QUESTION re water bath canner

[Liberty7]

It seems that every ad I read for a water bath canner says, "Not recommended for smooth top stoves."

Well, if a person has a smooth top stove, WHAT are they supposed to use?

 

[4grandbabies]

I recently purchased a new smooth top stove to replace my gas range... aarrgg what was I thinking?? I will be doing my canning next door with my daughter.

 

[tinychicken]

I have a GE Profile glass top and this is what I learned.

I believe the reasoning behind the water canner and the glass top stove is that there are ridges on the bottom of the canner, making contact with the stove more difficult.

That being said, a water canner can be pretty heavy, so I suppose there is also a weight factor to consider. I had mine going without any problem. And even taking the ridges on the bottom into account, if your water is at a full rolling boil, you should be good to go with canning.

If you are concerned that the size of the canner is bigger than the element, I called GE customer service and they said that's not a problem. It would be a problem if you had a large pot that was wider than the burner with hot fat or if you were making something exceedingly hot like candy, but she said the temperature of water will not hurt the stove top.

If you are interested in a pressure canner, Presto makes one that is fine to use on the glass top stove. Another advantage to the pressure canner is that you only use a couple inches of water so it's much lighter, not to mention shorter canning times and much less heat/humidity released into your kitchen. A pressure canner can also double as a boiling water bath if necessary.

 

[4grandbabies]

Thanks Tinychicken~! It was not my question, but I found that answer to be Very helpful.

 

[Liberty7]

tinychicken:

So, you're saying that the pressure canner is actually the way to go.

Thank you.

 

[Augustmomx2]

I recently took a canning class and someone asked this exact question. The instructor suggested she call the manufacturer and ask what they suggest. She stated that some are able to function ok, others are not.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not going to address your original question about the smooth stove tops. Others are handling that and I personally just don't know. Sounds like a call to the manufacturer is in order.

Some things require pressure canning and some are fine with water bath. You are going to be spending a good chunk of money either way so I'd suggest spending a bit more and doing as tinychicken mentioned. Get one that can do both as long as it is compatible with your stove. I'd guess that I pressure can about 75 to 80% of the time and water bath can the rest.

 

[tinychicken]

Ridgerunner, you hit the nail right on the head! Canners are certainly expensive so having one that offers options makes all kinds of sense to me.,,,,,IF it can be used on your particular stove.

I do believe the All American canner specifically says not to use it glass stoves due to weight issues.