just bought a pressure cooker at a yard sale,,,, 2 quarts, cheap,,, seal looks good, no gauge, but has the "shaker" on top. The question for today is,,, how do I test it to make sure its ok to use??? STAN

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), August 12, 2000

Answers

The only thing you need to do is to make sure the hole the shaker sits on isn't plugged. Any other problems (like cracks, dents etc) would be obvious. I think some makers will send you an owner's manual if you write them. If you didn't get the instructions, you should try to get them.

==>paul

-- paul (p@ledgewood-consulting.com), August 12, 2000.

The weighted "shaker" gauges don't need to be tested like the dial gauges do. If everything is OK like mentioned above then don't worry.

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), August 12, 2000.

Paul: NOT TRUE!!!!!! As it is pointed out in most instruction books that come with reputable pressure canners, dropping the canner can result in hairline cracks and fractures that are microscopic and not at all visible to the naked eye, and while you might be able to use them safely for a while, eventually such a fault will cause a failure in the canner, sometimes catastrophically. The only way to be sure is to send the canner to a factory, preferably the manufacturer - although any manf. should be willing to do it for a small fee, and have it tested for unseen faults ( I think they have some sort of X- ray or mag. resonance test or some such). You never know who did what to it and it may be for sale for this very reason (unusability) You would hope that no one would put others at risk, but in today's world, caveat emptor (buyer beware) is still the rule of the day.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), August 13, 2000.

Mornin' Stan: I suggest you find the manufacturer's name and look them up on the net. Most of them have sites that will give you good instructions and a way to ask questions.

-- Peg (NW WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), August 13, 2000.

SEALS on all pressure cooker and canners should be checked EVERY year, and if you have the kind with gages, they should be checked for proper measurement. Your local hardware store can do this. Mine does, anyway, I'm no longer sure what they do anywhere else... I was not aware of the microscopic cracks, but that's definitely something to be afraid of. My sis in law was cooking beans in her pressure cooker and it literally exploded all over her kitchen. No one was in there at the time, thank God, or there would have been some SERIOUS injuries. The weighted pressure cookers or canners, will always maintain the proper weights, but everything else should be checked out.

-- Louise Whitley (whitley@terraworld.net), August 13, 2000.

Pressure Cookers Test

To test your pressure cooker for proper operation....

put water in cooker, attach lid, place weight on. Turn on fire...stand back and wait. I did say STAND BACK!

If in 20 minutes the lid didn't blow or the pot didn't blow up it is fine!

if it did...call your homeowners insurance and remoldel your kitchen!

it is so simple!!! ROFL!!!

(getting up and dusting self off making sure no one saw me)

-- Ima Gardener (ima@gardener.com), August 15, 2000.

Now Ima, (tongue in cheek) don't check the damn thing in your kitchen, put it on a propane camp stove way outback & then go into the kitchen for 20 minutes (don't forget to close the door) LOL! Jane

-- Jane Gauch (sewbears4u@hotmail.com), August 17, 2000.