Boiling equipment for yeast starters question

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MikeInCtown

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This confuses me a little bit because I use sanitizer religiously and have never had a problem with racking or contact from sanitized "tools". I need to prepare a few starters and picked up a few 1000ml beakers. Everything I have read says to boil water in it and create a wort and then cool so that everything is sanitary. Is there any reason why I couldn't just sanitize them in a BTF solution for 10-15 minutes and get the same result?

Just not sure of the reasoning behind needing to boil the beaker when all you may need is to sanitize.:confused:
 
Well, the point is to boil the wort in the flask/beaker. That way you sanitize them both at the same time....Just my honest opinion.
 
I think, starters should be sterile, not only sanitazed. I use pressure cooker to sterilize wort and glass.
 
Sanitized is not sterilized. Big difference. You'll never kill all the bugs by sanitizing and risk contamination. But go ahead give it a shot and see what happens. I just wouldn't take the risk.
 
One more thing: there are starters and starters.
If you toss whole pack of yeast to 1L starter one night before brew, the stater don't have to be as clean as when you propagate yeast from slants, which takes a week or so.
 
Also, you're not just trying to sanitize the beaker/flask. You're also sanitizing the DME and water. That's why the boil.
 
Most people just make 1 starter at a time, and for that it makes sense to boil the wort in the flask because it's easy. IMHO, there's nothing wrong with sanitizing the flasks in iodophor, but you will still have to boil the wort.

-a.
 
I use a 1 gallon wine jug for a starter so I can't boil that. I sanitize it like I would any glass carboy: with iodophore or starsan.
 
how do you guys who use flasks measure the temp of the starter? What I like best about the 1 gallon wine jug is that I keep a thermostrip on it like a little carboy. I'm thinking of getting a flask but I don't like the idea of having to measure the temp which involves sanitizng a thermometer.

I wish they sold thermostrips that would only temporarily stick and could be removed and used over again.
 
how do you guys who use flasks measure the temp of the starter? What I like best about the 1 gallon wine jug is that I keep a thermostrip on it like a little carboy. I'm thinking of getting a flask but I don't like the idea of having to measure the temp which involves sanitizng a thermometer.

I wish they sold thermostrips that would only temporarily stick and could be removed and used over again.

I've never bothered measuring the temp of my starters, but if you really want to you can just put tape on the ends of the fermometer strips. That's what I do with all of mine anyways
 
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