# Anyone do canning on electric stoves?



## Haven

I have a glass top electric stove and everything I have read says canning shouldnt be done on this due to vibrations of the pot on the glass, and the uneven heat source ramping up them cooling down on the burners.

I feel so limited as to what I can do with my garden each year since I am stuck with freezing. The last thing I want to do is haul a truckload of veggies and equipment to someone elses house to can.

Anyone else stuck with an electric range?


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## Roadking

DW canned tomato sauce on a GE glass top range for 2 years, without problems. Sauce was good, canner good and range top cleaned off easily with that ceramic cleaner that came with it. Just my $0.02.
Currently, we use a coil type electric range and occassionally the grill or fire pit if I get a really hot fire going.
Matt


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## judylou

Many people can on electric ranges with the coil top burners. It is the glass top stoves that pose the problems. Some brands will void the warranty if canning is done so be sure to check with your manufacturer if it is still under warranty.

And if your burners cycle off and on as many glass tops do them pressure canning becomes very difficult if not impossible. Also the weight of a full canner can cause the stove top to crack.

We have had many discussions about this here in the past that you may wish to read for more tips and the search will pull them all together for you. But one frequent recommendation is BWB canning in smaller stock pots and using the smallest pressure canner, the Presto 16 quart. Also some invest in separate electric counter top burners for canning or use propane burners for outdoor canning rather than trying to make it work on their glass top stove. They just weren't meant for canning unfortunately.


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## Haven

Thats what I was afraid of. My glass top burners do cycle on and off a lot. I was hoping someone had a magic answer to this, but it looks like im stuck.

Thanks for the info and I will look into some sort of counter top plug in burner.

Till then im stuck enjoying homeade canned goods from my amish neighbors who can with no electricity at all. lol, irony.


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## sewserious

If you can do it, invest around $200 in a coil-type and replace the glass-top. That is what we did, and it was worth every penny in more ways than one. Much easier to keep clean, and I can now use my cooktop for canning, which is, in the long run, a money saver for me.


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## Horseyrider

Gosh, I have a JennAir glass top, and have been BWB and pressure canning on it since I got it. The Presto canner is designed to seat better on it than my big AA, so that's what I use. I've had no difficulty with failed seals or expressed liquids. If somehow I break a burner, they're in modules and I can just pop one out and put in a new one.

Your irony has me giggling.


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## Haven

From what I read, the concern was that the glass top cannot maintain te proper temperature since the heat cycles on and off.

Thanks for the info Horseyrider, I just may give it a try this year afterall.:clap:


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## julieq

I do all my canning on an electric stove with coil type burners using either an All American or Presto canner. I've just never owned a gas stove.


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## judylou

> From what I read, the concern was that the glass top cannot maintain te proper temperature since the heat cycles on and off.


That is true but it all depends on the brand of the stove as I mentioned above. GE, Hotpoint, and Frigidaire are the 3 brands that I have heard the most complaints about the problem. 

Jenn Air burners apparently (I don't know for sure) are larger than the other brands and it is the size of the burner versus the size of the pan footprint that seems to cause the cycling problems. If the bottom of the pot is flat and does not overlap the burner then is may work.


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## campfiregirl

If you have a sheltered patio or porch to keep cool wind away from your hot jars & flame, just get a heavy-duty free-standing 2 burner propane stove. My MIL has a glass top, so she uses one. Also keeps the house from getting too hot! Hers is big enough that 2 canners can sit side by side with room inbetween. They have good BTUs. They are handy for lots of things including camping and power outages, so it's a great multi-purpose item!

Here's a link to an example: http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Explorer-EX-60LW-2-Burner/dp/accessories/B0006VORDY


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## jkhs

I've got a Kenmore glass top that I've used for years for HWB. I've never had any problems. I don't think I'd try pressure canning on it, though.


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## Ohio Rusty

I've never done any pressure canning on an electric stove, but I bet I have canned 100 cases of Salsa, peaches, apples, tomatos, tomato's and zucchini and grapes using waterbath canning, 8 jars at a time. Waterbath canning works just fine on an electric stove.
Ohio Rusty ><>


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## elliemaeg

I do have a glass top and canned a lot of stuff last year with no problem. I had no idea i wasnt suppose to. It worked very well. Been eating what I canned and it is fine.


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## Macybaby

My whirlpool gold did a wonderful job with the Presto canner. I had to get it correctly lined up on the burner or it would cycle off and on and take forever to heat. I'd put in in place and turn the burner on high and then watch. the base is formed so just the base hits the heating element, and I could just see the "red" and if it was going on and off, I'd move the pot slightly to get it better centered, and with a few trys, I'd have it so it would stay on.

Then I'd get it heated and vented and up to pressure, Then I could turn it down to about 1.5 (very low) and it kept pressure perfectly. 

