I have a canning pot but it is so big and I canned just a few half pint jars recently and just used the smallest pot I had that would keep them well under water.
so yes you can use any pot you have that will keep them like an inch under water, and use some tongs of a jar grabber to take them out.
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I use a really large heavy pot. It is one you would use for crab or lobster. It does have a large "basket" that goes down inside it so I am able to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. I did have one of those black speckled canning pots but I like this better as it holds more jars and I can use it for quarts, pints and jelly jars.
I also have a pressure canner for things like green beans, meat, soups ect. It holds 7 quart jars.
I use a stock pot. Really, I should have a canner thingie with a basket to keep the jars off the bottom. It is important. But I don't and I haven't spent the money to get one. I should.
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Lauren January 2009
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A canning pot thingy is nice because it fits the jars in it so nicely, and allows for more jars. But I have canned in a regular stock pot many times, because I don't own one of those thingys, lol. One day I'll get one, I hope!
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For steam canning or water bath canning yes, you can can in anything... but if you have a recipe that requires pressure canning, please don't use anything but a pressure canner.
Beside that, apple sauce, tomato sauce, anything high acid will be fine in whatever you find. Being off the bottom of the pot and submerged in lots of water is the benifit of using a canner... it does all that for you, but smaller batches can be done in anything.
Val
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I've heard you can throw in a couple handfuls of small clean rocks so that the jars are off the bottom of the pot if you don't have a rack.
Kerri
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I've heard you can throw in a couple handfuls of small clean rocks so that the jars are off the bottom of the pot if you don't have a rack.
Kerri
Or a folded towel is what one of my books suggest. it was funny, because when I first read your reply (with fabric in mind) I read it as clean socks! LOL
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I'm glad I read this. I'm going out to get pectin and jars for elderberry jelly in a bit, and I sold my water bath canner when I moved from Olympia. I have a huge stock pot and was wondering the same thing, and I couldn't see why not - but I was going to buy one of the racks for the pot if it fit inside it. Rocks are even better! We have, um, *plenty* of those. Plenty of towels/diapers/etc too, LOL. I do need a jar grabber. But those are like two bucks.
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