Outdoor Canning Stove Review: Trying a Camp Chef Tahoe 3-Burner
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I spent the afternoon testing out the Camp Chef Tahoe 3 Burner Stove for use as an outdoor canning stove. I wanted to see if it would work well for home canning, especially with both a water bath canner and a pressure canner.
After years of regular use I can say, it has worked very well, with the reminder that heat control and safe setup matter.
Outdoor Canning Stove Considerations
There are three things anyone should check with any outdoor canning stove choice. A propane burner works great—but it needs to be able to do a few specific things.
- Testing control over the flame: This is especially important for pressure canning.
- Testing sturdiness: Those canners are heavy when full!
Disclaimer…Camp Chef provided this stove for me to test out and review. This did not affect my opinion of, or use of the stove. I’ve been using this stove for probably 10 years now, both on and off camera, and I really do think it is a great stove.
Canning on a Camp Chef – Tahoe 3 burner
When I first got the Tahoe. I did this video while I tested it for my pressure canner (see video below) and I’ve been using it regularly since then.
For me, this was the ultimate test. Pressure canning is where flame control really matters, so this was the part I was most curious about. I was not sure how a pressure canner would maintain a steady pressure. I was so happy when it worked great!
You can find the Camp Chef Tahoe Here.
How you can control the flame is important. You need to be certain that the flame will go low enough to hold pressure. Sometimes, this is very low. The Camp Chef did fine when the dial is turned to warm. I heated to pressure on medium heat. High is very high! You really don’t need to go there.
When you have reached temperature, turn the dial to warm. (warm is not just low, It is marked on the dial, look for it.) For me, this was perfect to maintain pressure.
As long as I stayed on warm once pressure was reached, the stove held steady with no issues.
The three burners are a big plus—I can run two canners and still have a pot of water heating at the same time.
Whether you’ve got a smooth or glass top range you’re unsure about, or you simply want to keep the heat out of the house, an outdoor canning stove can make canning days much more comfortable.
Warnings for Outdoor Canning Stoves
Please note: It has been pointed out to me that some pressure canner manufacturers do not recommend using their canner on a propane burner.
Read your owner’s manual to determine if there are any warnings for your canner.
I checked my owner’s manuals and indeed my Presto has a warning against using a propane burner higher than 12,000 BTUs. I could find no such warning in my All American Canner owner’s manual.
I’m comfortable using this and simply not turning the heat up high…you, of course, have to make your own decision.
Here is a fact sheet regarding canning on outdoor burners from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
How Sturdy is the Camp Chef Stove?
With two full canners on the stove, It felt very stable was very comfortable.
These are very large pots with lots of hot water. You need to be sure there will be no tip-overs. I knew that with common sense care, I would have no problem with canners tipping over. There was even more space for yet another pot had I needed it.
Now, let me explain what I mean about commonsense care.
- I had no large dogs running around to bump into the stove. We all know that large exuberant Labrador whose whole body wags along with his tail, or maybe your best buddy has a Great Dane with a leash dragging. It would be common sense not to have these types of obstacles ramming into the stove. 🙂
- I also did not have my stove pressed right up against the side of a building, or worse yet, a tent. Any stove, no matter what brand, needs to be placed safely.
Breezes Will Blow. When Canning Outdoors, Use Caution!
Whenever you do home canning outdoors there are always minor breezes blowing. With any outdoor canning set up, you need to be in a sheltered area. This is so the canner and flame are protected from the wind. My carport worked great for this.
Another Note: Camp Chef states that the stove is not for indoor use. The area I’m in is sheltered but open. I’m comfortable using it here. You, of course, need to make your own decision as to where you use the stove. Open, but sheltered from the wind, is my suggestion.
The day I did my testing, I had a slight breeze blowing, even in my carport. Not much, but enough that I wondered how I would do with the pressure canner.
In past experiences with other stoves and burners, I ended up having issues with my canner losing pressure, but this time around, I did not have problems. You will need to be close to monitor the canner. This is not unusual though; even when you are canning in your kitchen, I recommend staying in the kitchen to monitor your pressure.
