably don’t impress the granddaughters – ha ha. I never thought about using a silicone trivit but will give that a try. Obviously, I hope I win the give-away, but even if I don’t, you’ve whet my appetite for a piece of new equipment. Thanks for the opportunity. Canning has come a long way since the 1950s when I was relegated to the basement steps of my grandma’s home while Grandma, Mom, and my aunts energetically worked baskets of fruit and vegetables on a massive table centered in the cool dark basement, and canned on an old-time gas stove. In my memory, they worked together like a well-oiled machine. Ah, sweet memories in a jar.
I’m using a “real” canning pot, the old speckled metal one. It has been is use for more years than I can recall and has definitely seen better days. This new fancy rig would be a nice alternative. And during the busy canning times, I could use both the old and new to take care of my canning quicker!
Alas, I have a glass cook top so the only canning I do now is small batch in a pasta pot with a towel inside. Sometimes, in the summer, I’ll use the side burner on my grill to heat a big canner but it is so slow. This would be perfect for me as I LOVE canning and my family loves what I preserve.
I finally got into canning a couple years ago in an effort not to lose the canning recipes that are in my grandma’s head. They were passed down to her by her mother and her mother received them from hers. I am super excited to move into our new house in a few weeks since we bought a gas stove specifically for my canning. I use the old black speckled canning pot currently and it is great for small batches, but I would like a more efficient way to can large batches. I currently have this electric canner pinned to my wish list in Pinterest.
Canning outside is something I hadn’t considered, although I should have as I converted a camper sink/countertop to work outside on our covered patio. I pictured being able to clean garden produce there–I’ll expand that to include my canning pot also. (My current set up is just the largest stock pot I can find on our gas stove…). This electric one sounds really great! I’m sure I could rig something up with an extension cord…..
I got a stainless steel canning lot last year and love it. My mom and I cannot can together as my kitchen is too small and she has a glasstop stove that doesn’t hold a boil steadily. I love this…we could finally can together!
i am disabled and on a very limited budget. I would love to start canning to help offset our grocery bill. I don’t have any equipment, but I’m hoping to start getting some soon and this would help us out a lot.
I use an old agate canner, so heavy! This new one looks like it would make canning a lot easier.
I use a huge canning pot on the stove. Lots of sweat involved, especially on tomato days. It also gets pretty crowded on that stove, and being able to move a pot over to the counter would be so helpful. What a fantastic giveaway!
I just started canning this past year. I have a simple Presto canner that I bought from Tractor Supply Store. I have just planted my garden and am looking forward to delving into some serious canning this year!
Not having any supplies, I’ve always just stuck to freezer jams. But with this setup, the options would be endless! And my farmer’s market opens today! Time to pick up my CSA bag!
What a great. I still use an agate canner an gated worry about it getting chipped. This would make canning a lot easier.
I just rented a house with a ceramic cooktop stove, and subsequently learned you can’t use it for canning! So I need one of these! Thanks for your great posts!
We have a big pot and a gerry-rigged rack. This would be great!
I’m using an 18Qt stockpot and a silicone rivet to can my pints and quarts and my Kuhn Rikon 4th burner pot for small batch stuff. Would love to try this new canner so it doesn’t heat up the kitchen as much.
I have a speckled canner that I purchased as a new bride in 1968. The canner has outlasted the marriage. I only want to trade up as it is so heavy to move when full of water. The Fresh TECH would make canning less strenuous and more efficient.
I use a huge water bath canner on a glass top range….never had issues with it, but I will be the first to admit that it takes forever to heat up and is heavy to boot. I use a stock pot for small batches. This would be nice to have a I could get all the canning done at once.
i have and old stockpot! Thank you for the giveaway.
I’ve processed food for years with the blue canners and pressure canners. I’ve raised 6 kids and when they were all at home my canning season didn’t end until there was 100’s of jars of food. 2 years ago my home was hit by flooding and I lost all of my canning supplies and I’m slowly trying to replace them, jars and all. This would be a God Send to own!