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Canners for Glass and Ceramic-Top Stoves
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This month's notes: July 2009: Strawberry season is ending in most of the U.S, especially in the South, just starting in New England and other cooler areas. DON'T MISS THEM!  See this page for strawberry picking tips, or to make strawberry jam. And find a Strawberry festival nearby. Blueberries are ready to pick throughout the most of the U.S.! See this page for a GREAT and easy blueberry pie recipe! and see this page for Blueberry Festivals! Check out my easy canning instructions/recipes, canning equipment guide! Also make your own ice cream - see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals
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Canning on Glass Stovetops and Canners for Glass and Ceramic Stoves
updated for 2009

If you have a glass or ceramic stovetop, you may have heard that you should use a flat-bottomed canner, but you have been unable to find one! Or, you may have heard that you are not supposed to can on a glass or ceramic stove top.  Here's what I've found out from the manufacturers:

One of my suppliers asked a stove manufacturer as to why they were unable to find one. The stove manufacturer told they that on a glass/ceramic stove there is a sensor so that the heat can not go above a certain point thus breaking the top.

This sensor does not allow the burner to maintain an even temperature high enough for a canner to work safely. By fluctuating the temperature the bacteria is not eliminated in the canning process. Unfortunately this is not something the salesmen will tell the customer when they are buying the stove and probably many of them are unaware of this.

A flat-bottomed canner alone would not solve this problem for all stovetops.  If yours has the sensor, the heat will still fluctuate and it won't get hot enough to get the big canner full of water to a full boil. If can can confirm with your stove's maker or the store where you bought it that a flat-bottomed canner is okay, there here's a great one, made of stainless steel, so it should last a lifetime - it would also make a great pot to cook applesauce.

Another problem is that canners that exceed the burner diameter by more than 1 inch can trap and reflect heat to surfaces of the stove that are not intended to get that hot, and thus crack the stove top.

What to do?

Now, having said all this, not ALL glass and ceramic stoves are identical in every respect, so it is always possible that yours is designed differently or behaves differently from the description above. But there are enough stories of cracked stovetops to suggest that regardless, an alternative might be prudent, unless you're sure it is compatible with your stove!

So, what can you do? Here is a simple solution: buy a simple and inexpensive propane campstove, an electric burner (shown below) or use an outdoor propane burner and you can use ANY canner with it.  Plus, the propane burners may come in handy when you have a lot of cooking to do, during a power outage or when you need and extra burner!  One big advantage to using a gas stove outside, is: there's no mess to clean up!  

I also just received this tip from a visitor: she puts a wire rack (like a cookie rack) on the stove and sets her canner on that.  That prevent glass stovetop form heating up too much that it shuts itself off. I don't think my cookie cooling racks would support the weight of my canner, but it's an idea, if you want to try it.  I haven't confirmed with the manufacturers that there isn't some other problem with this approach, so use caution if you decide to try it.  If you do, please let me know how well it works!

Electric burners

How to choose an electric burner? I look for a robust design and the highest wattage I can find.  A single 1000 watt burner doesn't do it. A canner holds around 16 quarts of water, so it takes a lot of heat to get that boiling.  I've found that one 1300 watt burner will get the average canner boiling, but it takes a while.  So... to speed it up, I got a second burner, put it on the counter, right next to the first  and put the canner on top, straddling both burns - and THAT worked like a charm! 

Gas stoves

Gas grills, turkey fryers, large camping stoves all make excellent outdoor alternatives.  Of course there are two keys: make sure it has enough oomph (measured in BTU's) and that it is stable and won't tip over.

I've found any turkey fryer, most gas grills and the camping stoves below work fine. On rainy days I use the camping stove indoors (after taking precautions to open some windows, locate it on a flameproof surface (granite counter top, away from anything flammable, where children can't reach it, never leave it unattended, etc.)

See below for some camping stoves I've tried and used for canning.

