deathtomacro
Member
After heating the strike water to the right temp and adding the grains, do you remove the pot from the heat all together, or do you leave it on low? Last time I tried a PM (my fist PM btw) I had a really hard time keeping the temperature at 150F-152F and found that it went above 170F a couple times (I added cold water to cool). If you remove from heat, do you worry about temp loss and do you check the temp while you are mashing.
Since I have an electric stove, I have to sit there for a few minutes (after I cut off the eye) reading my temperature to make sure it isn't rising anymore. After I hit 162-166 (depending on the style I'm going for) I lug the grains in, stir it around a few times and take five or six temp readings before putting the lid on.
Here's a nice trick that a few others do, as well. Take a couple of towels that are folded fairly thick and clamp them around your kettle. You can use those bigger spring "hand clamps" or those light plastic vice grips from Lowes/Homedepot. After I take my initial temp readings around the mash, I put the lid on and let it sit. When I get back to it an hour later, it's sitting at EXACTLY the same temp from when I covered it.
It's bittersweet having an electric stove because of heat that doesn't really stop when you turn off the eye. But the flip side is that there is some residual warmth. Personally, I think it has way more to do with the towels insulating the kettle. Also, I never take off the lid to check temps; I don't want any heat escaping. To me there isn't any point if I already know that the strike temp isn't rising anymore.
Hope this helps out a little.