All American vs Presto
Two very different answers to the same job. One lasts forever and may not fit your stove; the other fits almost everything and needs a gauge test.
Disclosure: we earn a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend — see how we pick and our affiliate disclosure.
The All American 921 uses a machined metal-to-metal seal with no gasket and is built to last decades, but its published base is 15 3/8 inches — too wide for most household electric elements under the NCHFP 4-inch rule. The Presto 23-quart is far cheaper and narrower, holds a larger load, and uses a dial gauge that should be tested annually.
This is the comparison almost everyone reaches eventually, and it is usually framed as budget versus heirloom. That framing hides the thing that should actually decide it, which is your stove. Below are the published specifications side by side, then the decision.
The specifications, as published
| All American 921 | Presto 23-Quart (01781) | |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid capacity | 21.5 quarts | 23 quarts |
| Jar capacity | 18 pints or 7 quarts | 26 half-pints, 20 pints, 7 quarts |
| Seal | Metal-to-metal, no gasket | Sealing ring (replaceable) |
| Gauge | Geared steam gauge | Dial gauge |
| Regulator | 5, 10 or 15 psi | Dial-read, with a regulator |
| Material | Cast aluminum | Warp-resistant aluminum |
| Bottom exterior diameter | 15 3/8 inches | Not published by Presto |
| Inside diameter | 12 1/4 inches | Not published |
| Weight, empty | 24 pounds | Not published |
| Doubles as a water bath canner | With the lid off | Yes, stated by Presto |
| Burner limit | Not published | 12,000 BTUs or less |
| Warranty | Not published on the product page | 12-year limited |
The gasket question
This is the All American's headline advantage and it is real. A machined metal-to-metal seal has no rubber component, so there is nothing to perish in a hot attic, nothing that swells, and nothing to source in September when you discover the old one has hardened. Presto sells replacement sealing rings, so this is a maintenance difference rather than a lifespan difference — but it is a maintenance step you will forget and the All American does not have.
The stove question, which usually decides it
The 921's published bottom exterior diameter is 15 3/8 inches. The NCHFP's rule for electric ranges is that a canner should be no more than 4 inches wider in diameter than its element, so the 921 wants an element of at least 11 3/8 inches. Household electric elements are commonly 6 to 9 inches.
On gas, where the flame wraps the base, the constraint is looser and the 921 is a much easier proposition. On a standard electric coil or a glass top, it frequently is not the right canner, however good it is. This is the arithmetic will it fit your stove exists to do.
Weight, and whether it matters
The 921 is 24 pounds empty. Add seven quart jars and several inches of water and it is a two-handed lift you plan around. That is worth thinking about honestly before it arrives, particularly if you will be moving it on and off a stove alone. Presto does not publish a weight for the 01781, but an aluminum canner of that style is markedly lighter.
The 921 versus the 925
If you have decided on All American, the choice between the 21.5-quart 921 and the 25-quart 925 is straightforward: the 925 is taller on the same base. It does not make your stove-fit situation any worse, and it does not make it any better either. Buy the larger one only if you are genuinely filling a 921 twice in a session.
Quick picks
Every pick below is screened against the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s published canner rules first. Tap a row for the full write-up.
| # | Product | Best for | Key spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker (01781)The default first pressure canner, and the one most beginners should buy: it takes a full seven-quart load, it doubles as a boiling-water canner for pints and half-pints, and it costs a fraction of a cast-aluminum canner. The dial gauge is the catch, and it is a real one. | A first pressure canner | 7 quarts / 20 pints | Check price on Amazon#ad we earn a commission · live price pending |
| 2 | All American 921 (21.5 qt)Cast aluminum with a machined metal-to-metal seal, so there is no gasket to perish, swell or go missing the week you need it. It is also 24 pounds empty and its base is wider than most electric elements, which is a genuine constraint rather than a footnote. | Buying once, for decades | Base 15 3/8", no gasket | Check price on Amazon#ad we earn a commission · live price pending |
| 3 | All American 925 (25 qt)The 921 made taller. It sits on the same base, so it fits — or does not fit — your stove exactly like the 921 does, and the extra capacity buys you a taller stack rather than a wider one. | Bigger batches, same footprint | 25 qt, same base as 921 | Check price on Amazon#ad we earn a commission · live price pending |
| 4 | Presto 16-Quart Pressure Canner (01745)The weighted-gauge alternative: nothing to calibrate, ever, because the regulator rocks when the pressure is right. The trade is height. It is not tall enough to boiling-water can quart jars under the required inch of water, so it is a pints-and-half-pints canner. | Pints only, and a small kitchen | Weighted gauge, no calibration | Check price on Amazon#ad we earn a commission · live price pending |
Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker (01781)
The default first pressure canner, and the one most beginners should buy: it takes a full seven-quart load, it doubles as a boiling-water canner for pints and half-pints, and it costs a fraction of a cast-aluminum canner. The dial gauge is the catch, and it is a real one.
