When to Preserve Foods Using Pressure Cookers for Canning and When to Freeze

If you garden, you’re familiar with the mix of elation and dread that comes when the garden blooms into an enormous medley of ripe fruits and veggies. The elation comes from seeing the garden flourish. The dread comes when you realize you have no idea what to do with this huge surplus!

Don’t worry–canning and freezing are two tried and true methods to preserve food to enjoy your plentiful harvest year-round. The question becomes, ‘should I freeze or can?’ Here are some things to consider when deciding:

Safety First—While both methods are safe when performed properly, canning and freezing present different challenges to consider. Low-acidic foods like meats, dairy and certain vegetables can develop harmful bacteria when canned, making it important to follow canning directions to the T. Fortunately, using pressure cookers for canning, like Fagor pressure cookers with their tested recipes, eliminates this risk.

Freezing comes with safety considerations. First, food should always be kept at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Power outages or frequently opening a freezer door compromises the food. If these possibilities exist, using pressure cookers for canning may be a better alternative.

Frozen food has an expiration date that can be as short as 1 month to as long as 1 year, depending on the type of food. To be safe, you should be aware of these dates, mark them on the packages, and honor them.

All canned foods should be consumed within 12 months after canning in order to be safe, and just as with frozen foods, the date should be clearly marked and followed.

Practical Considerations—It’s wise to consider what is most practical for you, as well as the way you plan to use the food.  

Freezing can require little time initially, but remember, the food must be thawed when you need it. Food frozen without thought can be disappointing when you want a good meal. If you follow best practices when you freeze to ensure optimal flavor and texture, freezing can take as much time as canning. For instance, blanching vegetables in advance of freezing preserves their color, texture, taste and nutritional value by stopping them from forming enzymes. Blanching also cleans dirt and organisms and improves the color.

In terms of resources, make sure you have ample freezer space and factor in the electricity costs of keeping food frozen, especially if you need to purchase an extra freezer.  

Using pressure cookers for canning can be more labor intensive, but on the upside, the food is ready to eat when you are, and the flavor is often much better. Some love the canning process, so the preparation may not be a drawback.