My stove expired today so I'll be out looking for a new one tomorrow.

I do a moderate amount of canning every year. I'm limited to an electric stove right now (gas lines expected in our area in the next few years:) ). During the process, I use heavy pressure cookers that are on simmer for several hours at a time on my coil type burners. The splatters are a pain to clean up when I'm through so I'm really kind of worried about leaving a pot that long on the glass top stove. Any advice?

I have a smooth glass top range. I haven't done any serious canning since I got it and from what I've read, it could pose a problem. You have to have the heat so high for so long that heat can build up under the canner and maybe crack the glass. Google your question, several times with different wording. I've found good food for thought many times that way. If you are lucky you will find some boards or blogs where this is discussed. Also, ask at the appliance store. Good luck. BTW, I do love my glass top, and I moved away from my large garden area so don't need to can any more anyway.

Thanks for the quick reply, Novie. I did the search(es) you suggested and found just what you mentioned. Most popular brands of pressure canners state that "Pressure Cooker/Canners are NOT suitable for glass/flat top ranges."

Stove manufacturers do not recommend canning because of what you said about heat being trapped under a pot exceeding the burner size, which can cause serious damage or crack the top.

Looks like it's going to be another coil burner for me. Boo hoo.

My family does about 30 bushels of tomato sauce every year and some other things too...we do it all outside...we have propane burners, big pots, etc...and it is the best thing ...just hose down the garage floor or the back patio and we are done..we also cooked 12 lobster at a time in these pots and corn of the cob..the burners are not too expensive...and saves your indoor appliances...

I have a flat top stove but I haven't done any canning in years. When I did do a lot of canning, I had an electric stove with the coil burners on it. I don't know how a flat top stove would be with canning. It is something to ask the sales rep when you look for a new stove.

What about loooking at gas or propane?

When we bought our stove several years ago, the salesman also recommended getting burners that set a bit higher from the stove than the regular ones.

He discouraged the glass top one, too, because of the canning in a big pressure cooker.

I rented a house that had a "glass" top. I would not recommend canning on this. Good suggestion of doing the canning outside. Helps keep the heat out of the house too.

my sisters BOOKLET for her glass top stove says NO to cast iron and NO to canning pots!

I use my cast iron skillet on my glass top and I have canned on mine. But, I wouldn't suggest canning You can see that it is discolored now. I just told my husband that when this oneies I want to go back to the coil electric.
Judy

They are not really canner friendly. Some older pressure cookers have flat bottoms and can be used, but most have a slight curve to them. I had a flat top in a rental house a few years ago and did not like it. If I ever get my choice, I'll have a gas stove put in.

just went to a caning claass the flat top stoves is not able to get the heat hotnenough for proper caning are something like thewt call your agriculture dep. they could seed u in the right person to ask

I canned on my glass top stove last fall. I didn't have any problems. I had bought a new pressure canner and it had the outer edges of the bottom raised off of the burner. The book that came with the canner said it is safe to use on the smooth top stoves. I like the cleanup part, but I have a had time keeping my pans right on the burner. Seems like I always have to keep looking and moving the pan. It slides if I stir anything.

I have a flat top stove. I like it, but found out I can't use cast iron on it as it holds the heat and could cause the top to crack. Also I won't can on it, I had one good pot and heated water in it one day. Turned out the bottom of the pot was slightly uneven and that thing rattled horribly. After that I found out never, ever to set a hot lid onto a glass top or it can cause it to crack!
My next stove won't be a flat top.
Kat

All I know from hearing sad stories from friends is do NOT can on one, and do NOT use cast iron! the top cracks and you are buying a new stove!

Do NOT can on a glass top. A new glass top runs about $200. Don't ask how I know, not a pretty story!LOL

I purchased a Camp Chef triple burner outdoor propane stove to do my canning on. I use All-American canners, and they are very heavy.

I do pressure COOK on my glass top, with my Kuhn Rikon cookers, but I don't can on it.

