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 have a large water bath pot. This new pot looks great!
I have a water bath canner that I bought at a garage sale 42 years ago this summer. I also bought a few dozen blue Ball jars that I paid the sweet older lady 25 cents for!
I’d love to start canning and this would be great!!
Oh my goodness, how I would love this. I live in New England so the lobster pot and the canning pot (and the dye pot) are all the same. It would be great to have a pot that was dedicated for canning!
Currently I just use a water bath for my canning. I have only been canning for 2 years now. Would love to get into canning more, but I know I need to invest in a better setup. Would love to get one of these!
My mother in law taught me how to can & has given me most of my equipment. I thank God she taught me. It has really helped being able to can the harvest from our garden since we have 4 kids. Every penny counts these days! I would love to be able to use one of these FreshTech canners to be able to do more at once & not heat up the kitchen on hot summer days.
I have a pressure canner and I use a huge stockpot as a water bath canner. It’s been a couple of years but I’m ready to hop back in! Our new places has 5 peach trees that are setting fruit!!
I’ve never canned before. I’ve been reading posts and books on how to start. This would be an awesome way to actually get MOVING and DO IT! Good luck everyone!
I think this looks perfect for my canning needs!! Love that it frees up space on my stove for other projects!
I use a stock pot. Last year was my first year canning. Plans are to hopefully do bunches more this year
My BF gave me a very large pressure cooker set-p for Christmas, cant wait to use it! I must admit, I’m a little afraid of it though!
I currently have two old water bath canners from my mother and a lady at my church who no longer cans, but my glass top will not heat them as their bottoms are not flat. So, I have to do my canning at the church’s kitchen each year! We’ve made it a community affair, but it would be nicer to have the option to do it at home from time to time and do more smaller batches for other crops, too.
I do the big stockpot thing since I have a ceramic stove and need a flat bottom pot. This pot looks like it would require much less babysitting which would be great!
I can on my stove top in a stock pot. I have a tiny kitchen and would love to be able to can in another room and free up some kitchen space on busy cooking days.
This looks awesome! I use an old heavy stock pot that takes up a lot of room. This would work like a charm!
i have the MEGA canner that holds 8+ jars. Won it at a canning class many moons ago. I would love something smaller.
I just use a big stock pot, but it leaves my cooktop pretty crowded. This looks like a great set up.
My sister helped me get set up with canning & gave me a water bath canner for Christmas many years ago. But this would be nice!
I have a medium sized granite canning pot fitted with a trivet on the bottom. It’s not too big, it’s not too small; I purchased it years ago. My typical batch of jam is 5 or 6 half pint jars so it really is just about the right size. I have a HUGE pressure canner that I purchased at an estate sale but I haven’t used it yet, kind of afraid of it I suppose. I have not tried pressure canning and although I understand that one must follow directions to a “T”, I haven’t had the time or the guts to try it.
I currently use a stockpot with insert. I’ve been eyeballing the new Ball canner due to concerns with using the canner on my glass top range. I’m a mom of three young kids and we increased our canning to cover nearly all our year-round veggie needs. It’s such a great part of our family life!
I use a stock pot with a silicone trivet, but am always a little nervous about putting too much on my glass induction cooktop, so this would be great!
I love this! I use a hand me down water bath canned that’s on it’s last season, and a pressure canner that I bought new. Being not even 30 and having a canning storage like grandmothers in the past makes me feel like I’m keeping a long standing tratition alive. Plus my kids love canning season, fresh from our garden to a jar to enjoy all year long!
I have one of those overly large waterbath pots that belonged to a lady that taught me how to can. But it is so large I can’t use it well on my electric stove. I haven’t canned in a while because of it…I need this so I can get started again! I did buy one of Freshtechs Jam Makers and LOVE it!
im currently using a gauged pressure canner given to me by an older lady at church. I can hundreds of quarts with it a year. I have 5 young children (7, 6, 2, and 1 year old twins). I find it really difficult to have to sit with my canner but I don’t dare leave it due to fears of the pressure getting too high. It’s is difficult in my current situation!
I always can with my mom and use her supplies. Last time we did not finish, so she had to leave them with me! Ha! Thanks for the opportunity to win….
I use my old blue waterbath canner that I’ve been using for over 50 years. I still love to can and I make tons of jam and jelly for my big family plus I can vegetables, pickles, etc. I use my pressure canner, too.
This looks amazing!! Being able to can outside would save me so much time in clean up! It heats up in August in Iowa, which is when all of my produce seems to come on and everything needs picked and processed at once! I want two! 🙂
I have my grandmother’s canning pot and her utensils to go with it. I also still have some of her mason jars, but there are not too many of those left.
Depending on the batch size use a speckled canning pot with rack or a stock pot with a small rack. I do also have a silicone trivet.
I’ve been pressure canning everything, as I am worried my glass top stove will not bear the weight of a full pot of water and jars.
