Here is the current link to northerntool.com and their models of propane burners. Butane burners are difficult to refill and butane costs more than propane. Plus it is a very small burner and a low BTU rating.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propane Burners @Northern Tool

Thanks Dave. Maybe it's my DSL (or rather the DNS server - AT&T recently sold out to Frontier and we've been having problems) but I can't get to northern tool's website at all.

What do you think about turkey fryer? I think Marla said she uses one.

Try cleaning your cache out. 9 times out of 10 that solves most access problems. It is in your computer or some parental block you have up. There in no web-wide issue that can block only specific .com websites. If all else fails you can always access any site via Google. Talk to the folks over on the Computers forum.

I don't like them simply because most I have seen are too hard to regulate the flame on unless you go for the high dollar ones. Why spend over $200 when you can get a good one for $39?

Dave

Dave,
Does a standard propane tank with hose and regulator for a gas grill work with this propane burner? Would I need to purchase anything else with the burner?

What could you use for a heat shield if placing this on sturdy wood table?

I haven't order the burner yet ... I've been procrastinating trying to decide if it is money well spent. We may have to replace my electric glass cooktop within a year, and if we do we would convert to a propane cooktop.

Amazon has a good selection.Just an example , although I would definitely try this one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon burners

Standard gill size 20 lb tank and regulator works just fine. Larger tanks would require a different regulator. For heat shield I a 2'x2' piece of construction ceramic I just happen to have. For DIL I glued 6 old 8" ceramic floor tiles to a piece of sheetrock.

DBrown - that one has no way to adjust the flame and and you need variable flame control. Plus it has way to many BTUs. You'd melt your cooker. 12,000 BTUs max is recommended for pressure canners.

Dave

Also take a look at places like Bass Pro and Cabela's. DH bought a fish fry package deal for $20. Propane burner on a stand, aluminum pot and basket. The interesting thing was the hose had an adjustable regulator on it. So we took that hose and use it on our camp stove (35,000 BTU's if you crank it up :-). The camp stove has needle valves on it, but we can further regulate the flame by using the regulator on the hose. Works great with our AA pressure canner.

You can also get the hose with adjustable regulator separately for about $30 on amazon. But the whole package deal thing was cheaper, so we figured what the heck.

Thanks malnA. I'll look at Cabelas. Can get to N Tool on phone so either something with computer or DSL (cN use WiFi with phone but slow). The $39 burner needs $30 hose & regulator so worth looking around. I had considered that one from Amazon too.

9500 BTU too low (not that butane sounds ideal)? I figured that way easy no danger of melting PC.

My husband is a home brewer and has two propane burners he uses to brew. I've used his burner and brew pot (with rack in the bottom) to BWB large batches of tomato sauce before. It's amazingly efficient.

I had to go with the propane burner setup so that I could move my canning outside. My wife couldn't handle the pickling / vinegar smells in the house - even with all the vents going. I got one of the two burner setups with legs, and just hook up a propane tank. Works great.

You can buy an adapter hose from Northern and use the 20lb. tanks on a unit that uses the small bottles. I have one for my portable propane heater. Amazon has them also.

I use my fish fryer for PC sometimes. I put a 2' X 2' X 1" peace of steel on the burner and put the pot on top of it. It gives more even heat and is easier to regulate, IMHO.

This post was edited by wertach on Thu, Jul 17, 14 at 13:09

Still haven't gotten to store to look at the thing - but I was shopping for flash tape online, Amazon has it for half the price of WM (and had to wait a week to ship to store anyway), decided to look at electric burners again. New one from China not many specs (like 220V or 120V?!) but this one says it's 2000W and it's certainly big enough for a PC - if it can hold the weight w/o cracking since it looks like ceramic glass burner.

I did ask these questions, waiting for manufacturer to answer.

Here is a link that might be useful: 2000W burner?

If it is 120v that will be about 16.6 amps at 2000W you will need a 20 amp circuit for it. And if you are using extension cords they will need to be 12 gauge or bigger if it is a long run.

Looks very 'mickey mouse' to me and we have discussed the many disadvantages to this type of burner here in the past. There simply is no comparison between the performance of propane burners vs. electric hotplates.

You already have enough electric burner problems with your stove issues. Why not get something that will actually solve your problems rather than just add to them?

Dave

I don't like the idea of buying something made in China but so much is today. NCHFP recommends 1800W or so burner they reared $155 one and this was half. They haven't tested propane at all - though they haven't tried PCing in portable burner either.

I'm heading to Job Lot now to check out propane but since 12000 BTU is max why would 9000 - 10000 not work?

No they haven't tested propane. All their testing was done on natural gas which, when it comes to cooking, is the same thing. Which is why they recommend gas canning over electric.

No one said 9-10000 BTU won't work just that it it will limit you getting up to full pressure in a decent amount of time. Its like having a stove burner with only low and medium settings and no High. Works, just takes a lot longer to get it done. Or if used in the kitchen you could spend all your time running down to the circuit breakers when it keeps throwing the circuit because you also happen to flip on the electric can opener or the fridge kicks on, or the microwave or the coffee pot is running or you make toast or turn on the crock pot etc. Do you know what appliances run on which circuits in your kitchen so you can be sure to disconnect all of them before turning this cook plate on?