Ditto!! Been there, done that...

YES & I cracked, broke & replaced 3 tops. in the end NOT a high quality surface. I was tired of spending 300$ to replace each top more then I spent for the stove to start with. I did pressure cook on mine the salesmen when i replaced it with electric coil asked me if i can on it when i said yes he told me ur NOT to can on flat top cause its too heavy & they WILL break & crack. In fact the last time it cracked my pressure cooker was on it & I heard it creak & my heart sank cause i KNEW it was breaking AGAIN & tried sooooo hard to take special care of it. The salesman also told me which he didnt give me info that he said he would for it. that is there is some special electric coil u can replace that is for canning, im going to try this if i can find it.

I have had my glass/smooth top range for almost 14 years. I do some serious canning on it and have not had any problems.

I have a flat top and I can on it every year. I know they say not to but I have not had any problems.

(I can about 300 quarts jars every year the stove is 10 years old)

Vicky

Last summer my DIL and I canned green beans, tomatoes, peaches, and beef on her glass top stove- no problem. These were all done in pints in the pressure canner. No problems.

Would a suggestion be to get one of those coil hot plates? Would it get hot enough? Some of them look high end to me and then you could get the flat top. I don't can or use a pressure cooker but I swore I would never clean those coils or use burner bibs ever again!!!!

I have owned two glass tops. The only reason I got a second one is because we moved and the new house did not have one. I hate cleaning stove tops. Both electric and gas. Plus, I'm leary of gas stoves. You have to be so careful of the pilot light. A friend of mine lost her eyelashes and eyebrows when she relit a pilot light too soon. It was a very loud boom. She was lucky she was not seriously hurt.

The worse mess I ever made on the glass top took only about 5 minutes to clean up. The worse mess I have made on previous stoves - sometimes 2 hours to clean depending on whether I had to lift the top up and really get in there.

But, I was told never to use a large pot (one that extends way beyond the burner area) because if it boiled over, the hot water could hit a cold spot and break/crack the top.

I was never told not to use cast iron. I have a nice set of Bernes cookware. It's aluminun not iron, but it's flat on the bottom and never had a problem with it. I've owned my current glass top for well over 13 years.

I also don't use those cleaners that come with the stove. Just hot, sudsy Dawn dishsoap. It cuts the grease and shines the stove too.

Can you tell I love my glass top? I cook a lot so the stove gets a lot of use.

I don't pressure cook so I've never really looked, but can you get the cooker as an electrical appliance? I know there are electric skillets and griddles and grills.

I went from my DD's house with a coil type to my brothers with a glass top and I have been burning everything. I am glad to know about the canning because I was thinking of doing some this year.

I have a smooth top Jenn-air I would not do canning on it.
I bought a cheap model regular stove and have it in the garage for canning.
It's great to have extra oven for family dinners.Sometimes when I don't want all the extra heat in the kitchen. I use it. I am so glad I was able to do this.

Okay I have had my flat top for approx 12 yrs now and can on it every season but here is the catch. My caner only holds 4 quart jars not the huge 7 jar caner. In the book it talks about aluminum, cast iron and copper bottom pots. The copper bottom pots, aluminum are both conductors of electricity and can make the element under hotter then it is to be and will crack it and the cast iron pretty much the same way. I can do a run of green beans and have another one ready to start by the time it takes to do a run and them to cool off by using the 4 quart caner and mother is only getting 7 quarts done and it only taking about 5 minutes more. The 4 quart are hard to fine and I have had mine about 20 yrs. Hope this helps

Guy who sold me mine stove asked if I cannedand I said yes...he said then you don't want this smooth top.But I had a friend who used all her old pot and pans on hers and no problem.........But I am a chicken. so if I were you I would talk to a dearler for you get one.Charlotte