Bottom Line: Is the Camp Chef a Good Outdoor Canning Stove?
After using the Camp Chef Tahoe for both water bath and pressure canning, I’ve been very happy with it. The stove is sturdy, the flame control is good enough to maintain pressure, and having three burners is a big advantage.
Like any outdoor propane stove, it needs to be used with care—especially regarding heat levels and wind—but with common sense, it has worked very well for me over many years of use.
Click here to check out prices for the Camp Chef.
It can be if turned up too high. Keeping the flame low after reaching pressure worked well for me.
Yes. I’ve used both a pressure canner and a water bath canner on it at the same time. In fact you can run 2 canners and have a smaller pot in the center burner as well.
Some do not. Always check your canner’s owner’s manual before using a propane stove.
Outdoor canning can be done safely when the stove is set up on a stable surface, protected from wind, and monitored closely during processing.
Yes. Based on my experience, when used with common sense and proper heat control, it has worked very well for both water bath and pressure canning.
Setting Up the Camp Chef Stove
I did a video of my husband unpacking and setting this up. It is incredibly easy. All you have to do is place the legs and attach the regulator. Light it up! Start cooking! Less than 7 minutes.
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This is great! I was just looking for information on pressure canning outside and I do happen to have a camp chef stove and have done water bath canning many times on it, always with great results and actually faster heating time and reboil than my indoor electric stove. I’m new at pressure canning so I want to be sure I’m doing safe practices. Thanks for the info!
Camp Chef is a nice stove but not for
us lowlanders. I can at 11 PSI and Camp Chef will not adjust that low. I’ve added a cast iron plate to see if that helps but then it takes forever to heat up. Next stop is to pull out my old Coleman stove which is at 11,000 BTU and therefore should allow my to hold a lower heat setting.
how quickly do you have to refill the propane tank? after one canning session or can you get in more?
It will depend on the size tank you use and the heat you end up needing to maintain pressure. Mine is a 20lb tank. I can say it is definitely more than one canning session. But I use my stove for more than just canning so it would be difficult for me to say how many I get per tank. I’m cooking and doing other things in-between times. Loads vary from 20-90 minutes depending on what you are canning. I did a search on “how long will a 20-pound propane tank last” … most results I see say 18-20 hours.… Read more »
Sharon, do you use a propane gauge or regulator on your propane tank to know how full it is?
I don’t. But that is actually a good idea that I never even thought of. I’ll have to check into it. We just always have an extra tank on hand. When I start a load I just make sure that the tank feels full. If there is any doubt, switch to the full tank. You don’t want to run out during processing. I’ve not had any issues yet.
Greg, Did you ever get a response from Sharon ?
Dottie, thanks for asking as I missed Greg’s question! You brought it to my attention.
Hi Sharon, I’m Greg. Thank you for your amazing website. I was wondering whether you used the Camp Chef stove with the Presto pressure canner or the All American pressure canner. The Camp Chef rates its BTU output at 30,000 which is 18,000 more than Presto recommends. Could I still use my Presto on the Camp Chef stove if I keep the burner below “half?”
Hi Greg. I used my All American Canner on the camp chef. I can’t tell you what to do with your Presto but keeping the heat on low is exactly what I do when I’m canning outside. That high heat that the Camp Chef puts out is not needed and would be much too high.
Hi Greg and Sharon,
I have the same canning stove and have used my Presto Pressure Canners on it without any issues. I keep the heat low and it works wonderful. I have been using it for about 2 years
I have a presto canner also, but need a psi of 11 for my elevation. From your experience, do you think I would be able to get the flame low enough for an 11? Another reviewer I watched wasn’t able to get her’s lower than 13-15. Thanks!
That is a good question. I’ve never really tested it out for lower pressure levels. I’d suggest running a test run on just jars of water. That way if you can’t make it work you won’t waste any food.