CanCooker Jr. Review

CanCooker Jr. on a Camp Stove.

We received products free to facilitate this review.

Inspired by good old milk-can cooking, Seth McGinn's CanCooker Jr. is a wonderful cooking device that steams your food to cook it. It locks all the nutrients right into the food making it healthier. It is the smaller version of the original CanCooker, but it still holds a good 2 gallons of food, which is actually quite a lot. Makes delicious hearty food with less time and less cleanup. Feeds a family of 1-6 in about 40 minutes or less!

It's an ideal size for taking to: tailgating parties, cookouts, sporting events, camping, family picnics, fishing, hunting, RV and all sorts of other travel. It can go on the stove top in your kitchen, a turkey burner (on the lowest setting), grill, camp stove, and camp fire. It is so versatile and can be taken just about anywhere.

There are so many awesome recipes that you can cook in the CanCooker Jr. The food below is just the tip of the iceberg. I may get a little more creative down the line, but I have seen it or its larger cousin cook all sorts of things from omelets and tamales to desserts like bread pudding and steamed cakes. I'm definitely going to try some of the steamed cakes and breads once I get mini loaf pans that fit my CanCooker Jr. So, stay tuned :)

I also received the rack for free to facilitate my review. It is an additional investment of $13.99. This is a two piece stainless steel rack that fits in the bottom of the CanCooker or CanCooker Jr. preventing burning of food on the bottom of the cooker and aids in an easier cleanup. Also, you can use empty mini soda cans to raise the level of the rack up higher.

Features:

• Riveted, heavy-duty handles
• Safety clamps hold lid in place
• Wide mouth design for easy stocking and removal of food
• Vented lid-for pressure release
• Premium high temperature silicone gasket
• Sturdy, one piece *aluminum construction
• Comes with FREE convenient storage bag 

*Anodized FDA (food grade) 1060 aluminum. The anodizing is important as it means the actual aluminum never touches your food so it’s totally safe!

How it works:

1. Prepare for use (if new clean with soap and water before use)
2. Choose a recipe
3. Prepare your food
4. Place food and liquid in chamber (usually veggies, then meat, liquid, sauce, and seasoning)
5. Secure lid
6. Place on heat source
7. Allow steam to vent (The steam will cause a natural convection inside.)
8. Cook according to recipe (usually 40 minutes)
9. Remove with oven mitts
10. Let sit for 5-10 minutes
11. Open lid, be careful of HOT steam
12. Place food in tray or large container
13. Enjoy meal
14. Cleanup is easy (Clean with soap and water. Because of steam, food will rarely stick or burn to sides or bottom.)

CanCooker Jr. German Feast. You can see the gasket comes off the lid for easy cleaning.

CanCooker Jr. German Feast

1 small cabbage cut in bite size pieces
1lb red potatoes, quartered
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1lb kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 1/2 inch slices
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 cup Italian dressing (I used  Safeway Select Italian Parmesan & Herb)
1 can beer (I used 8oz cup of water or apple juice)
salt and Lawry's seasoned pepper to taste

Place all veggies in bottom of CanCooker Jr. Then put meat on top of the veggies. Add all other ingredients on top. Latch lid and place on heat source. Once it starts steaming cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat (be careful handles and lid can be really hot). Let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer food to large container. Serve.

CanCooker Jr. Rabbit and Red Potatoes

Everything I cooked in my CanCooker Jr. came out really good. The potatoes never got too mushy, they stayed tender and perfect. The meat got cooked all the way through. The sauces and seasonings I added got soaked up by both veggies and meat that I cooked in it and nothing was ever dry or bland tasting.

CanCooker Jr. Brats & Purple Sauerkraut

CanCooker Jr. steaming on the stove top.

CanCooker Jr. on a Turkey Burner.

We love to go camping and this has become our go to cooking device to take with us. We recommend this to anyone wanting to make their camp cooking or outdoor cooking easier.

CanCooker Jr. on a Grill.

BUY IT
You can purchase the CanCooker, CanCooker Jr., and/or its accessories online at CanCooker.com

FOLLOW THEM
For updates follow CanCooker on Facebook. You can also get a list of yummy recipes here that you can make in the CanCooker.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.