Author Topic: Induction stove and canning?  (Read 2170 times)

crocheted_stache

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Induction stove and canning?
« on: August 28, 2020, 09:43:42 PM »
I currently have a gas range. I am satisfied with it generally and intend to keep on using it for the moment, but between its age (12 years and counting) and the Very Bad Things I have started to hear about the indoor air quality effects of natural gas appliances, I'd like to start considering now what its replacement should be. Electrifying almost certainly means a wiring upgrade, so I don't want to wait to decide until the day after the current stove gives up.

Canning in another person's kitchen on a conventional electric stove, we used a special canning burner, designed to lift up a giant pot of boiling water, so as not to trap heat underneath and cook the stove.

I figure if anyone has tried or looked into canning on an induction stove, it's this community. Is it possible? Are some models better equipped for the larger diameter and weight of big canning kettles? What else should I be looking for?

AMandM

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2020, 01:25:13 PM »
Ptf.
The small amount of research I have done on this topic basically yielded the advice: check with the manufacturer of your cooktop. Not helpful to those of us who don't have an induction top yet and are considering switching to one.  I'm not close enough to a decision to begin investigating the currently-available models.

AFAIK there are several isuues:
-Since induction cooktops are glass, they have weight limits.
-They can be scratched if a heavy canner is dragged across them.
-If the heat is too high, the burner will cycle off and on, which may mean the temperature/pressure doesn't stay steadily high enough to can properly.
-The canner diameter should not exceed the actual burner diameter by more than an inch. 
-The canner has to have a smooth bottom surface, not the ridged one that typical water-bath canners have.
-The canner should be metal, not enameled.

crocheted_stache

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2020, 02:05:31 PM »
AFAIK there are several isuues:
-Since induction cooktops are glass, they have weight limits.
-They can be scratched if a heavy canner is dragged across them.
-If the heat is too high, the burner will cycle off and on, which may mean the temperature/pressure doesn't stay steadily high enough to can properly.
-The canner diameter should not exceed the actual burner diameter by more than an inch. 
-The canner has to have a smooth bottom surface, not the ridged one that typical water-bath canners have.
-The canner should be metal, not enameled.

Yeah, I read some of that already. I'm hoping somebody can recommend a stove model that's up to the task, or else an alternative or workaround of some sort.

Better yet, somebody needs to invent the XXL Instant Pot-style canner with time and pressure inputs and self-minding pressure gauge.

Dictionary Time

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2020, 03:53:26 PM »
I am dreaming of an induction range someday. But I figured canning is a no-go on it. So I was going to get the outside propane burner and use that.  Second advantage is that it wouldn’t heat the house.  Just my half baked plan.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2020, 09:43:41 PM »
DW has done small-batch canned jam on our 10 year old GE Profile induction stove. She did say it was somewhat annoying to get the water up to temp. I'm not sure if that was because of power limits, or because she was probably using the huge 5 gal stock pot we use to brine turkey for thanksgiving and an extra deep rack for the jars (think 1+ inch) so likely needed to heat way more water than would have been necessary had she had an appropriately size pot.

She also successfully makes turkey broth using the same pot, post-thanksgiving. She usually has a couple of gallons in there when she does it, plus veggies, bird carcass, etc. Brings it up to boil, runs it on a boil for a while and drops it down to simmer for a couple hours.

Our induction stove has a fan to keep its electronics from overheating that it'll run. I have seen it drop power down, although it is *usually* related to too much power demand not overheating. We can't run all the burners on high, that'd blow the circuit if we could force them all to high, so the stove is auto-limiting itself to not do that. That's actually true for pairs of burners on the configuration our stove is (paired burners have a max wattage, so you can't run both of the pair on high, although you can run them both on 7-8ish, so that's usually good enough anyway).

It is a GE Profile. I don't know the exact model number and its somewhat irrelevant, because it is old enough I'm sure you can't buy it anymore. Think 10+ years. The controls and burner layout is similar to their current one fwiw: https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/GE-Profile-30-Smart-Free-Standing-Convection-Range-with-Induction-PHB920SJSS

They are... not cheap. Ours is still going though, a decade later. We have picked up some minor scratching on the surface. We are pretty careful -- we have nice stainless steel (inductable) pots and make sure the pots and the stove are both clean. I stir fry (in a paella pan), so I do end up moving the pot while its on the stove. Its held up remarkably well, honestly.

AMandM

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2020, 12:29:08 PM »
I was going to get the outside propane burner and use that.  Second advantage is that it wouldn’t heat the house.  Just my half baked plan.
Thanks for that idea! DH has a propane burner for making beer. I didn't think to use it for canning, too.

I love the burner configuration on the stove you linked, AccidentalMustache. But the price does make me gulp...

crocheted_stache

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2020, 01:32:53 AM »

Better yet, somebody needs to invent the XXL Instant Pot-style canner with time and pressure inputs and self-minding pressure gauge.

It exists! It's sold out for the rest of the year, so at the risk of having a bunch more competition for getting one when they're available again, here you have it. https://www.gopresto.com/product/presto-precise-digital-pressure-canner-02144

It says it's good for 5 quart jars, 8 pints, or 10 half pints, which is smaller than the biggest stovetop canners. It doesn't have to be babysat the whole time, so presumably the whole operation could go in the garage, laundry room, or porch for the duration so as not to heat the house more on warm days.

deborah

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #7 on: September 01, 2020, 03:09:11 AM »
I have a plug-in canner that’s like an urn and takes lots of jars. I plug it in outside. Fruit tends to be ripe on the hottest days, and this stops inside from warming up.

geekette

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #8 on: September 01, 2020, 11:25:16 AM »
I have a new induction range (LG  LSE4617ST).  For canning, it specifies a flat bottom, rotate between burners, and don't use a canner that's more than one inch larger than the burner.

I absolutely love induction for day to day cooking, but haven't canned.

crocheted_stache

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2021, 01:48:27 PM »

Better yet, somebody needs to invent the XXL Instant Pot-style canner with time and pressure inputs and self-minding pressure gauge.

It exists! It's sold out for the rest of the year, so at the risk of having a bunch more competition for getting one when they're available again, here you have it. https://www.gopresto.com/product/presto-precise-digital-pressure-canner-02144

It says it's good for 5 quart jars, 8 pints, or 10 half pints, which is smaller than the biggest stovetop canners. It doesn't have to be babysat the whole time, so presumably the whole operation could go in the garage, laundry room, or porch for the duration so as not to heat the house more on warm days.

Update: Not only is there such a thing as an electric self-minding pressure canner, it's finally back in stock, and I just ordered one.

flannel

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2021, 04:57:11 PM »
So maybe I have missed something I should have been more cautious about? 

I have a pretty straightforward GE Profile electric (not induction) stove with a glass top and we can with it regularly.  I have the big Presto pressure canner.   We mostly use it for water bath canning, but some pressure canning. The stove has a really big eye that handles it pretty good. It does take a while to get up to temp, but I don’t can in a rush anyway. 

So I can tell you it works.  I am open to the wisdom of the crowd here if someone wants to explain why this is a bad idea?

the_fixer

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2021, 03:08:58 PM »
We use a silicone mat between the glass top and pans in our induction stove to prevent scratches.

Never tried canning but I regularly cook with a 18qt stock pot filled to the tippy top and it is super heavy when full.






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jac941

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Re: Induction stove and canning?
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2021, 10:44:30 PM »
We have canned on our induction cooktop. It never even occurred to me that this might be something we shouldn’t do. It works much better than our gas range worked because it brings water to a boil much faster with the boost mode (this sucks the power from adjacent burners and maxes out the central burner).