Published specs
- Liquid capacity
- 23 quarts (21.8 liters)
- Jar capacity
- 26 half-pints, 20 pints, 7 quarts
- Material
- Warp-resistant aluminum
- Gauge
- Dial gauge
- Ranges
- Regular and smooth-top
- Burner limit
- 12,000 BTUs or less
- Also
- Doubles as a boiling-water canner
- Warranty
- 12-year limited
- Base diameter
- Not published by Presto
What works
- Seven quart jars is the standard batch size every tested NCHFP recipe is written around, so you are never processing a half load
- Doubles as a boiling-water canner for pints and half-pints, which means one pot covers the jam-and-pickles year as well as the beans
- Presto sells a replacement dial gauge and sealing ring separately, so a decade-old canner is a repair rather than a replacement
What to know first
- A dial gauge should be checked for accuracy every year — most extension offices do it free, and most owners never go. A weighted gauge needs no calibration at all
- Presto does not publish a base diameter, so you cannot check it against the NCHFP element rule without measuring the box yourself. See will it fit your stove
- Rated for burners of 12,000 BTUs or less, which rules out most outdoor propane burners and some high-output gas ranges
Specs from Presto, 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker (01781). We have not handled this product — see how we pick.
All American 921 (21.5 qt)
Cast aluminum with a machined metal-to-metal seal, so there is no gasket to perish, swell or go missing the week you need it. It is also 24 pounds empty and its base is wider than most electric elements, which is a genuine constraint rather than a footnote.
Published specs
- Liquid capacity
- 21.5 quarts
- Jar capacity
- 18 pints or 7 quarts
- Seal
- Metal-to-metal, no gasket
- Gauge
- Geared steam gauge
- Regulator
- 5, 10 or 15 psi
- Inside diameter
- 12 1/4 inches
- Inside height
- 10 1/2 inches
- Bottom exterior diameter
- 15 3/8 inches
- Weight (empty)
- 24 pounds
What works
- No gasket means no annual replacement part, and nothing that hardens in a hot attic between seasons
- All American publishes the base diameter, which almost nobody in this category does — you can check it against your element before you buy
- The 921 and its siblings are the canners people hand down. Parts and gauges remain available for very old units
What to know first
- The 15 3/8" base needs an element of at least 11 3/8" to stay inside the NCHFP 4-inch rule, and most household electric elements are 6" to 9". Check your stove first
- 24 pounds empty, and considerably more loaded with jars and water — a real consideration if lifting is difficult
- Several times the price of a Presto, which is money better spent on jars and lids for a first season
Specs from All American, 921 21.5-Quart Pressure Canner, NCHFP, Recommended Canners. We have not handled this product — see how we pick.
All American 925 (25 qt)
The 921 made taller. It sits on the same base, so it fits — or does not fit — your stove exactly like the 921 does, and the extra capacity buys you a taller stack rather than a wider one.
Published specs
- Liquid capacity
- 25 quarts
- Seal
- Metal-to-metal, no gasket
- Regulator
- 5, 10 or 15 psi
- Bottom exterior diameter
- 15 3/8 inches, same as the 921
- Base model
- Same body diameter as the 921
What works
- Extra height without extra width, so it does not make your stove-fit problem any worse than the 921 already does
- Same gasket-free seal and same long parts availability as the rest of the range
- Worth the step up only if you are already canning enough to fill a 921 twice in a session
What to know first
- Same 15 3/8-inch base as the 921, so the same element-size problem applies in full
- Heavier again than the 921, and taller means more reach to lift a full rack out
- For a first harvest this is more canner than the job needs
Specs from All American, 921 21.5-Quart Pressure Canner, NCHFP, Recommended Canners. We have not handled this product — see how we pick.
Presto 16-Quart Pressure Canner (01745)
The weighted-gauge alternative: nothing to calibrate, ever, because the regulator rocks when the pressure is right. The trade is height. It is not tall enough to boiling-water can quart jars under the required inch of water, so it is a pints-and-half-pints canner.
Published specs
- Liquid capacity
- 16 quarts
- Regulator
- 3-piece weighted, 5 / 10 / 15 psi
- Material
- Aluminum
- Calibration
- None required
- Boiling-water use
- Pints and half-pints only — not tall enough for quarts
- Base diameter
- Not published by Presto
What works
- A weighted gauge never needs testing. It rocks when the pressure is correct, and that is the whole interface
- Smaller footprint and lighter than a 23-quart, which matters if you are canning on an apartment range or storing it in a closet
- The audible rocking is easier for a nervous first-timer to read than a needle you are trying to hold at exactly 11 psi
What to know first
- Cannot boiling-water can quart jars — Presto states it is not tall enough to cover them with the required 1 inch of water
- Smaller pressure-canning loads mean more batches on a heavy tomato or bean day
- Weighted gauges only do 5, 10 and 15 psi, so at altitude you round up to the next weight rather than dialing an exact number
Specs from Presto, 16-Quart Pressure Canner (01745), NCHFP, Recommended Canners. We have not handled this product — see how we pick.
The verdict, both ways
Buy the Presto 23-quart if you are canning on an electric range, you want the largest load for the money, you want one pot that also water baths pints, or this is your first pressure canner and you are not yet sure how much you will use it. Accept that you should get the dial gauge tested annually, or buy the weighted 16-quart instead and never think about it again.
Buy the All American 921 if you cook on gas or have a large element, you want a canner with no gasket to replace and no consumable parts, and you are confident enough in the habit to justify the cost. It is a genuinely better-built object; it just has to fit.
Next stepCheck both against your element sizeCommon questions
Is the All American worth the extra money?
Will an All American 921 work on a glass top stove?
What is the difference between the All American 921 and 925?
Does the Presto need a new gasket often?
Can either be used as a water bath canner?
Sources
- All American — 921 Pressure Canner
- Presto — 23-Quart Pressure Canner (01781)
- NCHFP — Recommended Canners
- Penn State Extension — Buying a Pressure Canner
Product specifications are taken from each manufacturer’s own published page, cited on the product. We have not handled these products — how we pick.
