Quick question:
When you mash in a cooler or any other vessel that you can't add heat to, do you guys start out with a slightly lower water/grain ratio, so that you can safely add heated water in order to bring the heat up if it falls? Or does the cooler pretty much eliminate temp drop?
I've been using a kettle to mash in so that I can add heat if necessary, then I dump it into my big 50L SS MLT w/ false bottom for draining & sparging. The only thing is, obviously, there's more thermal loss with a kettle than with a cooler. I also have an old cooler that I could mash in, but since I have this big nice MLT, I don't see the point in fashioning a whole new setup. So, would it be wise to clean out the cooler with PBW, etc., then mash in it, rather than the kettle? I'd mash right in the MLT, but the diameter is so big, there's just way too much liquid that sits below the grains during the mash, underneath the false bottom. Plus, the spigot handle is plastic, so adding heat to it gets a little dicey.
Thoughts?