Canning on glass top or hot plate?

[JustMe]

I've been having some issues with my current electric coil stove for awhile now so I've finally decided to have it replaced. Since #3 works with appliance installation, his shop had a glass top available. It is said not to use a glass top for canning, but I've also heard many who do, but with my luck with electricity, I don't know that I want to chance it. So now I'm looking at Amazon to get a single burner hot plate for my 23qt Presto canner, but not sure which brand would really work for what I need it too.

Some I have looked at may not be able to hold the weight of a fully loaded canner and is made more for normal cooking, or it has a temperature indicator that shuts itself off or on to keep temps stabilized. I don't think I like that idea with a canner and would rather have a constant heat that I control. Any ideas or recommendations???

 

[txcatlady]

A friend of mine told me they bought a Coleman type gas 2 burner stove for outside to can on. It is on a stand so you don’t have to bend over and has dials to control heat. My electric stove will not hold the heat constant to pressure can. It reaches temp and stops and drops and then heats. I can only reliably can on my gas stove. A lady I taught school with always used a fish fryer to can outdoors but that is not easy to adjust heat on.

 

[Bacpacker]

My mom uses a glass top to can with but only doing a boiling bath, not pressure canner.
I used to work for a company that made the heaters for glass cook tops. They do work to keep a temp by switching on and off to maintain a temperature range, not a exact temp.
I would use something else with a pressure canner

 

[UrbanHunter]

I think when you are pressure canning on a glass cook top size matters a lot. I have read a lot of reviews where using small 1500 watt hot plates works, but not on the larger 23 qt pressure canners.

We use one of the smaller 16qt pressure canners on our glass top and the only trick was learning how to control the temperature and managing what I call thermal momentum. I have also noticed that breezes can impact your canning, I'm a picky canner in that I want the pressure up to the target and then I want to hold it there steady until done.

My dear wife has "helped" me in the past by opening a window and turning on a exhaust fan and I watched as the pressure rapidly dropped. When canning you are balancing the heat going into the water through the bottom of the canner with the heat being lost to the outside canner walls and lid to keep the inside temperature and pressure at a steady state. We have an understanding now, if I am running the canner don't mess with the room.

I think that using a hot plate would be okay, if you went with one of the larger commercial units, but the small ones may not be able to generate enough heat to bring a large amount of water up to a boil and hold it there. The other thing I would be concerned about using a hotplate would be how stable will the whole thing be. A big pot on a small burner is a sure way to get burned.....

 

[JustMe]

I do have a Coleman camp stove packed away somewhere, but canning outside isn't something I'd want to rely on, given our weather. Summer might be fine, but the rest of the year can get nasty and I do can year round, whenever I get enough food or gumption to do it so it would have to be an electric hot plate for inside.


I would think a water bath would be more of an issue because of the weight of the water, plus the jars. But I guess keeping a steady temperature to keep up pressure can be an issue as well.

 

[JustMe]

I think when you are pressure canning on a glass cook top size matters a lot. I have read a lot of reviews where using small 1500 watt hot plates works, but not on the larger 23 qt pressure canners.

We use one of the smaller 16qt pressure canners on our glass top and the only trick was learning how to control the temperature and managing what I call thermal momentum. I have also noticed that breezes can impact your canning, I'm a picky canner in that I want the pressure up to the target and then I want to hold it there steady until done.

My dear wife has "helped" me in the past by opening a window and turning on a exhaust fan and I watched as the pressure rapidly dropped. When canning you are balancing the heat going into the water through the bottom of the canner with the heat being lost to the outside canner walls and lid to keep the inside temperature and pressure at a steady state. We have an understanding now, if I am running the canner don't mess with the room.

I think that using a hot plate would be okay, if you went with one of the larger commercial units, but the small ones may not be able to generate enough heat to bring a large amount of water up to a boil and hold it there. The other thing I would be concerned about using a hotplate would be how stable will the whole thing be. A big pot on a small burner is a sure way to get burned.....

Several years ago before I started pressure canning I did have a glass top stove and used an induction hot plate for canning that come to find out worked great with the enamelware canner. But the hot plate finally gave out and any stove I've had since the previous glass top has always been a coil burner stove, just so I could can without worry........until now.

When I was checking Amazon I did see a few reviews that did say they used the big AA canners just fine...........but I don't know just how trustworthy reviews are anymore considering people can say whatever they want, or companies can fake their reviews in order to boost sales........atleast that's my way of thinking and I'd rather have a real life opinion..........ok, that sounds crazy asking people on an internet forum, but I'll take my chances here.

