Dual Purpose - Evaporator and Canning Bath

[logboy]

I've had this idea for the last year or so. I want to kill two birds with one stone. We do a lot of gardening and canning in the summer, enough so that our electric bill shoots through the roof. For the longer canning bath foods (tomato sauce, beets) I just boil them over an open fire outside on a grate I welded up with legs. Not only is it faster, but much cheaper.

I have plans to make an evaporator out of an old oil drum since I'm tired of the cinder block pan support and the mess. I'm also tired of stinking like smoke for a month. The plan is to weld a couple hooks on either end of the stove to attach a chain to move it in and out of my barn with my Bobcat when not in use.

I figured I might as well make this dual purpose though. The question is how do I adapt it for the canning part? I thought about just taking the pan off and putting a removable 1/2" thick plate on top to set the canning pots on. Or I could cut a hole in it for the canning pot to sit on to get direct heat from the flames below. Ideas anyone?

[C.Wilcox]

I tossed around this same idea for a while, but haven't gotten around to acting on it. Glad I didn't because I like your idea way more than any of mine. I think a piece of plate steel on the top of the arch with holes in it would work great. The pots will boil way faster if you expose them to the flame.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Why not just leave the evap pan in place and place the jars in the boiling water. You will clean the pan in the spring for sap season so I wouldn't worry about contamination.

[smitty76]

I agree with haynes, put the jars right in the syrup pan. Not sure as to how big of a pan you are interested in, but even a 2x3 would hold alot of canning jars plus saves the hasil of multiple canning pots.

[logboy]

I thought about that too, just boiling in the pan. Unfortunately the pan would have to be pretty deep. To keep the water 1" above a quart jar means a 9" deep pan is necessary. It would also take a long time to get that much water boiling. I was planning on using the 6" deep pan I already have instead of buying a new one.

[hooch]

the only problem i can see with this plan ( as I also have toyed with the idea), is that if you take the jars out of the water bath outside you run the risk of coolair hitting and braking the hot jars.

[GramaCindy]

My concern is what are you putting under the jars to prevent direct heat on the bottoms…..? In a hot water bath there is a rack to prevent direct intense heat on the jar bottoms.

[logboy]

It wouldnt be a big deal to use the wire jar holder in the pan. Of course, its really easy for the jars to tip over in the wire basket, especially the small ones. They almost have to be in a round pot to keep them from falling over.

[C.Wilcox]

My concern is what are you putting under the jars to prevent direct heat on the bottoms…..? In a hot water bath there is a rack to prevent direct intense heat on the jar bottoms.

Exactly the thing I kept thinking about when I was considering this. You have to have a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pan or they'll break. Don't ask how I know. That's why I like the idea of replacing the pan with the plate steel with holes like he mentioned in the first post.

[user587]

I've had the same thought, but I decided not to boil in the evaporator. Instead, I use my finishing pan and finishing stand (steel frame with propane burner) and the filter-canner stand (propane again). I boil water in the (maple syrup) finisher to sanitize jars, another pan (an outdoor deep-frying pan, with strainer basket to help handle the food quickly) is kept boiling to blanch the food. The later I use the finishing pan again for the hot-water bath.

Keeps the heat outside on the deck, much nicer than roasting the kitchen. I still simmer the food on the stove (depending on the recipe) and also I fill the jars in the kitchen, but most of the heavy duty heating is outside on propane. the propane use is not much to speak of - much cheaper than elec. heat for sure.