Erlenmeyer Flask on Electric Burner

I am about to begin making my first starter. I have everything ready (the yeast is doing its thing in the smack pack), and am wondering if it is okay to set the flask I am using for my starter on an electric burner.

Thoughts?

WallStreetBrewing said:

I am about to begin making my first starter. I have everything ready (the yeast is doing its thing in the smack pack), and am wondering if it is okay to set the flask I am using for my starter on an electric burner.

Thoughts?

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No, it will defiantly break if you do this. Cook it up in a separate pot and then pour it into the flask with a funnel.

It'll try really hard to boil over. I mean REALLY hard to boil over. I get mine to a boil and turn my stove down to just a notch above simmer, any higher than that and it's a big mess. Watch it like a hawk.

KCN_Brewer said:

It'll try really hard to boil over. I mean REALLY hard to boil over. I get mine to a boil and turn my stove down to just a notch above simmer, any higher than that and it's a big mess. Watch it like a hawk.

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you have used the flask on an electric burner without it breaking?

I decided to use a pot and funnel into the flask. Thanks!

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earwig said:

you have used the flask on an electric burner without it breaking?

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I have, at least 10 times so far. Idk what flasks homebrewers normally get from homebrew stores, but mine is a really old one from a lab I worked at. The thing is solid as a rock. I might be weakening it, but idk, I'm not too worried... I figure a hot plate isn't much different from a burner if the burner's diameter is slightly bigger than the bottom of the flask.

The flask should not break on a burner. Glass is made from an extremely high temperature process, so heat alone will not make it shatter.

You are actually more likely to break the flask pouring the hot liquid into it than using it on a burner.

What causes the glass to break is temperature shock. This is why you don't throw hot water onto ice on your windshield. If the flask is at room temperature and then gradually heated then the crystalline structure has time to shift and relax. Sudden shocks does not give that time for the expansion/contraction, and thus shatters.

I have used a flask on a hot plate many times, both at work in the laboratory as well as making starters for brewing. No shattered glass. What I have seen done to shatter the glass, however, was when someone took a hot flask and set it on a cold surface. NEVER do that. Place the flask on a towel or a burner that is off to let it cool.

The real problem with using a good flask on a burner, however, is that there should be little or no cavitation spots, i.e. places for the water to actually boil. This can cause super heating of the fluid, and cause sudden boil over (from fast boil to volcano) when something is placed in the flask with cavitation points, such as a spoon. I actually have a textured rod I put in my flask whenever I use it on the stove to avoid this.

I don't know myself. I haven't made a starter with a flask yet, but what about using a double boiler or heating the flask in a pot of water. This should avoid shock, and make temp control easier. Like I said, haven't done it myself, just thinkin'.

Rockape66 said:

I don't know myself. I haven't made a starter with a flask yet, but what about using a double boiler or heating the flask in a pot of water. This should avoid shock, and make temp control easier. Like I said, haven't done it myself, just thinkin'.

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This.

As burners age on an electric stove, they can lose their ability to evenly heat. A double boiler approach works very well in making sure that there is better heat distribution. My recommendation is that you take a small rack that fits into a pot, fill the pot and flask with water, place the flask on the rack in the pot, and then boil. If you can create any sort of gap between the bottom of the pot and the flask, you are better off.

Temperature change is key, as is even heating. I am burdened with an electric stove, as well, and it is often more trouble than it is worth. The only benefit I have found from it is the ability to help hold temperature on steeping grains from the residual heat of the burner. I can't tell you what the physical difference in temperature is on the burners I have, but I can tell you that I can nicely brown a chicken breast on one side of the pan while scorching one on the other.

Edit:

Should be a little more specific. The "rack" I have is a small round wire rack that came with my rice cooker. Have no idea what it is actually supposed to be used for.

I would not even think about doing this unless the flask is Pyrex. Even then, I wouldn't do it. Erlenmeyers are not optimal for heating. If you want to go this route, get a round-bottom flask with a heating mantle. Or just boil in a pot and funnel it into the flask.

earwig said:

you have used the flask on an electric burner without it breaking?

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It can be done and there are plenty of threads talking about how to do it without cracking. Use the SEARCH function.

Randar said:

It can be done and there are plenty of threads talking about how to do it without cracking. Use the SEARCH function.

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I know how to use the SEARCH function. I have heard many people say that they shattered their flasks by using them on an electric stove. The instructions that come with them warn against this for a reason

earwig said:

you have used the flask on an electric burner without it breaking?

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Yup. All the time. Good quality pyrex one. It transmits heat a little fast, so it's really reactive to changes in heat setting.

I use a pyrex erlenmeyer and place it on a trivet on the electric stove. Many many starters later and no issues.
The whole benefit of a flask is being able to boil in it. Beneficial because you don't need to transfer, which reduces air contact, which reduces risk of infection.