I have no idea how long I’ve had my pot. Probably around 36 years since I had to buy my own pot when I married and left home. I teach my friends to can now. That pot would be great for taking to friends’ houses for circuit riding canning.
I have Ball Fresh Tech Canner purchased last year. As last year was my first year canning, it gave me the necessary confidence to try. Would love to try water bath canning this season.
I do not have a canning set up, as this will be my first year canning. I’d love to have this to get me started though!
I have the stockpot and silicon trivet you recommend! They replaced a mishmash of not quite right equipment last year. But now I’ve moved and have a glass top stove an am worried about cracking the top. 🙁 This would certainly solve that problem!
I have the speckled water bath canner purchased years ago when I first began canning. It’s a bugger to lift to the sink to empty out so I began to ‘bail’ out the water once it’s cooled. Something smaller would be more beneficial. This looks like it would fit the bill quite nicely!
This would my first canner. Looking forward to canning this season.
i use a stockpot and insert. Canning brings back memories of canning with my mom as a kid. I wish I had her canning supplies from back then. I wish I would have learned more before she passed away.
I use a hand me down water bath canner that my grandmother gave me. It does the job! I also have an older pressure canner that my grandfather rebuilt for me– I have to admit, I’m a little scared to try it out!
I use both a steam canner and a traditional hot water bath canner. I’m building a LEED Platinum home that will have induction cooking…and I’d love to move my canning off the stove with the Ball product.
Got fully set up for water bath and pressure canning last year. Had to buy all new equipment. Altho I do have my grandmothers old pressure cooker that she canned in but its very small (and terrifyingly loud!).
My water bath canner is my original. 35 years old. I bought a pressure canner last fall and am learning to use it for vegetables in particular. I would love to add Tue Ball canner toy kitchen, as canning what I grow is my passion
This looks absolutely awesome.
Soo need this for 2015 canning season
I have my grandmothers old canning pot that has seen better days. I am planting a garden this year for the first time and a new setup for canning would sure be a big help as this is going to be my first time I will be doing a large amount of canning as well.
i bought a super basic setup on Amazon last summer when I started canning (in thanks to your blog!) I am COVETING this new FreshTECH dealie! I have little ones at home, and this just seems safer.
This is exactly what I need! I use a stock pot and one of the silicone trivet you recommended years ago. It works, but I wish I could do even just slightly larger batches than what fit in my pot.
i use my grandmothers old water bath!
I had to teach myself how to can. I would have loved to have learned how from a grandmother or even an aunt but I have an aunt that tells me how much I remind her of her (happens to also be my name sake) and how proud they would be of me. I would absolutely love to have one of the canners. It would save so much time and space in my small kitchen. I could actually place it on my dining table. What an incredible gift to win.
unfortunately, I have a glass top range which doesn’t support my pressure canner. So I do all my canning at my mother’s. Would love something I could use at home, especially now things are growing in my garden!
In days long gone by, when my family was young, I canned furiously all summer long. I used whatever I could find…big blue speckled stock pots, pressure cookers that rattled the cups in the cabinets, you name it…I used it! Gradually, as they grew, I scaled back until I was no longer canning the summer’s bounty. Then, surprisingly, one morning as I made myself a breakfast of toast and mass-produced strawberry jam, I realized I missed my home made preserves and jam. I wanted jam that tasted like fresh fruit, not sugar or artificial flavorings. I don’t really like not knowing what’s inside that can of tomatoes or green beans. I wanted control over the foods I ate. So, for the last year or so, I’ve been trying to get back into canning my own but since I have long-since given away my canning tools, I have to start all over. And with a glass top stove, I’ve been concerned about damaging it. Last summer, I used a single electric burner unit with a tall pot to can small batches. I would love to have this Ball FreshTech canner because I know it would allow me to preserve so much more!
I use my mother-in-law’s old canning set-up (pressure canner) or an ENORMOUS water bath canner. I would love to have this unit because of it’s smaller size, especially since I only do smaller batches now.
i have been using my Grandma’s old canning pot. We are about to move into a house with a glass top stove so I was just showing my husband this canner and saying how nice it would be. I can’t wait to get our garden going and start canning again.
This looks like the bee’s knees! I gave up my ancient, beat-up aluminum canner when we switched out our range to an induction cook-top – the wonky bottom made for lots of problems. 🙁 Currently use a 20 quart stock pot with a home-made rack (canning rings, tied together). This looks awesome — and ahem: did you say ‘tamales’??????
I do have my grandmothers, but it is the biggest size and doesn’t fit on rhe stove top I have now. This new canning system would be wonderful…I love rhe idea of canning outside.
Just getting started! The ability to move it outside is what I love!
My husband and I do a lot of canning and really need to replace our canner that is 50 years old used by my mother in law before she died at age 97
I have an enamelware canner. Would love this one to make the job easier.
I use my mothers old canning pot. It is dented and starting to rust. This would be amazing.
