Carey (Nesco) Electric Smart Pressure Canner & Cooker Review 

By  Chef Austin 

 

*UPDATE* The Carey Smart Canner has been rebranded by its parent company Nesco to the "Nesco Smart Canner" - there are no differences other than the logo between the Carey Smart Canner and the Nesco Smart Canner.

Canning has met the digital age. The Carey Smart Canner takes the guesswork and babysitting out of canning. From pressure canning to even making a pot roast dinner, the Carey Smart Canner & Cooker can make life in the kitchen easier any time of the year. 

 

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Carey (Nesco) Smart Pressure Canner & Cooker

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Quick Specs:  9.5 Qt Capacity | Holds x4 Quart Jars, x8 Pint Jars, x16 4oz Jelly Jars | 5 Functions | 1-Year Warranty

Best For: Canning the safe and easy way. Carey is smart enough to control pressure canning temperatures and pressure levels automatically - no babysitting required.   

 

Pros:

• Pressure Canning the Easy Way - No more archaic valves and locks. The Carey automatically comes up to pressure and normalizes pressure levels all on its own for safe and easy pressure canning
• Water Bath Canning - The Carey can also do traditional water bath canning too for jams, pickles, and tomatoes
• Multi-Cooking - You know that thing Instant Pot is famous for? Carey can pressure cook too. Make pot roast in an hour, perfect risotto, and make moist chicken. Also, steam and slow cook in the Carey as well
• Safe Pressure Cooking - There are numerous safety features that aren't available in manual pressure canners. Carey will release pressure if it is too much and will shut off if the temperature exceeds the limit

Cons: 

• Limited Canning Space - The Carey doesn't have as much room as a traditional water bath or pressure canner, so you may have to be working in batches
• De-Code the LCD - The LCD is very basic and shows codes that need to be deciphered from the manual

 

Chef Austin's Review:

The Carey Smart Canner and Cooker is the all-in-one canning solution. It does water bath canning, pressure canning, pressure cooking, steaming, and slow cooks full meals as well. I really do like an appliance that's not a one-trick pony. So is the Carey Smart Canner a good fit for you? Let's take a look at the major functions:

Water Bath Canning

There are two major methods of canning. Water bath canning is probably what most people are familiar with. Cans of food are submerged into boiling water to seal the jar. Only high-acid foods can be water bath canned including tomatoes, fruits, jams, jellies, and acidified foods like pickles.

For more info on what foods you can water bath can, check out our Water Bath Canning Guide.

The Carey Smart Canner easily water bath cans. The water comes to a boil in the cooking pot and then you lower your jarred goods into the boiling water. You can even set a timer for your recipe right on the machine. Simple as that!

Pressure Canning

The second type of canning is pressure canning. In pressure canning, water is brought above the boiling point to 240°F. This is achieved through a special piece of equipment called a pressure canner. Low-acid canned food - like soups, green beans, chili, meats, and vegetables - are then partially submerged in the water and locked into the pressure canner for a period of time (determined by tested recipes). At this temperature, molds, yeast, and harmful bacteria such as botulism are destroyed in low-acid foods. 

For more info on foods you need to pressure can, check out our Pressure Canning Guide.

Pressure canning can be intimidating. You must keep the canning equipment at the correct pressure which is done by constantly monitoring the pressure gauge and adjusting the heat on the stove up or down. Some pressure cookers also only work on gas stoves and won't work on glass-top stoves. This is where the Carey really shines. The Carey Smart Canner automatically will come up to the correct pressure level and automatically maintain that pressure by digitally controlling the heat levels all on its own. This takes out the hardest part of pressure cooking and keeps you safe while doing it. 

Safety

There are numerous safety features that a manual pressure canner does not have. Here are a few safety features built into the Carey Smart Canner:

• Pressure-Limiting Valve – protects against pressure inside from exceeding the limit. Carey releases excess pressure if needed
• Lid Lock Protection – Ensures the lid is fitted correctly and doesn’t allow pressure to build up if not properly locked
• Fuse Protection – Will switch off power if the temperature exceeds the limit
• Automatic Pressure Release – In the unlikely event all the other safety features fail, and the pressure exceeds the limit, it will be released automatically from an area between the gasket and inner pot

Multi-Cooking

When you're not canning, the Carey doesn't have to collect dust till the next harvest season. The Carey Smart Canner functions much like the ever popular Instant Pot. When you cook foods under high-pressure, they cook fast and evenly. You can cook an entire pot roast in just an hour or a batch of perfect no-stir risotto in as little as 10 minutes. You can easily use any electric pressure cooker recipe in your Carey Smart Canner & Cooker. There are also functions to saute, steam, and slow cook food as well. 

Drawbacks

There are only a couple of negative things I can say about the Carey Smart Canner. The first is the amount of space in the cooking pot. Now, it is not small when you're using it to pressure cook chicken or chuck roast, but when canning, it only holds 4 quart jars at a time. This will require you to do a few more batches of canning compared to using the larger stove-top models. That's definitely not a deal breaker, but something to consider. The LCD on the front isn't the most intuitive either. You'll want to keep the instructions nearby until you memorize the abbreviations and button combinations to get the canner started. Other than those two minor objections, the Carey Smart Canner is a great option for canning at home.

 

Whether you're someone who is just getting into the world of canning or if you don't have a stove that will support a manual pressure canner, I'd say the Carey Smart Canner & Cooker is a great option to go with. My favorite thing about the Carey (Nesco) Smart Canner is the 'smart' aspect. This comes especially handy when I was pressure canning beef stew in-a-jar. I just had to set my cook-time for the recipe, the Carey came up to the proper temperature and then started the timer for my recipe. It turned itself off and naturally released the pressure when the timer went off. I didn't have to mess with heat settings or watch a tiny dial for hours to check for pressure. If you are looking to do larger quantities of canning, I would recommend a stovetop model that can handle more jars at once. Overall, I was impressed by the Carey Smart Canner and would say it's great for canning beginners or anyone wanting an easier pressure canning experience. 

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You'll need more than just a canner to get started canning! Be sure to check out our Top 10 Essential Canning Supplies to pick up everything you need to get started filing your pantry. 

 

Chef Austin's Tip: High-acid foods 4.6 pH or lower such as fruits like peaches, jams & jellies, and pickled food benefit from being water bath canned. Check out our Complete Water Bath Canning Guide to find out more.

 

Chef Austin's Tip: Low-acid foods 4.6 pH or higher such as vegetables like green beans, meats, and soups must be pressure canned. Check out our Pressure Canning Guide to find out more.

  

About the Author:  Chef Austin Merath is Everything Kitchen's Culinary Wizard, Kitchen-Gadget Reviewer, and New-Product Tester. He studied under chefs in College of the Ozarks' Culinary Program. It's his job to make sure you choose the kitchen tools that are right for you by testing the best we have to offer. When not cooking, Austin is tinkering with computers or exploring the Ozarks with his wife Amy. Click here for his full bio.