If anyone cares...

I transfer the wort directly to the flask after the boil so the risk of contamination is near zero. I put the flask in the refrigerator for about 7 minutes and then let it sit in an ice bath until it's cool.

bigbeergeek said:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/first-yeast-starter-pics-227749/

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That's a glass top. Different than electric coil.

Rockape66 said:

I don't know myself. I haven't made a starter with a flask yet, but what about using a double boiler or heating the flask in a pot of water. This should avoid shock, and make temp control easier. Like I said, haven't done it myself, just thinkin'.

Click to expand...

It will take hours and hours and hours to heat your flask to a boil that way.

Doesn't work.

tasq said:

That's a glass top. Different than electric coil.

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Our stove is also glass top.

I have a 5L erlenmeyer, with a glass-top electric range.

Water/DME into E-meyer, directly contacting glass surface. Heat 4L starter to boil (low boil- watched the entire time for boilover).

Straight from oven top to ice water bath in kitchen sink... Watch precipitate in starter drop out of solution immediately: cool!

I have done this 10 times with this equipment setup. It never "feels" right (I have thermal shocked standard glassware, so I am a little paranoid), but nothing has gone even a little wrong...

On the first time trying this setup, I put an aluminum cookie sheet between the flask and the cooktop (plausibly to "even out" heat application). The flask would not near boil (too much heat being dissipated to air), and te aluminum was starting to melt to the cooktop. At that point, I went pyrex-to-cooktop, and everything worked out much better...

I don't know if this will help anybody, but HBT being a great repository of empirical evidence, it may help somebody in the future...

I make starters in pots, cool, then pour into old (clean) tomato sauce jars. Flasks look 'scientific', but not worth my money yet.

I make ring out of foil, put that on the burner, and the flask on the foil ring.

I start mine out on lower heat, and gradually up the heat over about 5 minutes. Never had a problem, just have to make sure you buy a decent one. I wouldn't automatically buy the cheapest one that came up on an interweb search.

I also boil in a flask directly on our glass top electric stove. I boil on medium heat as this is plenty to maintain a steady boil. No issues yet.

I use the 1 L flask, I have a Smooth Top Ele. Stove AND I cool in a water bath.

The OP should try doing a 1 L starter in his 1 L flask, What, he have a pint in there ?
I guess by this year LOL He did all ready , This post is old, BUT GOOD :rockin:

With the 1 L starter, it's VERY easy to get a boil over, I have to be there sitting on a stool ( I'm LAZY) and baby-sit it, If not It will boil over.

I kinda start slow with the heat @ about 70% then watch till I see or hear it bubbling, Thats when the fun starts. I use an oven mit to slide the flask off and on the burner. I also find, that after it does begin to boil , I can turn the burner down to 50% and leave just a 1/3 of the flask on the burner, And that seems to work just fine, Just boils and no boil over.

To cool, I use a small pot in the sink and put the flask in 1st, then add warm tap water moving up to cool, then cold. And I swirl many times while the water is allways running and overflowing the pot. I get to pitching temp in about 10 minutes.

What I want for CHRISTMAS............ Yep at least a 2 L FLASK!!!!!

You might check into one of these. They work great for such a task. I use mine for camping, chili cookoffs, and they come in handy when the power is off. You can use them safely indoors too.


Amazon.com: Deluxe Butane Burner Stove & Free Case: Sports & Outdoors

I've been using this on my electric stove, it's a spacer that came with my vacuum coffee pot. You could easily make one with stainless tig rod or even a coat hanger.

bovineblitz said:

It will take hours and hours and hours to heat your flask to a boil that way.

Doesn't work.

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Not quite true. I had to give it some help, but it's feasible: Water bath wort boil.

MC

I have an electric coil burner stove and I'm a cast iron man myself...

I use mine on an electric coil with no problems

If you boil in the flask it will want to boil over but a drop or two of a defoamer like Fermcap S or Five Star Defoamer will prevent that. If you are worried about putting silicon in your beer, just chill and decant the starter before using. I always boil my staters in my 2 L flask (on a gas stove).

scone said:

If you boil in the flask it will want to boil over but a drop or two of a defoamer like Fermcap S or Five Star Defoamer will prevent that. If you are worried about putting silicon in your beer, just chill and decant the starter before using. I always boil my staters in my 2 L flask (on a gas stove).

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I couldnt get fermcap s or the starsan equivalent but I did a little research and infant gas drops(simethicone) is essentially the same thing. 2 drops and no more boil overs.

matt2778 said:

... infant gas drops(simethicone) is essentially the same thing. 2 drops and no more boil overs.

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Really? I gotta try this! My infant only needed it for a day or two, so I've got a nearly full bottle left over.