Hey guys,

My household stove is a glass top stove and after reading the manual, it said that I shouldn't use a pressure canner/ cooker on it as the glass could crack.

I don't have any other real way to heat the canner (it doesn't really fit well on my camp stove).

I was thinking about getting a single burner electric hot plate but I'm not sure how well it would do.  I found a 1500 watt unit on amazon and was wondering if it would get hot enough to do the job.

What do ya think?

Thanks

Find a turkey frier?  Those burners work great....

And you can get the main heat creating process out of the house keeping your house cooler (if you don't have ac) or saving electricity (if you do have ac).

We used a pressure canner on our glass-top Whirlpool stove for 2 years without any problems. The only warning I remember is that you shouldn't drag any pot across the surface because the metal could scratch the glass, which could then crack under the thermal stress.

YMMV.

+1 on the outdoor cooker!

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

I do have a turkey fryer but in the past I have had problems getting the flame turned down low enough to maintain a pressure.  Either the pressure goes sky high or the flame goes out and I start losing pressure.  I can't seem to find that sweet spot.

MMDV (my milage don't vary), we've been canning on a glass top for the last 7 years. I believe it's a weight issue and a coverall for the canner manufacturer encase someone wants to put the 30 quart canner on the glass top.

I've looked into this too; I've got a turkey fryer burner, but I'd like to keep the canning indoors if I can - kinda partial to my air conditioning during the time of year when we're canning most things.

I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet, but I think I'm going to spring for one of these commercial units before next year's season. I'm guessing they're built a little better than the consumer-type hot plates, which should help them better handle a heavy canner.

Wrap the base with Aluminum foil to block any stray breeze that is blowing out your fire.  

TRG

I have canned on our glass top for 3 to 4 years now with no issues.

I think I found your problem.  I never read my manual and I pressure can on my glass top stove all the time with an All American 921.  So in the future, never read the manual.

It could be a weight issue, I wish manufacturers would explain the why's of things and give limits instead of blanket statements.

We would do our canning outside even if we had AC.  We do hundreds of quarts a year, and I would not want to have to pay to remove all that extra heat.

We don't do quite that much, probably a little over a hundred quarts a year.  There's no arguing that for every BTU you pump into the house, you'll pay for the AC to pump it back out, but you can say the same for cooking a lasagna for 45 minutes in the oven, or frying up a big breakfast with a couple of stove burners on high for 30-40 minutes.  Unless we did ALL the prep work (cleaning, cutting, simmering sauce, boiling jars, etc.) outside, we'd probably lose as much AC by opening and closing the door running back and forth as we do by running the canner inside. And doing all the prep outdoors isn't practical for us... we don't have a screened-in area to work, so flies, cats and free-ranging chickens would all be there trying to "help".

Not saying that outdoor canning is a bad idea though. Just that it depends on the situation.  I like shuckin', sorting and cutting corn off the cob in the AC a lot better... enough to fork over a couple of extra bucks for the convenience and comfort.