Can you pressure can in an instant pot?

Talking on the phone to my best friend, I said something about canning, she's curious about canning, but has a stove that would be a serious issue for her to work with. Can you pressure can in an instant pot? I have no clue, I don't use one for any reason or want one for any reason.  

Curious!!
Thanks!!

Some of the new deluxe models, yes. We don’t have one that new

The short and safe answer, in general, is no because you have no way of knowing what pressure you're cooking at or what the temperature your jars are coming to.  Even if it has a digital display that tells you, there's no real way to test it to see if it's accurate.  It's best to keep to the jiggler and the dial gauge.

Then again, I'm a rebel canner who thinks the FDA is a crock of doodoo and believe anything is worth trying at least once.  I just wouldn't try it in my kitchen.

EDITED TO FIX GRAMMAR, TYPOS, AND TO ADD:  But, I also didn't know about the deluxe models Scott mentioned.  Interesting.  

The biggest smallest thing you're worried about is botulism. It's takes enough temperature and time to kill it.

The issue is that you can't destroy the toxin, so you have to stop the botulinum itself. "Botulinum will not grow in acidic conditions (pH less than 4.6)" from the web.

So if your friend wants to start learning the basics, she could use the instant pot as an easy way to accomplish a boiling water bath effect so long  as she has that pH or less. Things like tomato sauce with a little extra vinegar added, as modern tomatoes aren't as acidic as they used to be.

I would want to check the instructions on the Instant Pot very carefully, since they seem to come in so many different types and sizes, and if the specific model says it's OK, then likely it is. However, Emmett's comment about the jiggler and dial gauge is what I've always heard also.

Some food items are much more likely to have come in contact with Botulinum than others. I've been told that if you want to make low-temperature apple juice, you should never use wind-falls as contact with the ground increases the risk. Is this accurate or just tradition??? Are the standards higher because we're less exposed to nasties in the modern food industry, so our gut is less capable of dealing with them?

Most don't get up to pressure enough to do pressure canning, but are great for small scale boil water canning.  Mine only goes up to 10 or 12 psi on high, but I think it maintains at about 8.  Pressure canning usually needs more than that.  About 15-is at sea level or something for the recipe I wanted.  I can't remember exactly.  

Canning always scares me as it's such a new form of food preservation compared to other methods used throughout human history.  And unlike most traditional food preservation, when things go wrong with canning, there often isn't any obvious smell or other sign.  So I like to be extra cautious, especially with pressure canning.

But I've done boiled water canning in the insta pot no problem.  Set pressure to low (usually about 5psi, but your manual will tell you) and the time to the recipe suggestion.  I love how it has an auto-off so I don't have to stay right there and watch it.  

Yeah, what they said. The last time I researched this (maybe four years ago) the answer was pretty unequivocally "NO" (because the pressure is way too low), but there might be the above-referenced deluxe model now that changes the rules. On the other hand, my impression is that the Instant Pot brand has gone through some sales and bankruptcy/reorganization and I doubt very much that the devices made under that brand now live up to the quality standards set by the original company. So it might also depend on whether you're using the term "instant pot" to refer to the brand or the more general consumer product niche.

No to pressure canning in an Instapot!

Not even using the latest one Insta launched saying it could pressure can because it will do up to 15 psi. They made the claim in good faith but it was based on a wrong assumption -- that maintaining the pressure for the entire processing time was what counted, rather than maintaining a steady temperature high enough to kill the botulism. Further independent testing has shown that though the temperature inside the Instapot is maintained well above boiling, it fluctuates too much during the processing period to safely pressure can. I researched this, as I don't have an Instapot yet and was set to buy the new one they originally thought could pressure can. It's likely that now they know the issue they'll design one that is safe to pressure can (well, the turmoil on the corporate side od Insta permitting!), but it's not there yet. :(

All Instapots are safe for water bath canning and steam canning high acid foods.

What's the problem with the stove?

Is it a physical limitation, like the stove is too high for her to use with a relatively heavy pressure canner, or is there a material defect with the stove that makes it unsafe?

If the first case, she can always get a larger size electric burner, put it somewhere lower and use it with an actual pressure canner.  Or she can get a smaller pressure canner and run smaller batches- longer work day but less weight.  Or she can invite someone a little more able over for a canning day, which used to be a thing.

In the second case, the stove needs to be repaired/replaced  before there is a fire if she is using it at all.  Many areas have programs for helping out people with appliance repair or replacement

I've run into quite a few people that are afraid of pressure cookers because of warnings from people that don't can. In their fear, they will  use any excuse to use less safe methods, like instant pots, which actually increase the likelihood of a problem.  My own mother, an excellent canner with a long history of canning, is always trying to find a work around from pressure canning because of the time commitment. All those shortcuts lead to botulism.

You are probably aware that most hardware stores in rural areas  sell replacement gaskets that can make an older pressure cooker safe, and many  county extension offices in the US will test  a pressure cooker for free.

Best of luck to your friend!

If you are in need of an electronic pressure cooker for canning…I can see where the temp/pressure regulation and timer could be an advantage …buy one designed for pressure canning. As others have commented, I would not use an instant pot for canning.