So when you guys put the lids and bands on, do you finger- tighten them, crank them down, or finger-tight them while they process and then crank them after you take them out?
Many on here have said what they do or don't do.
I like to follow USDA standards , but on some things they really haven't tested them.
I used to believe water bath canning or oven canning meat was a NO, NO!
After more studying examples , find that they work, have been done long before pressure canning became a method.
My thoughts are if they failed , something was forgotten , or a step was missed.
Someone brought up jars aren't as heavy as before, same as lids aren't as thick or have a rubber seal as thick or as large as before.
All of that is true.
I saw a deal over 20 years ago , on E BAY , for lids around 4 cents each.
They came out of Cincinnati area , bought thousands of them.
Never have had a buckled or failed seal unless siphoning accrued .
Then only the seal failed once the material under the lid decomposed and caused a leak between the lid and jar.
Ran out of pint jars and bought some new ones , lids and rings.
Made a batch of green beans , used the new lids and as mentioned above finger tight with the rings.
Finger tight is different for everyone.
I tighten as tight as I can with just my fingers , and a little more.
Never had a lid buckle until I used the new lids on the new pint jars.
Doesn't take much to see the difference between the newer lids and my stash of older lids.
And I reuse them, something you might not want to try with the newer lids.
Same with canners.
I have a bunch of old National canners , and those canners are heavy .
Close to a half inch thick.
The canners today are lighter and from what I've read , have more problems than canning with the older canners.
I never liked the idea of " JUST SET IT AND FORGET IT " as the newer canners have so many gadgets and stops and pop ups and dials and just set it and forget it ideas.
I maybe old fashion , but those old canners I have will out last the newer ones by another 100 years.
I also use propane turkey fryer burners for canning outside!
Why heat up the house when most of the canning is being done in the summer?
To me it's just what you want to believe in.
I'll stick with the old ways and older canners.