I was thinking there was a problem with the last batch of tomatoes I was canning.

There was. Not sure what I did - or didn't do - but the pressure cooker (22 quart) has a very thick layer of scorch.

Any suggestions for how to get it off?

Try salt and vinegar.

Do you make a paste of it and scrub the cooker with it?

Pour it in and let it soak? Proportions?

fill to just above the scorch with water, add a goodly amount - a big handful - of automatic dishwasher powder, boil for a few mintues, and let stand a couple hours. See how much comes out, and you may have to repeat if it is very bad. I have used this on scorched burned pans for years.

Ammonia is supposed to remove burned stuff out of pans too. Maybe put some in the pan and seal up in a plastic garbage bag overnight, then wash.

I never canned tomatoes in a canner without them being in a jar.

I clean my burned/scorched pans with oven cleaner. Spray it on, let sit and wipe it off. Rinse throughly.

The tomatoes were in jars. I think I might not have put enough water in the cooker - and I've been canning tomatoes for almost 50 years! Yikes!

I've scraped off a lot of the soot with a razor blade.

Sorry I edited my post to add use oven cleaner and half of it got deleted by me I guess.

Sorry.... Thats all I've got !! Have reheated and boiled burnt on before and it helped. (for some reason I'm thinking aluminum and tomatoes don't mix well can't remember why, I know on foil will eat a hole thru it)

But do like those pressure cookers!!
Good Luck

I only use these for canning - so food doesn't actually touch the metal - if I can get the scorch smell gone, I'll use it again - and see how it goes.