The instructions for that stove said it was fine to use for canning provided the bottom was the same size as the element (and the presto accomplishes this with it's strange bottom shape). It does say that if you are doing multiple batches, to let the stove cool down between them. 

I have induction in the house now, and use a high power hot plate, and also have a coil cooktop for canning - but in truth that ceramic topped electric stove worked the best for maintaining even heat at a low temp - once I had the pot adjusted correctly. Over all the coil is best as it is the least fussy and I can use both my canners on it at the same time. 

I've had glass topped stoves for years and years, and the only time I have problems with rapid cycling is when I had a pan that didn't have a super flat and heavy bottom. Seems with even a small gap between the burner and pan bottom, it just does not work well. I took to checking my pans with a straight edge and found that any pan that didn't heat all that well wasn't as flat as I thought.


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## Haven

Hmm so it sounds like having the hot plate on the cooktop covered by the base of the pan prevents the burner from cycling on and off?

I need to google water bath canning - no idea what that is...


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## jamala

I have a GE glass top and it does great for me with my presto--can't use my AA on it. I just make sure to put it on my large burner set for the 12" size and it works great. I put it on high to bring to pressure and then down to 2 to keep pressure. I have used it for 3years with no problems. I use an outdoor propane stove burner for my AA.


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## sewserious

Macybaby said:


> I've had glass topped stoves for years and years, and the only time I have problems with rapid cycling is when I had a pan that didn't have a super flat and heavy bottom. Seems with even a small gap between the burner and pan bottom, it just does not work well. I took to checking my pans with a straight edge and found that any pan that didn't heat all that well wasn't as flat as I thought.


I have found that when using high heat on a glass-top, it can actually warp heavy stainless steel pots! Having no gap between the burner and a surface that heats all the way across the pan, trapping the heat underneath, is really not good for any type of pan and after repeated use, it will cause warping. I have a great set of stainless that I used on my glass-top (a Frigidaire, built by Whirlpool) that ended up warped after 4 years on the glass-top. That was another reason I went back to coils.

Overall, I hate cooking on an electric stove and much prefer gas, but until I figure out how to keep the money tree in the backyard from dying, I am stuck until we can afford to have natural gas run to the house and remodel the kitchen to allow for a range and not wall ovens and cooktop. I prefer a range, much larger ovens, and it takes up much less space in the long run. Gas is available, and I cannot/will not invest in propane, no room to bury a tank and really no where in the yard to set one either.


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## praieri winds

I HWB canned some green tom pickles last year with my glass top and had no ill effects but I was told not to do pressure canning because the cycling on and off won't hold a constant temp needed for canning am afraid of the weight also


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## whodunit

We have friend that did all their canning out on the porch using propane burners like these. That would be cheaper than buying or breaking your range plus all the heat would be outide


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## judylou

I'm concerned that the title of this post is misleading to readers, into thinking that they can't do canning unless they have a gas stove, and that simply isn't true.

There is no issue with canning on electric stoves as the title implies. There are several different types of electric stoves and many can on them with no problems. 

The title of the post should be "Anyone do canning on glass-top stoves"? as that is the issue. Glass top/ceramic top/convection top electric stoves have unique issues and problems when used for canning but standard electric stoves are fine to use.



> Hmm so it sounds like having the hot plate on the cooktop covered by the base of the pan prevents the burner from cycling on and off?


No, the base of the pan must be slightly smaller than the burner element and it must be flat. Heat is trapped under pans with indented (not flat) bottoms and if the pan over-laps the burner element. That trapped heat build-up is what causes the burner to cycle on and off. With all other types of electric burners air has direct access to under the pot to prevent that heat build up.

That is why the smaller foot-print pots and pressure canners are recommended.


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## ronron

I have the Jenaire glass top the only change I made is a bought an aluminum pressure canner (It's lighter) My old canner was my great grammas it held more jars and was heavy when filled with water and jars....I would like to get an amish square water bath canner some day they cover both burners...


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## Brokeneck

I have a GE glass top and have been canning on it for at least 4 years probably more like 5 to 6 years. Cant remember what year I remodeled kitchen. Never had any problem. No scratches or any problems. Actually run two canners at same time on it. I get 5 quarts and 5 pints per canner so it goes at a pretty good pace once I get the process started. 

Brokeneck


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## nancypo

We have a maytag, glass top. I chatted online with a maytag person, and it sounded like a no-go. She told me to switch burners (uh huh) and migth not be a good idea. With long heat times the glass could crack, and too much weight. I might to try one of these (or something similar) , so I can can inside-
http://www.amazon.com/Waring-DB60-Portable-Double-Burner/dp/B000I16B18/ref=pd_sim_k_1


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