Back in April, I teamed up with my friends at MightyNest for a canning party at a fabulous cooking school in Evanston called Now We’re Cookin’. I made a batch of my honey-sweetened strawberry jam for the gathered audience and signed a bunch of books. MightyNest held on to a small cache of those signed books and is currently giving one away (along with six pretty tulip-shaped Weck jars and a sturdy bamboo cutting board). The giveaway ends today (all this travel has me off my blogging game) and so if you want to enter, please head over to this blog post right now!
Another thing came out of that night in Evanston. The MightyNest team was so taken with my 4th burner pot (I tucked it into my checked luggage and brought it with me on that trip) that they’ve added them to their product line. This is my favorite piece of cookware for small batch canning. I use it as a canning pot. I heat up my pickling liquid in it. I use it as a tea kettle when canning tomatoes and other water packed vegetables. It’s versatile, it’s sturdy, and it only costs $40.
Updated to add: The MightyNest folks just sent me the code for the widget, so you can now enter the giveaway right here!
*Just so you know, MightyNest is a Food in Jars sponsor. However, I loved their products and their team long before they started sending a few bucks my way to help support this site. They are good people.
I am new to your blog, and to canning as well. I’m utterly intrigued with this 4th burner pot. Do most small (1/2 pint and pint) jars fit in this pot? I think I need to buy one.
You can stack two wide mouth half pints or three wide mouth Collection Elite jars into a 4th burner pot. It also holds a single pint very nicely. Truly, it doesn’t have a huge capacity, but you can process nearly every recipe in Preserving by the Pint in it.
Silly question — but when water processing in the 4th burner pot … do the half-pint jars nestle in there side-by-side? Or do you stack them? (is that even allowed????) How many jars fit? And are they the regular mouth half-pint or the short-squat wide-mouth?
I stack the jars (they don’t fit side-by-side). You can stack two wide mouth half pints or three wide mouth Collection Elite jars into a 4th burner pot. It also holds a single pint very nicely.
Thanks for clarification … right now I’m working with regular-mouth half-pints jars, partially because I like the quilted pattern, and partially because I thought I was going to make freezer jam, so I picked those with no shoulders. Next time I need jars, I think I’m going to try the wide-mouth version, so will consider this pot at that time.
Note to other newbies: I bought the Ball enameled pot, but it takes SOOOOOO long to bring to a boil on my low-end electric range AND it rusted when I let water sit a couple of days (I thought I was going to immediately make some more jam), so I’m a little underwhelmed with that. I’m now using a hard-anodized aluminum 6qt stockpot that boils oh so much faster, but there’s still alot of room in there if I’m only processing 3 or 4 jars.
Ball makes a stainless steel water canner. I bought one about 3 years after experiencing the same issues with the enamel pot. Good performance and no rust.
I bought this pot after reading your blog. One of my absolute fave kitchen items!
Oh, I have to tell you that the 4th burner pot is a gem! I got one after you raved about it a while back. Love, love, love! So nice for a micro-batch of jam or pickles. Thanks!
Sweet! Love it!
A few month ago, I purchased a 4th burner pot based on your recommendation. I love it!! We use it for so many different tasks. It can hold over a dozen eggs for a party’s deviled eggs. Pickle brine. Skinning tomatoes, plums & peaches. Heating lids. Thanks for describing this wonderful pot!
Neat! So it’s handy AND cute! 🙂
What a great pot for small kitchens! I have Preserving by the Pint, now I need the newest book and that pot.
It was quite the comedy last night as I was making another batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam (this time with ginger and orange). As I was putting my 3rd half-pint of 6 into the jacuzzi, my basic Ball jar lifter “broke”. One of the black things fell into the boiling water. The hood light is burned out, so I raced down the hall to my emergency flashlight. So I’m shining a flashlight into the pot, using tongs to fish out the two black pieces, and of course the water is boiling vigorously and splashing onto my bosom (ouch). I’m unable to repair the lifter — but I safely get the remaining jars in and then 10 minutes later, all jars out. But here’s the punch line: I discover this morning that I was using the jar lifter UPSIDE DOWN! The black parts are the HANDLES — they are never supposed to go IN the water. Somehow I thought the black parts were all roll-y so they could slide up and down the jar or something. No. Just to keep me from burning myself on the metal. Who else is using the jar lifter wrong?
Michelle, that’s so funny! I actually often tell people in my classes and demos to make sure that they’re using their jar lifters the right way around. It’s pretty darn common for people to use them wrong, so you’re not along!
See! That’s why you need to do a demo down here in DC-land!
Michelle, When I first started using my jar lifter I used it upside down also. I thought “darn, this thing sure takes a lot of muscle power to use in order for the jar to not slip”. I actually thought I might break it. Then one day the light bulb in my brain came on when I picked it up by the handle and noticed the curved end fit the jar perfectly. Then, I was in love with my easy-to-use jar lifter. So, can on sister. The road of improvements would not be possible without first going down the road of mistakes.
I have wanted a 4th burner pot since I first saw one on that big online shopping site that starts with an “A”. With the included basket, the uses are endless. I hope whomever wins it enjoys it to it’s fullest potential. Happy canning to all and may all your lids seal well.
I do so much small batch canning. The 4th burner pot
would be so handy. Wish i had it right now, a friend gave me
two pounds of apricots. I plan on making preserves out of
them if I can keep my husband from eating them all.
Loved seeing the 4th burner pot in action @ your book signing and demo last night at The Cakery. This is going on my wish list!
I bought a 4th burner pot on your recommendation and my favorite use for it is making dulce de leche. Thanks!
I would use the credit at Fillmore container to get more glass jars. I have started canning now that fresh fruits and vegetables have started coming into the local farmers market and really enjoying this after a long difficult winter. I really like that the jars are not quilted -who ever thought that was a good idea?. Thanks for your blog, really enjoy it, great ideas.
I am a self proclaimed jar-aholic 😀
I would use the credit at Fillmore container to get more glass jars. I make a lot of my own products such as chipotle tomato jam, carmelized onion relish, homemade cookie mixes, various spiced nut mixes, as well as DIY spa products for “spa day” with my daughter.
Many family and friends have enjoyed these products as part of the gift baskets I create for special occasions.
Jars of all sizes are used in my everyday life to store everything from flour for baking to buttons for craft projects.
Your blog is such an inspiration and thank you for sharing 🙂