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Home Canning Tips
Ceramic Cooktop
12
Observe the
following
points in
canning
Note:
Flat-bottomed
canners are required
for glass cooktops.
Right! Wrong!
Pots that extend beyond 1 inch of the surface
unit’s circle are not recommended for most
surface cooking. However, when canning with
water-bath or pressure canner, larger-diameter
pots may be used. This is because boiling water
temperatures (even under pressure) are not
harmful to the cooktop surfaces surrounding
the surface units.
HOWEVER, DO NOT USE LARGE
DIAMETER CANNERS OR OTHER LARGE
DIAMETER POTS FOR FRYING OR
BOILING FOODS OTHER THAN WATER.
Most syrup or sauce mixtures—and all types of
frying—cook at temperatures much higher than
boiling water. Such temperatures could
eventually harm the glass cooktop surfaces.
1 Be sure the canner fits over the center of the
surface unit. If your cooktop or its location
does not allow the canner to be centered on
the surface unit, use smaller diameter pots
for good canning results.
2 Flat-bottomed canners must be used. Do not
use canners with flanged or rippled bottoms
(often found in enamelware) because they
don’t make enough contact with the surface
units and take a long time to boil water.
3 When canning, use recipes and procedures
from reputable sources. Reliable recipes
and procedures are available from the
manufacturer of your canner; manufacturers
of glass jars for canning, such as Ball and
Kerr; and the United States Department of
Agriculture Extension Service.
4 Remember that canning is a process that
generates large amounts of steam. To
avoid burns from steam or heat, be
careful when canning.
NOTE: If your house has low voltage, canning
may take longer than expected, even though
directions have been carefully followed. The
process time will be shortened by:
(1) using a pressure canner, and
(2) starting with HOT tap water for fastest
heating of large quantities of water.
CAUTION:
• Safe canning requires that harmful
microorganisms are destroyed and that the
jars are sealed completely. When canning
foods in a water-bath canner, a gentle but
steady boil must be maintained for the
required time. When canning foods in a
pressure canner, the pressure must be
maintained for the required time.
• After you have adjusted the controls, it is
very important to make sure the prescribed
boil or pressure levels are maintained for the
required time.
• Since you must make sure to process the
canning jars for the prescribed time, with
no interruption in processing time, do not
can on any cooktop surface unit if your
canner is not flat.
What is a
temperature
limiter?
The cooktop surface units have temperature
limiters that prevent the glass cooktop from
getting too hot. If the bottom of your canner
is not flat, the surface unit can overheat,
triggering the temperature limiter to cycle the
unit off for a time. This will stop the boil or
reduce the pressure in the canner.
The Temperature Limiter may cycle the units
off for a time if:
• The pan boils dry.
• The pan bottom is not flat.
• The pan is off center.
• There is no pan on the unit.