Ball freshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner and Multi-Cooker

While I did like it while it worked, the day the spigot snapped and blew off across my kitchen nearly scalding me has changed my mind. And the company does not respond. I emailed, with pictures, twice. Heard back once – a month later, to request pictures again – which I sent along with my home address for sending me a replacement part. Nothing. Nada, zilch. Then last week – 3 months later I get an email saying that my file is closed and to call the 1-800 number if I have concerns. So I try. It does not connect. If you do purchase this item, be aware of this significant safety hazard

After posting this review I actually heard from the company and within a week had my replacement spigot. Like other reviewers I love the unit but will only give 3 stars because of customer service. You can do better than a 5 month silence.

So this is my second Ball Fresh Tech Water Bath Canner. I sent the first one back for doing the same thing in the bottom of the canner. This shedding of the metal ends up like tiny “dust” or “flakes” on your jar lids after they have finished processing. This is completely unacceptable! How healthy can this be. The finish inside the canner is also weird after the first batch of jam was processed. It was rough, but not pitted, like the bottom. I was able to use my sink scrubber to remove the gritty texture on the walls of the canner.

The thing is, I figured it was a fluke when the first canner, WHICH I LOVE, did this. Yes, I love using this great canner! It frees up my stove top, keeps the water boiling at the correct temperature (which is not adjustable, even though it has some indicators on the dial that should provide some temperature changes – but does not), it is incredibly easy to use and saves my back not having to haul a heavy, water filled pot to the sink. I seriously love this canner. But how on earth can the metal flaking inside it be o.k?

So I sent it back and reordered a new one. Well, I just put up 39 jars of elderberry jam, and after finishing and removing the rack to clean the pot, it is clearly showing the same problem with the aluminum pitting! Obviously, this pot is going back as well, but I am so incredibly disappointed this is happening. I will order another one in the hopes that the two pots I got were from a bad batch production, or something. But boy am I disappointed.

Water bath canning is SO easy with this item. Stove top canners and over-stove microwaves are very difficult to maneuver, and take up so much room on the stovetop. I had never seen one of these until watching a gardening TV show and this was being used. I immediately looked on Amazon and the price, at that time, was more than I was willing to spend. I persisted and managed to catch it on a day the price was lowered and couldn’t order it fast enough! I have canned over 8 dozen pints this summer and it works great. Sits by the sink while being used, and when finished just open up the valve and drain right into the sink. If you do much water bath canning this is a wonderful product to have!!!!

As a senior, I’d given up on canning for several reasons. My new stove has a glass cook top, the huge canning pot was too heavy for me to handle, lifting a rack of jars into and out of the bath canner was getting too heavy, and discarding the water from bath canner was a lot of work.
The Ball Fresh Tech Electric Water Bath Canner has renewed my love for canning. I ordered it on a Sunday afternoon and by Tuesday, I was grinding veggies for my sweet pepper relish, enough for 32 pints, canning 8 pints at a time. The next day I did 14 half pint jars of tiny, red pickled beets. The instructions say to do no more than 12 jars, but I found 14 fit in comfortably. The only fault I could find is that I couldn’t get water to simmer for the jar preheat … it would click off before water went into a boil, so I had it on the canning setting all along. But otherwise, I was so pleased with it, I didn’t knock off a star! And the parts nest nicely for storing, Will be doing a lot more canning again, like I used to when I was younger.

I borrowed my friends water bath canner and fell in love. I used hers and mine at the same time and it made canning so quick. Sadly, my other friend ordered two of these and both of them had issues and wouldn’t work. She had to send them both back to be replaced. When they work they are amazing!