Recommendations:

Here's a summary of what definitely works, in my order of preference:

1. The Coleman camping stove (Coleman 2 Burner Propane Grill /Stove) is perfect! It can heat a canner in no time, and folds up neatly for storage. The canner fits easily on the grill portion. This is, in my opinion, the BEST solution. And, of course you can use it for camping and tailgating parties!
2. The outdoor gas cooker - great in nice weather, or in open, but roofed area, like screen porch, open garage, etc.!
3. A gas camping burner or countertop propane stoves with a low, stable profile can be a great spare high-power burner. But if you do a lot of canning, the outdoor cooker would be cheaper to operate, unless you use the converter to hook up tp a 20 lb tank..
4. One double burner unit. Lots of power, but it can be tricky to get some canners (the tall narrow ones) to balance and be stable on them)
5. Two 1300 watt burners - if you want to stay indoors - two of these, side by side will work!
6. Two 1000 watt or greater burners, side by side - since you can move them around it is both a plus and a negative - you can position them to be stable, but perhaps not a close together as the double unit.

And you can find a wide variety of water bath canners and other canning supplies on this page

Canning stove alternatives

To find out more about a stove (with no obligation to buy), just click on any of the links in the Amazon picture boxes below:
 

Coleman 2 Burner Propane Grill Stove

This works very well  You'll need 2 or 3 of the small green cylinders for a day's canning (see left)

Product Description
Fully adjustable cooking power up to 10,000 BTUs per burner. Large control knobs positioned in front for easy access. PerfectFlow(TM) ensures consistent fuel output, regardless of weather, altitude or fuel level. Durable enamel-painted steel case and aluminized cooking surface for easy cleaning. Heavy-duty removable chrome cooking grate and non-stick cast-aluminum grill grate. Folding WindBlock(TM) system doubles as convenient side shelves. Burn time: 4.5 hours on one 16.4-ounce propane cylinders (sold separately) - (Note: these are the green 10 inch tall cylinders so commonly sold, shown attached in the photo of the blue unit). Coleman lifetime limited warranty.

Blake: I have an earlier version of this, and as you can see from the photos at left.  All versions easily accommodates a large water bath canner OR a pressure canner. I use it for canning, camping, and when the power goes out!  Each model puts out 10,000 btu per burner (20,000, total per stove).

Mr.Heater 12-Foot Hose and LP Regulator Make Portable Propane Equipment Easier to Use

This extension hose with regulator makes it easy to connect your portable propane stove to a 20 lb propane tank (the same one your outdoor gas grill uses.  This makes it MUCH cheaper to use your camping stove as an auxiliary stove to speed your canning!

STANSPORT 5 Foot Propane Hose and Regulator Assembly

This allows you to connect a 20 lb propane tank to the portable propane stoves - much cheaper to operate,

Features

'Big Bertha' 13" Propane Stove Cook Top - 30,000 BTU - Electric Start

I'm going to get one of these to try - it looks perfect for those long canning days or when you have a lot of cooking to do and not enough burners on your stove.

Features:

• Extra-large propane stove burner for over-sized cooking and heating jobs
• 13" diameter with 9"-diameter burner; produces up to 30,000 BTU with regular propane gas
• Heavy-duty cast-iron with durable, easy-clean baked enamel finish; stable support for big pots
•  Infinitely adjustable heat with built-in piezo-electric start; 24"-length, 4.5"H, 15 lbs
•  72"-length 5/8" outside diameter gas hose with regulator and brass fitting for standard propane tank
  
  
  

Portable Propane Gas Stove 1 Single Burner Range BBQ

Portable Propane Gas Stove 2 Double Burner Range BBQ

Toastmaster 6431 Eclipse Single Burner

Features:

	Measures 10-1/2 inches wide and 10 inches deep
	Compact design perfect for buffet, dining table, office, workshop
	Easy-cleaning sealed, solid heating disk 7-1/2 inches in diameter
	1000 watts, 6-setting thermostat

Proctor-Silex Fifth Burner

Features:

	Limited one-year warranty
	Spiral heating element; chrome ring and drip pan
	Adjustable temperature control with three settings
	Heating element tilts for easy cleaning

BroilKing PR-S1 Professional Single Burner Range

Features:

	11-1/2 by 3-1/2 by 11-1/2 inches
	High-speed tubular element with a 5-1/2-inch diameter

Books

Canning books

Canning & Preserving for Dummies
by Karen Ward
Average Customer Review:
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The Ball Blue Book of Preserving

This is THE book on canning!  My grandmother used this book when I was a child.  It tells you in simple instructions how to can almost anything; complete with recipes for jam, jellies, pickles, sauces, canning vegetables, meats, etc.  If it can be canned, this book likely tells you how! Click on the link below for more information and / or to buy (no obligation to buy)

Price $8.95  

Click here for a larger photo, more information, pricing, ordering, etc.

Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving

by United States Dept. of Agriculture