My Grandmother canned all the time. I have only been able to water bath can right now because I don’t have the money for a special canner. I write to her everyone i learn to can something new because she can’t hear well on the phone. It just reminds me how much I miss those times. I good to pass the tradition in to my daughter, too,
I use a large pot and a silicone trivet on a gas range. I would LOVE to try an electric canner to free up my stovetop and perhaps be a little cooler in summer months (an issue in Florida!) when I do most of my canning. Thanks!
stock pot with rack, been looking to buy one of these
I use an enamel water bath canning pot. It was fine for canning on our old stove, but now that we have a glass cooktop, I worry about filling the pot with more than a few jars due to the weight. I’d love to try this type of “stand alone” canner.
I need a canning setup. This year we are planning to plant a large garden and I have chosen the recipes to make and process in my canner– but I don’t have a plan for getting one yet.
We can’t wait for canning season.
I have an enamel pot with a jar insert for big jobs, and use a spaghetti pot with a heat resistant plastic basket for small projects.
I have a steam canner but not a water bath set up.
Oh I would love this. I have a glass top stove and use the old fashioned pots. Risky I know.
I use a small stock pot with a rack made from extra canning rings.
New canner. Bad back. Great idea.
This would be a wonderful setup for outside canning on the back porch since my new kitchen is w-a-y smaller than the last one we had. I do have a large stainless steel stockpot at the moment that I’ve been using for canning but this one looks amazing for those huge batches of tomatoes and salsas.
I have an old enamel water bath canner I bought years ago at an auction, as well as tons of jars as well. While I love using it, I also love the idea of having a pot off the stove, especially in the hot days of summer!
I am using garage sale set ups. I would love this.
I would love to have this canner because I have a glass top stove and have already broken one side.
I have an old-fashioned canner, but I now have a smooth-top stove. Since the manufacturer advises against using a canner on the stove, I have to carry everything to an old propane apartment-sized stove we store in the garage.
I use a large stock pot that needs replaced. This would be awesome!
i need this. Moving cross country to a new house with the electric glass top stove leaving a gas stove top.
I use a large enamel pot with a wire rack that was handed down to me. It works great but I would love to be able to can without using my stove top.
I have an inherited enamel pot. It’s getting old but has been useful over the years
I currently use all my mothers old canning supplies. Would love this!
I have a stockpot type canner. I would LOVE one of these new ones.
-Kristie
I am using the family old set up,this would be absolutely amazing!!!!
I use a canner and rack set my mother bought me when I got married 33 years ago. I have the jelly maker and love it. So I am willing to upgrade my technology for canning as well.
I use a large stockpot that will need to be replaced in the near future. I have stackable racks that will hold up to 12 jars at once. My husband has to lift it to empty because it is so heavy. This pot would be ideal.
I currently use my stepdads old canner he got from his mom. But it is old & it is a little scary to use! I sure could use a new one that i’m not going to be afraid to use!
Ball canning pot with a rack, but I bought a silicone trivet to try out this year
Summer is coming.
I am using the canning pot that my mother used when i was growing up.
I am using an old fashioned set up…I NEED THIS!!!!
I could have seriously used this last summer when my stove broke at the height of cucumber season! Right now I have both a water bath and a steam canner.
Canning usually a full morning with lg pot. This looks like it might make it a lot easier! Would love one, thanks for the chance!
I have a 24-qt stockpot, but not a well fitting rack in the bottom…
I’m in the market for a new set up.
I have a good old stainless stock pot I use for everything else and one of those trivets you taught us about. I would LOVE this for those summer days, plus it would be more energy efficient.
I am actually using my Grandmother’s canning pot.
I use my old harvest gold pressure canner as a water bath canner, and it weighs a ton filled with water! I am not supposed to pick up anything over 10 pounds, so this new canner sounds fabulous!
I have a water bathe canner and a pressure canner. I need a new one !!
I have a pot from a yard sale that is really tall and I have to use a foot stool. I then have to put a towel in the water because I don’t have a rack. This would be way more convenient.
i AM using my grandmothers setup and have been for years. I live in a super small house so space is limited and the stove is in a tiny area and I have a ridiculously busy schedule!
This would make life so fun and speed up the process!
I have the 21 qt stainless steel canning pot by cook n home for replacement of my rusted speckled blue water bath canning but I cannot use it because I cannot find a rack to sit inside of it. I ordered a round rack to sit inside but both racks sent to me are not flat so the jars won’t sit properly for canning.
I am out of commission at this time. 🙁 I would love to have a new Ball canner and the spout makes it easy to empty with my arthritis so I think this new pot is a godsend.
I have a secondhand canning pot my mom got me… I should probably get a new one. Thanks for the giveaway!
I currently have the black enamel pot that I use on my glass top stove. The height of the pot makes it difficult to fill and empty but it gets the job done. I can’t wait for tomato canning season.
I use the good, old, speckled granite ware scanners. It would be great to be able to can using counter space!