Can I can with an induction cooktop?

[koshki]

I would like to try canning some of my bountiful harvest this year, and have been researching which type of system I should use.

I have an induction cooktop. Cookware needs to be magnetic (stainless or enameled steel), so aluminum is out. Also, it is a smooth glass top, and the instructions on many canners say not to use it on smooth glass.

Is there anything I can purchase that will work on my cooktop? If not, could anyone recommend an electric canner that would be suitable for a beginner who would like to can quarts of tomato sauce?

TIA

[johnbro2]

I do not now about electric canners, but I would say NO on your cook top. It will not handle the weight of a heavy canner. I'm happy you had a good harvest. My garden had way to much heat and no rain this year.

[koshki]

I'm a bit skeptical about the "weight" issue. I have some pretty heavy pots...large Le Crueset dutch ovens and such (enameled cast iron). Generally speaking, all of my pots are heavier because I can't use aluminum. Perhaps there is another reason?

(And yes, there are some things I really like about my induction cook top!)

[johnbro2]

check your owners manual. My salesman said no.

[salix]

Katherine, I suggest that you check the Harvest Forum on Garden Web - there are many threads on just exactly that topic. (I have a glass top, and can like blazes on it - if it breaks, I will just get the top replaced, so far so good...)

[koshki]

Well, I feel like a big ole' dummy. After my last post, I pulled out my owner's manual. Lots of recommendations on getting a flat-bottomed canning pot and keeping your face out of the steam, but nothing about problems with weight.

So, if I can find a suitable pot, I guess I can can!

So now I have to find the right pot. Any suggestions?

[aclum]

I've got some disablility issues which make it difficut for me to lift our fairly heavy 23 qt aluminum presto pressure canner. My solution was to get a $49 (free shipping) 1300 watt Waring Professional portable burner from Amazon and use it on a wheeled metro-type wire cart (normally used for my seedlings in the spring). I adjusted the top shelf so the top of the canner on the burner comes to about counter height. I can wheel the canner over to the sink to fill and then roll it wherever and continue with the canning process. The top's low enough so that it's really easy for me to load and unload the jars. The whole system works out great for my needs. But you could just as well use the same burner with a canner on a countertop or table. (I also have an induction portable burner on a cart that I use with my stainless steel pressure cookers - but they aren't designed for canning. If I had a stainless pressure canner, I just would have used the induction burner and not bothered getting the electric burner - but we already had the canner).

Anne
Merced, CA

[ddsack]

Anne, thanks for posting this. I have a very small kitchen, and the Waring portable burner sounds like something I could use either for moving pressure canning to another area, or for moving fish fry smells and splatters outdoors. There was a mention in the Amazon reviews of not using pots that overhang the burner because the heat might melt the plastic sides of the base. Do you have any experience with this?

[aclum]

Hi, I haven't had any issues with the plastic side trim melting. The top of the burner plate is raised above the plastic sides by about 1/4 inch and the Presto pressure canner has a raised central section on the bottom that is just slightly larger diameter than the burner that's about another 1/4 inch high. So that even though the bottom of the canner extends over the plastic side trim, it's about about 1/2 inch above it. I pressure steamed a pork shoulder today using my 8 qt Fagor pressure cooker on the burner. I had it on high pressure for nearly an hour and no signs of the plastic even softening (although it got sort of hot).

One caution in using the burner is to make sure not to overload the circuit. I had the Waring Burner on as the same time as my Duxtop 1800 watt Induction burner (boiling down two big pots of tomato sauce), a small fan, and my graylab darkroom timer that I now use for cooking timing. Everything was fine until I turned on the DeLonghi Convection oven. OOPS!! That tripped and actually broke the circuit breaker so that it needed to be replaced ($$$). While waiting for the electrician to come and fix things the next morning, I moved one of my burners into the dining room (different circuit) and, using an extension cord, hooked the other to the patio outlet that was on a thrid circuit. Worked out fine and just took a few minutes to get back in action.

Oh, one other thing. When I pressure cooked my pork on the Warning burner today, it seemed like it brought the pot up to pressure as fast as or maybe even faster than the induction cooktop.

BTW, I really like the Fagor SS Pressue cookers (I have the Duo Combi set). I don't know if it would be large enough for your needs, Katherine, but I'd go for the Fagor 10 qt pressure canner, to use on your induction cooktop. (Off the top of my head - haven't really researched the subject of SS canners - but I do trust the Fagor brand!)

Anne
Merced, CA

[koshki]

Anne, thanks very much for your posts. It got me to thinking about the logistics I would have to manage from my wheelchair...and I'm not sure this is a practical idea for me right now.

I do have an electric burner, and a wheeled cart of sorts that could be pressed into service. But I hadn't thought about how heavy all this would be for me to handle.

Maybe next year I can talk a friend into canning with me! I guess I'll just freeze sauce this time.

Thanks again!

[aclum]

Hi koshki (Katherine??),

With my current disabilities, I'm pretty much wheelchair bound too. Although I can stand for short periods of time and lift stuff, prune tall tomato plants, etc., I can't, for example, walk any distance with both hands full. FWIW here's the logistics of how I manage canning from the wheelchair.....

The kitchen layout for the canning area is sort of L shaped with sink, dishwasher and silverware, etc. drawers on one leg of the L. Along the wall perpendicular to this is a doorway cut-out leading to the patio then along the wall my metro cart with the induction burner and timer, and then a 2x4 kitchen work table.

For canning, I heat up whatever I'm canning (so far just salsas and sauces) on the induction burner while I sterilize my canning jars and lids in the dishwasher. When things are ready (sitting in my wheelchair), I move the jars and lids from the DW, put them on the table a couple of feet away next to the hot stuff to be canned in the pot on the induction burner next to the table. Then I fill and seal the jars as directed.

Then I wheel the second cart with the top shelf set low with the waring electric burner and presto canner on top over to the table. From my wheelchair, I can easily just grab the jars and place them in the canner. Then I wheel the canner cart over to the sink and using a 4 qt pyrex measure (although you could use anything), add water so that it's about 2-3 inches up the sides of the jars. I never have to lift the pot itself or stand. I can leave the cart where it is, or roll it back over to the table. Then I do the canning procedure. When the canning is complete and I can open the lid, I can just reach in with the jar holder tongs and remove the jars and place them on the table to cool. I have the shelf on my cart low enough so I can see into the canner from a seated position in the wheelchair.

With the jars out of the canner, I wheel the cart back over to the sink and since there really isn't that much water in it to add weight, I can lift the canner up to the kitchen counter and dump the old water, etc. The pot's somewhat heavy but probably not that much heavier, if at all, than a large le creuset casserole. If the 23 qt presto is too heavy, you could always just get a smaller pressure cooker. When I'm all done I just roll the cart and canner out of the way into another area so it won't be in the way in our relatively smallish kitchen.

Anyway, that's how I do my canning from a wheelchair (hope it all made sense!)

Anne
Merced, CA

[koshki]

Thanks, Anne! You've given me some great ideas. Funny you mention Le Crueset casserole...my favorite pots! They are heavy, but I can handle them, so that gives me a good point of reference.

I just made my first batch of roasted tomato sauce, and it was a big hit. I'll need a pressure canner to preserve some of that. I feel much more confident about getting a 23 quart pot.