Home Canning Tips, Surface

HOME CANNING TIPS

Canning should be done on the cooktop only.

Pots that extend beyond 1 inch of the surface unit 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.

Surface

Observe the Following Points in Canning

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 too long to boil water.

Flat-bottomed canners are recommended.

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.

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 limiters to turn the unit off for a time. This will stop the boil or reduce the pressure in the canner.

Since you must make sure to process the canning jars for the prescribed time, with no interruption in processing time, you do not can on any of the cooktop surface units if your canner is not flat enough.

GE RB787 Surface, Cookware Tips Home Canning Tips, Observe the Following Points in Canning