# Canning outside



## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

I would love to be able to take my production outside this year, but I'm still new at canning and really not good at multi-tasking. I can't imagine trying to keep a fire going on top of everything else I've got to be thinking about. 

I was talking to a friend who told me she uses her turkey fryer to can in outside. Do you think that will work? I've only ever canned on the stove with the waterbath method but I want to invest in a pressure canner. Will that work in a turkey fryer? 

Thanks!


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Yes you can use a turkey fryer. Mine will not dial down enough to keep it at 10 lbs. pressure. Dh bought me a special single burner for using outside. You'll do fine.


----------



## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Wait, I think I'm confused on the question, and the answer. 

One can use the _burner_ from a turkey fryer to can, _if_ it the burner will maintain the correct temp to hold the pressure canner at the correct pounds.

One cannot use the turkey fryer pot itself to pressure can in.

I"m probably the only one who was confused.

You may want to consider safety, if small children around, and wind blocks.


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I tired it, and now have two "turkey" burners stored in my garden shed. It is just too windy on a regular basis around where I live (flat, open South Dakota). I even tried it inside our big shop (very high ceiling) and with the door open only a foot or so, I still would have problems.

The one burner had the flame too close to the bottom of the pot - I had a very hard time trying to adjust that one to keep it right without having the flame go out. The other one had about 3/4" more distance, and that worked much better. I only used it 3 -4 times and decided it was just not working for me. It was worse trying to water bath can - it would get to boiling rapidly too quickly and boil over and put the flame out- but I switched to using my pressure canner to waterbath, and the fitted lid keeps the water from boiling out.

But now I have a summer kitchen with a heavy duty coil cooktop. 

Cathy


----------



## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Well I don't know much about turkey fryers so when it comes to burners I'm clueless. 

I was thinking I could stick the water bath pot in the fryer it's self but (also) don't know much about pressure canners-yet-so I really don't know what to think. 

Thanks for the tips.


----------



## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

I took part in a survey about Ball products and saw their new waterbath canner. It is currently available in stainless steel with a glass lid (nice touch, didn't have to lift lid to know when the boil started). They are considering "electrifying" it. It looked like it would add about $100 to the cost. Just plug it in - sure would be nice to merely set the thing on a nice sturdy picnic table and let it boil


----------



## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

It's too windy here too, I tried it, lol. But as Macybaby said, there are problems finding a turkey fryer that fits just right. There are other options, such as this propane burner setup: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_23798_23798

It comes in one, two or three-burner set-ups. It hooks up to portable propane tanks, or you can get an adapter to hook it up to a full-sized tank. 

There are also camp stoves like this: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200317038_200317038

You can get these at pretty much any farm style store, not just Northern Tool. I bought a two-burner unit like the first one at Atwood's Farm and Ranch store for about $40.

Some people have even set up electric hot plates outside, but you have to make sure to get one that doesn't have a thermostat setting on it, because it will keep cycling on and off all the time, which won't work for canning.


----------



## stirfamily (Jun 18, 2002)

I have wanted to ask this same question and it was great to see all the replies. But one more question, is has anyone used the burners/stove posted here? Would like your opinions of them.
Thanks
Karen in NE Indiana


----------



## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Sorry, haven't been back to this thread in a few days! I tried to use the two-burner version of the cooking plate I posted a link to above, but it's just way too windy where I live. I couldn't keep a constant pressure on the canner. You need somewhere out of the wind because if you lose pressure once you have to start all over again, and the wind plays havoc with that. 

There have been quite a few discussions on people using various types of stoves, hot plates, turkey fryers, etc., in the past. I don't have time to look right now, but you might try doing a search under "outside canning", "outdoor canning", "outdoor kitchen", or "summer kitchen". There's a post somewhere about a new guy canner who had someone build him a four-burner cook stove that runs on propane. It was fabulous, I wanted one, lol. 

I'll check back after work this evening and see if you've found anything and if not I'll see what I can find.


----------



## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

I can outside. I have 1 turkey frier and the two burner "stove". I did have problems with wind so, I broke out the camping gear. I have a screen tent with the screens on all 4 sides. The mesh is small enough to keep the wind down but it still vents well. It also helps keep flies and other flying bugs away. The roof is solid so it keeps the sun off of me. The tent is a cheap one, I might have got it at Wal-Mart.


----------



## DW (May 10, 2002)

We would be too windy here, too...(unreal today) but my sister lives in a townhouse in Denver. She sets up her garage for about a month. Power washes it and sets up a kitchen. She has an elec. stove top someone made that sits on saw horses. She hooks up a hose to washer hook up so she has hot water. She uses those heavy fold up tables to work on.


----------



## kanoelani3 (Aug 12, 2007)

We do a lot of waterbath canning outside. We just use a turkey fryer burner that attaches to a propane tank. Works great! My hubby shuttles the jars back and forth while I fill them. 

We also use a huge stainless steel pot with a lid for waterbath canning a lot --especially quart jars because they are too tall to get a good boil above the jars in the enamel canner. The pot has a glass lid, which works really well! We put some screwbands in the bottom and then a round cooling rack on them to keep the jars off of the bottom of the pot.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Told DH about this thread so he went looking this weekend for something to do this with. He found this one at Gander Mountain http://www.gandermountain.com/modpe..._Burner_Outdoor_Stove&aID=505C2A&merchID=4006

It was only $99 in the store ($119 online). It said a 20# tank would run 20 hours (good numbers to know). 30,000 BTU 's per burner (also good to know). For those of you that tried to do this but had wind issues, did yours have wind skirts like this one? Some of the other ones we saw didn't look deep enough to fit our caners, and some of those were more expensive. 

We see this as a good prep item that would have the duel purpose of keeping us from overheating the house in the summer canning. We haven't bought it, yet. We are going to watch for the end of season sales and see if the price drops any (just in time for canning season).


----------



## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

I water bath can outside on an old cookstove using wood. I was a newbie with just one canning season under my belt. My 1st canning set up was cinder blocks with an old oven rack, garden hose, and several wash tubs for both a sink & a canner. Used sturdy piece of foiled covered cardboard with an old shoelace thread thru as a lid on that wash tub. 

If I had the room I'd have a small shed with plenty of screened windows & a small front porch. A nice wood cookstove, shelving, an a wide plank table. As it stands now It's just me & my cookstove on the patio.

~~ pelenaka ~~


----------



## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

We do the majority of our cannng outside on a "Camp Chef" two burner unit (propane). On super hot days it's outside by the Honey House with a hinged plywood wind screen and on windy or cooler days we can on our enclosed back porch with windows open. 
My biggest issue with canning outdoors is fighting off the Yellowjackets.


----------

