Presto Precise Digital Pressure Canner 02144 vs Megachef 12-Quart Digital Pressure Cooker

Buy the Presto 02144 if you want to pressure can low-acid foods like meat, fish and vegetables. It is the only one of the two built and certified to USDA canning guidelines, and it also works as a boiling water canner for jams and salsa. The MegaChef is a general-purpose 12-quart electric pressure cooker with 15 presets and a 9.5-hour slow cook mode, but its 3.8 rating from 20 owners is weaker than Presto's 4.5 from 538, and nothing about it is designed for canning.

• Choose the Presto 02144 if you plan to can meat, vegetables, fish or high-acid foods and want a sensor-driven process that needs no altitude adjustment.
• Choose the MegaChef if you mainly want an everyday electric pressure cooker with preset programs and a long slow-cook timer, and you do not plan to can.