A tool for use with a canning pot and a canning rack includes a pair of spaced-apart legs joined at a handle adapted for manipulation by a user. The spaced-apart legs terminate at a hook, which is adapted to grasp the rack and operable to place and remove the rack in the canning pot. A canning system includes a canning pot, a canning rack, and a rack lifter including a pair of tools, each including a pair of legs joined by a handle and terminating in a hook operable to grasp the rack. A method for canning food includes heating a first quantity of water in a canning pot, placing at least one jar in a canning rack, and placing the canning rack including the at least one jar in a first quantity of water using a pair of tools for selectively grasping the canning rack.