I do a very lot of canning on my glass top stove. If I'm canning, I usually can at least 3 canner loads up to 6 per day (mainly the weekends). I can meat or beans which take 90 minutes to can after the pressure has built up to 15 pounds. Make sure that the canner you have has the extra metal round piece on the bottom of it and not a flat bottom all the way across. The canner that I use is a 23 quart canner and I usually put as much as possible in there. I have had 20 pints at one time in my canner; 7 quarts and 5 pints (the new short wide mount pints); or even 5 quarts and 4 pints. I have not had a problem with the canner on the stove. I do not push it around on the stove, I pick it up and move it and YES it is heavy. I didn't know that you weren't supposed to use the canner on flat tops until after I had gotten my. But canning is a way of life for me, so I decided if it breaks I will have to just go get another stove. So far - so good. I also use my cast iron and copper bottom pots!

Guess I've been lucky. I've had a glass top now for 5 years and the only skillets I have are cast iron. Haven't had any problems. I also use my water canner/pressure canner on it without problems. Never even occurred to me that I shouldn't do it. This is the first time I've ever had an electric stove and I really miss the gas. The glass looks nice, but I probably wouldn't be what I would pick if I had a choice.

My friend has one and we use it for canning all kinds of vegetables. It isn't hard to clean if you use the cleaner for it. We usually have two canners going at the same time.

I HATE my flat top stove but love the extra room in the oven. Would I buy one again.. N O..

good luck on your choices

Ell

I can on my glass top and have never had a problem and was never told I could not can on it.

I asked this same question last year. I had canned a bunch of tomatoes, tomato sauce, pears and pear butter before I read the hot water bath instructions. They said no canning on a glass top. However, some QB members said they had canned for years on theirs and never had a lick of trouble. I think I will continue to can on mine.

Saw Kate of Jon and Kate plus 8 crack her top while cooking an extra large soup ( could be size of canner we own).. she put the lid down and the lid caused a vacuum and cracked the top.. had to order a new one fast to complete the show.. befor they had moved into super large house..

too bad this was shown after i bought the darn thing.. Husband wanted one.. because crumbs ( his crumbs) in the coils.. sigh

If you search on this question, you'll find a website that states you can do canning on a smooth top stove (http://www.pickyourown.org/cannings4glasstop.htm). Your canner cannot exceed the width of your burner by more than 1", so that means you'll have to do smaller batches in something the size of a stock pot. I did jellies and jams on mine last year and had no problem. You also cannot can on a smooth top element that has a thermostat that cuts the burner off and on, as it will not keep the consistent heat needed to kill bacteria. I have one burner that does it and one and does not. Please read this website for further info.

My cook top is 12 years old. I was told by the installer if I canned on it there would be no guarantee if it broke, but I have canned pints on it but never quarts.

I have a propane grill with the extra burner so I can use that instead of the smooth cooktop. I don't use any thing real heavy on my stove. I don't want to have to replace it as they are quite expensive.

I bought a glass top stove. I cleaned it after EVERY use with the polish that you can buy especially for glass tops. The pans left rings 'burnt into' the top. My pans were brand new (3 weeks old, got them from Christmas). They were $400.00 pans from Belgique. After not being able to clean my top, I called Sears and told them and they replaced the top. That year I tried to do my canning on it. Since the largest burner is about 10 inches wide and the canner was about 16 inches wide it left marks AGAIN in my stove top. As I sat there and cried, I'd had enough. I called Sears again. They said they had already replaced it once. I said yes, I know, but I didn't realize when I bought it that I coldn't do things on it that I used to do on my electric top. I told them to come and get it or I would drop it off at their door. Before I hung up with them, they had made arrangements to come and pick it up. I took better care of that range top than I did my cats. It still 'burned on'. The pattern of the elements is what shows in black. I think the concept if great. They look beautiful but I wasn't paying $1200.00 for a top that looks years old after the first use. Knowing what I know now, I'll never have another one.

I do can on my smooth top range but I use a steam canner. It looks like an upside down canner. This canner has a flat bottom which is essential in the heating process. The cleanup I do is usually from prep work not the canning process. I clean mine after each use also so has never been too bad to clean. :D