Like wertach said that electric burner would require its own dedicated 20 amp circuit - got many of those? Most of us don't unless you want to disconnect the electric clothes dryer or a window A/C unit and use that circuit. Plus you would have to buy expensive 12 gauge (minimum) extension cords if needed which run about $50 at Lowes.

I don't know what your objection to propane burners are since you apparently have a grill but they are safe and many are cheaper. Most importantly they work and work well while this electric burner is an unknown and very likely not going to do the job just as many of the other tested electric burners others have tried didn't work for canning. Your choice.

Dave

I wS wondering why 9000 or so Btu wSnt enough ( though that was butane). Store out if the propane burner so will have to look elsewhere. My "objection" to propane js that I won't set up propane burner in my kitchen. But I guess I can prep in the kitchen and run jars outside to can.ike I sand it's nice to have propane in case of power outage. I'm just afraid of buying an overpowered burner and melting my PC so was looking for good range of BTUs. And yes I know exactly what is on which circuit and I have two 20A small appliance circuits in kitchen and would not be making coffee while PCing ;-)

I have other 20A circuits in house but don't plan on PCing in DH'a office or powder room. I do have dedicated 20A Gfci in laundry room and 2 circuits in garage plus 2 panel putlets I'm basement though.

In your OP " I'm going to be doing a canning demo at someone else's farm early Sept"

I thought that it would be outside and require extension cords.

I linked one that should work below , maybe?

Here is a link that might be useful: Hot Plate

Yes, thanks it will require an extension cord - if I buy the hot plate. Still on the fence about that or propane. Store was sold out last night - I don't know if another location might have them, or what they're like.

Amazon emailed me that they have gotten no answers to my questions about the big burner so I think I will forget about that. Amazon has a $50 Waring one that's 1300W I've been debating about. But I don't know where they're going to put me for that demo, might not have 20A circuit, so propane might be better for that, though I'd prefer electric at home.

Edited to add link to Waring burner

Here is a link that might be useful: Waring 1300W burner

This post was edited by ajsmama on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 7:45

If I don't get the Waring (or find something at another Job Lot), I think I'll get this from Cabela's. It's more than I wanted to spend, but it's got 2 burners, tall sturdy legs, a windshield and a hose with regulator. All I need is the tank and we've got 3-4 of those (have a Mosquito Magnet we never use, a grill, and the tank from older grill that DH kept plus I think a spare?).

A little heavy but other than going to the farm up the road (and I can get DH or DS to help me load and unload, the EZ-Up is 50 lbs and I can handle that by myself though I don't like to), I don't plan on hauling it around. I'd set it up in garage during canning season, have DH break it down and store it in basement off-season but would be handy in case of power outages (summer or winter).

Here is a link that might be useful: Explorer 2-burner stove

We actually just got the same one from Cabelas to use for outdoor canning and cooking. Was nice, easy setup, easy use, but we did opt to return in favor of the tabletop model Dave recommended. It was spendier considering having to pay shipping and buy hose separate, but looks like the adjustability will be worth it (hasn't arrived yet). Our first try on the CC Explorer was fish stock, and it would not adjust low enough for the slow rolling boil we were looking for. Boiled way too hard, and stock was one of the additional uses as a requirement for us. But darn, I was ready to save up for the pizza oven for it--not sure it will work with the tabletop burner pair.

Oh, so the Explorer one didn't have fine adjustments? Looks like others have used it for canning.

It did not have fine tuning. Just one knob. Turned up all the way, it was too much. We only ever used at about medium, then down as low as could. It kept a pretty good rolling boil on a medium sized stockpot. We use a very low simmer for making stock though, so it was more than we wanted. My understanding of the other ordered was that each burner has 3 controls. One for a smaller inner ring, and one for each half of an outer ring. Hope it works like we wish for our needs. It was so great to not have fish stock boiling in the house for hours!

I think would be fine for bwb canning. Don't know how low you need to go for PC ing. It is also possible that a thick plate or something to distribute the heat may help too?

Thanks for the detailed review - though it would have been nice to have DH just pick it up at Cabelas when he went to outfit himself and DS for a Scout outing next week.

So I'm back to the Waring or just ordering the single burner from Northern (with hose and regulator). Does anybody have any opinions on the Waring electric burner? I know that would get more use in my kitchen - though I could put propane burner on a glass "countersaver" on my Formica as well, I really don't want to bring a tank into the house. So I'd have to find something sturdy and not too high to set it on in the garage or outside.

No kitchen window or door that you can just run the hose in through?

Well, I can run it through the mudroom door or window if I set the burner on top of the washer or dryer. Kitchen window is up high over sink so I'm not sure how long a hose would be needed. Window in breakfast nook about 5ft off the ground plus another 10ft or so around corner to counter by stove.

How's this? 10,000 BTUs per burner not high enough? I was thinking it wasn't that much under the 12K max, so those of you with 30K+ burners must not run it even on Medium flame (1/2 way)?

My local store has at least 1 in stock - heading there now anyway, will check back on my phone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Masterbuilt double burner on clearance