 

[Magus]

I had a neighbor that had a complete canning operation in a prefab garage, she had this trick of bringing her water to boil in a turkey frier and transferring it to a range to continue the process, all her cans would be ready to go in the minute it hit the stove! a 3 gallon canner would be boiling in five minutes! everything was natural gas and run like an assembly line with as many as twenty quarts of her heavenly creamed corn rolling at once. it kept the house cool, it was out of everyone's way and made her a pretty penny at the flea market on weekends selling last year's stuff off. Creamed corn, chowchow and green tomato/jalapeno salsa were her big sellers.

 

[Chaosdawn]

I can on a glass stove top and have for a few years. The weight limit and whether or not the stove is 'meant' to be used for canning varies by the model. I've never had a problem waterbath canning on the glass top. I just got a pressure canner and used it twice, once to test how to do it (with water) and once canning chicken. I didn't have an issue but I tend to hover and make sure everything's where it should be. I did have to adjust the temp a few times to keep it where I wanted it, but I tend to be anxious about well pretty much everything. lol

I guess if you don't want to stand and stare at the gauge like I do, then a hot plate might be best for pressure canning. I'd check the manual for the new stove and see if it mentions canning. You might be able to waterbath can with it.

 

[snappy1]

I've always pressure canned on my glass top. Not sure about the rules.
Instead of waterbathing, I steam can in my pressure canner. Uses so much less water and time.

 

[goshengirl]

I have a glass top and have been pressure canning on it for about a decade. I'm gentle with it, and it does fine. But I wouldn't want to water bath can with it, which would add more weight. I figure I'm already at the top of my limit - although that's strictly a guess.

I'm glad you asked about this - I've been wondering about an electric burner plug-in unit. I would definitely feel more comfortable. And on a hot day, it would be nice to can on the porch, keep the heat outside. I have a gas camp stove on my wish list, but I think a plug-in electric burner would be less expensive...?

It's my understanding that some of the newer glass top ranges are rated for canning - but you'd have to check with the manufacturer for that information on each unit.

 

[JustMe]

I have a glass top and have been pressure canning on it for about a decade. I'm gentle with it, and it does fine. But I wouldn't want to water bath can with it, which would add more weight. I figure I'm already at the top of my limit - although that's strictly a guess.

I'm glad you asked about this - I've been wondering about an electric burner plug-in unit. I would definitely feel more comfortable. And on a hot day, it would be nice to can on the porch, keep the heat outside. I have a gas camp stove on my wish list, but I think a plug-in electric burner would be less expensive...?

It's my understanding that some of the newer glass top ranges are rated for canning - but you'd have to check with the manufacturer for that information on each unit.

Yes, manual does speak of canning on it, though doesn't specify WB or PC, though the wording makes me think waterbath. I agree, I would think a full WB canner would be much heavier than a PC. Although my Presto is tall enough to double stack a load of pints with room to spare but that would add to the weight and make me worried. Easy answer would be to not double stack.......but sometimes when I'm in the thick of canning, I can forget and I sure don't want to have a disaster on my hands.


I don't know about cost savings, I'm just thinking it would be easier to have the plug in. I checked at Walmart yesterday and they only had the 2 burner units, and I don't have enough kitchen counter space for that so I'll keep looking

 

[Tommyice]

Last year I had to replace the coil type Jenn-Air stove that was in the upstate cabin. Because of "supply chain issues" I couldn't get another coil type. I could, but they were more expensive than the glass top--go figure. So I got a Samsung glass top. I checked with the manufacturer and it is capable of canning but not using something like an All-American really big one. Since this cabin will be my future home I was trying to think ahead. Dad was thinking further ahead and suggested that when I'm up there, I set up a canning kitchen in one of the garages where one of the boats used to be stored. Not it stores the smoker and other outdoor accoutrements.

Rose Red Homestead on YouTube has an outdoor canning kitchen setup using a camp stove.

 

[Caribou]

I have heard that there is a risk of cracking a glass to if you try to can with it.

At home I have a natural gas range, two Coleman stoves, propane and Coleman fuel, and a propane BBQ with a side burner. The BBQ was purchased with a side burner specifically to can outside, keeping the heat outside in the summer.

I could use my Colemans inside. My NG range runs for hours while canning, or holiday cooking.

 

[App]

I suppose that it depends on the stove. We have done it for years with no issues ... 7 quarts of beans in a pressure canner along with squash getting ready for the freezer ... we get quite busy around here from time to time.

 

[Dani]

@JustMe When I started canning it was on a coil type stove. It fluctuated with heat, but I just adjusted to accommodate, which was often. Basically I couldn't leave my kitchen for long at all. Once that stove went out, I replaced with an electric Samsung glass top stove/oven combo. It has done really well. With the glass top, I found once regulated, I didn't have to "babysit". Can't say how other glass tops have been doing since this is the first one I have experience with.

 

[joel]

We can on a glass top, the second one the wife has had & she love it.