Another kettle question

[mythbustingpyro]

After finding out my biggest pot currently is a 1.5 gallon instead of a 2 gallon, Im looking at kettle options. Im not seeing a big difference in price between aluminum and stainless, but they seem expensive for just a pot. Im having trouble paying over 30 for what boils down to a really big pot. Im not really seeing any cheap options.

Im currently doing 1 gal extracts but want to move to 5 gal extracts and 1 gal allgrain.

Also, my gf wants to get into canning and I can see paying more for a large pressure cooker. Would that work for brewing just not using the lid?

 

[flars]

A 23 qt pressure canner would work to make 5 gallon batches if you do partial boils of 2.5 to maybe 3 gallons. A canner is heavier metal than a kettle. It will take longer to heat and longer to cool, but double duty is also good.
I use a 5.5 gallon stainless steel kettle with a tri-ply bottom. It was $62 at Walmart. I partial boil 2.5 to 3 gallons without any problems. I also use it for very large corned beef and brisket boils on St. Patricks Day. It is currently in use as a hot water bath canner.

 

[mythbustingpyro]

My Gf was also looking at just a waterbath canner, its description on amazon just says steel and enamel. I wonder if I could get by on it until I can afford a nice kettle.
Edit: this one
Granite Ware 0707-1 Steel/Porcelain Water-Bath Canner with Rack, 21.5-Quart, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001UZL8A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[flars]

My Gf was also looking at just a waterbath canner, its description on amazon just says steel and enamel. I wonder if I could get by on it until I can afford a nice kettle.
Edit: this one
Granite Ware 0707-1 Steel/Porcelain Water-Bath Canner with Rack, 21.5-Quart, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001UZL8A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I bought one of those. They take forever to bring water to a boil because they don't have flat bottom. They may work on a gas stove though. That is why I spent the extra for a nice multi duty stainless steel kettle with a clad bottom.

The one I ave is also a large diameter. Edge of the kettle was so close to the counter top I had to use foil to prevent over heating the counter top.

 

[Yreval]

I also use that granite ware canning bath. When bringing 3+ gallons of water to a boil, it's going to take forever no matter what, but the bottom is pretty funky. It also makes cleaning and scraping the bottom to prevent scorching more interesting. Still, it holds enough water.

There's this: http://www.boscovs.com/shop/prod/st...12585.htm?type=Product&rch=Y&searchText=12585

I guarantee that it's a really thin piece of junk, but that might not be the end of the world since you're only going to be boiling in it. Just be sure to stir well and scrape the bottom of the pan if you add extracts, since you don't want anything to scorch.


Speaking as a homebrewer and a cook, though, there's a reason nice pots and pans cost a lot of money. They *are* worth it.

 

[hou_me]

Try goodwill or salvation army. I got my kettles at a sporting goods store for fairly cheap, so you might try that too. Sometimes grocery stores have giant aluminum pots for cheap, especially before the holidays when everyone starts having parties.

-ben

 

[bobeer]

I got a 9 gallon pot from homebrewing.org for about $65 bucks. I've yet to use it but it got good reviews from other homebrewers so I went ahead and got it. It doesn't have a layered bottom and it seems pretty thin but it's just a boil kettle so I'm not really worried about it.

I also have the 3 layered 5.5 gallon walmart special. I did biab 2.5 gallon batches on my stove in it. I also have limped through 4.5 gallon batches with a cooler mash tun with it too. I had a 2 vessel brew house for 3 years... I'm now going to use the 5.5 gallon pot as my HLT now that I got the 9 gallon pot.

I'm not sure how well these pots would work for canning.

 

[unionrdr]

When I first started, Giant Eagle had a set of four nested, polished stainless steel stock pots with lids & steamer trays on sale for some $28. Those pots went from some 1.5 gallons to 5 gallons (20qt). I use the five gallon as a brew kettle. nothing else. The others went to kitchen duty, but double as mash tuns if I'm mashing less than 5-6 pounds of grains. Gotta watch that head space & water to grist ratios to maintain temp during the mash.
The 5G BK/MT can easily boil 3.5 gallons on my electric stove with aftermarket heating elements from Amazon. The link is in my profile. Great for anything from kit-n-kilo to pb/pm biab. In this shot, you can see the 5G/20qt SS kettle on my new shelf;

It's shorter & wider than the usual culprits. But still works nicely on the large heating elements on the electric stove.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

My first brew pot was a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer from Lowes. It took me through my extract days on an electric stove until I graduated to a banjo burner and a 15 gallon blichmann.

 

[erick0619]

I don't know where you live but try and find one of those Mexican grocery stores, they usually have these big aluminum kettles used for tamales or menudo. I want to say they are around 10 gallons and probably under 40 dollars. Don't expect something flashy, But with some proper seasoning of the pot you should be ok.