Canning on a Glass Top Stove: Will your stove work?

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Can You Use a Canner on a Glass Top Stove?

There are two main concerns with a glass top stove and canning.

• Will I break my stovetop?
• Will the food be processed correctly?

The risk most people are aware of with a glass top stove is the possibility of breaking your stovetop. But did you know that you might also not process your food correctly if your equipment is not compatible with your stove?

Let’s Start with the Hearsay

I’ve heard it all—some people swear by canning on a glass top stove with no issues, while others have cracked theirs or had overheating problems that caused their pressure canner to lose pressure.

I don’t have a glass top stove, but I did a little research, and this is what I’ve found.

Your success will depend on the manufacturer, what stove you’re using, and what canner you’re using, and how long you’re using it.

There are 2 questions to ask.

• First can my stove handle it?
• Second what type of canner works?
  

What are the issues?

The issues that can come up with using glass top stoves for canning:

• Canners that are too large in diameter can cause heat damage to the stove. The diameter of the canner needs to be appropriate to the diameter of the heating element.
• Heavy canners can scratch your cooktop if you slide them even a little bit.
• The weight of full canners can be too much for some glass tops. The top will end up cracking.
• Burners may cycle on and off if the heat gets too high, disrupting consistent pressure or boiling.

The biggest concern is burners cycling on and off. Canners that are too large for the burner may reflect too much heat back to your cooktop. This causes the burners to get too hot and overheat, which may cause them to turn of. Or even repeatedly cycle on and off.

• If you’re pressure canning and the burners turn off, the pressure will drop and cause your food to be under-processed.
• You may lose liquid in your jars from the heat fluctuations.

This cycling on and off can lead to problems. You need to be able to keep the canner at a consistent pressure. If the burners are cycling on and off…steady heat is not going to happen!

You can learn about canning on an induction stove here. (which is basically a type of electric stove with a smooth top)

If your stove is canning approved, then what?

Glass top stoves require smooth-bottom cookware. So whatever canner you use it must have a smooth flat bottom. No ridges.

What is the best canner for a glass top stove? Lets go over pressure canners first, then we’ll look at water bath next.

Best Pressure Canner for a glass top stove.

I’m going to go over several brands. But remember no matter what the canner manufacturer says…. the manufacturer of your stove has precedence.

Can You Use a Presto Canner for Canning on a Glass Top Stove?

Presto Canners, have a smooth bottom. They will work on canning approved glass top stoves.

This is what Presto has to say regarding their canners:

“Acceptable: All Presto® Pressure Canners will work on electric coil and regular gas ranges. Current models of Presto® Pressure Canners will also work on glass/smooth top ranges.

“Although Presto believes that current pressure canners are acceptable for use on glass top stoves we recommend that you check with the owner’s manual for your range or the manufacturer before using.”

So the answer from Presto basically is… Probably, but check with your manufacturer.

Can You Use an All American Canner for Canning on a Glass Top Stove?

All American Canners are not smooth bottomed. They have small ridges on the bottom of the canner and thus can not be used.

This is what All American has to say:

“No, it is our understanding that the manufacturers of glass-top stoves recommend using only flat cookware, and the ALL-AMERICAN Pressure Cookers have indentations in the bottom.

“Also, the cooker is quite heavy and if dropped or slid across the glass-top stove, it may damage the cook top. You may want to check with the manufacturer of your range for additional information.”

So for an All American Canner, the answer is no…not a good idea at all. Such a nice, clear answer!

Can You Use a Mirro Pressure Canner for Canning on a Glass Top Stove?

I’ve asked Mirro for their input on whether their pressure canners can be used on a glass top stove. However, they did not get back to me, so I can’t give concrete information for what they say. So personally, I would not recommend it. I’m not sure about the diameter of the pot OR the condition of the bottom of the canner. Is it flat? You’d have to check.

Best Water Bath Canner for Glass Top Stoves

Now let’s cover water bath canners. There are many brands.

• Check the bottom of the canner. Remember it needs to be fully flat.
• And the diameter of the canner should be appropriate to what your stove can handle. Check your manufacture for exact dimensions recommended for your stove make and model.

The typical black speckled graniteware water bath canners have a waffle bottom and are not recommended.

There are several brands of stainless steel water bath canners. I believe most of them probably have a flat bottom that would work just fine. Mine is flat. But again check your canner.

I have a Victorio Stainless Steel Water Bath Canner.

Victorio states:

“USE ON ANY RANGE: Flat clad bottom for even heating on any cooktop, including induction ranges”

Alternatives:

What if canning on your stove just won’t work and you need to do something else? There are still some solutions available to you if you find you can’t use your glass top stove for canning.

Use a flat bottomed stockpot for water bath canning.

Remember, you can do a water bath in any pot–it doesn’t have to be an official water bath canner. The pot just needs to be deep enough for the jars to be fully submerged with some sort of a rack under the jars.

If your stove manufacturer says “no” to water bath canning because the canner is too large and heavy, consider doing small batches of 3 or 4 jars at a time in a stockpot. This would be similar in weight and size to making a large batch of soup or stew.

Consider using either an electric or propane burner outdoors.

You can use a propane burner or electric burner instead of your stove in your kitchen. Personally, I’ve tried canning on a Camp Chef stove with great success, but there are some concerns about using such a burner for canning.

Read more about how to set up outdoor canning here, so you can make your own informed decision. The National Center for Home Food Preservation lists these concerns about using propane or electric burners for canning:

1. Because they’re portable, these burners may become unsteady or tilted.
2. The size may not be big enough for using a canner. (Generally, “…the canner should not extend more than 2 inches from the burner on any side.”)
3. For electric burners, a low wattage may not be high enough to allow for canning.
4. For propane burners, the heat produced may be too high for the canner or burner itself to handle.

Another alternative is an electric canner.

There are options for both electric pressure canner and electric water bath canners. I’ve got reviews on each here.

• Ball Electric Water Bath Canner Review – I have one and like it. Note that it is only for water bath canning.
• Presto Electric Pressure Canner Review – These are not officially ‘approved’ by the powers that be yet. But it is being tested and is looking positive. You can read more about them here and I’ll be keeping that updated as the testing proves either positive or negative.

Summary: Canning On a Glass Top Stove

1. First and overriding decision maker…. Check your stove manufacturer. (I repeated that quite often didn’t I?! 😉)
2. All American canner is a NO.
3. Presto canner is a yes IF the stove allows it.
4. Granite ware water bath canner is a NO. (bottom is not flat)
5. A stainless steel water bath canner is a yes if the bottom is flat.

Related Pages

• Have an Induction Top Stove Instead? – What about canning on induction top stove tops? Is it possible?
• Pressure Canner Basics – The brands, the features, and how they work!
• Stainless Steel Water Bath Canners Like This One are a great investment for someone who does a lot of canning each year.

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