tlc
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2020
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After reading other posts about bottle bombs (scares me) I decided to make me a cooler just for pasteurizing. I bought me a cooler and filled the lid with spray foam and then I drilled a 2.5" hole in the lid, glued in a 2"pvc coupling (perfect fit for the sous vide diameter, so I could add my sous vide to it so I could maintain a constant temp. I then cut the lid in two pieces so I will be able to add the bottles without removing the sous vide. It's a pretty sweet set up and it didn't take that long to make if anyone is interested I will take some pics. Now after all that I have a couple of questions on the process for low heat cooler pasteurization. I plan on getting the bottle temp to 150 deg for 10 min (Chalkyt's advice on a recent post and I might add this man is an excellent resource of informaton). I've never actually used a sous vide so I will tell you my plan and if anyone sees any flaws or a better way of doing please let me know.
OK...Here is the plan. I will heat the water in the cooler to 125 deg and then add (12) 12 oz bottles and set the heat on the sous vide to 155 deg (accounting for bottle insulation) to get the cider to 150 deg. Once thermometer in open bottle reads 150 deg I will start the timer and leave them in the cooler for 10 min. After that I will turn off the sous vide and remove the bottles from the cooler and let them cool back down to room temp and then while they are cooling back down I will add another 12 bottles to the cooler and start the process again. A question I have is since the cooler water will be around 150 deg for the 2nd batch should I remove some water and cool it back down or will adding the bottles in at 150 deg be an issue since the room temp bottles should cool the water bath down some. Another option would be to leave water at 150 deg and pre heat bottles in sink to 125 deg before adding.
OK...Here is the plan. I will heat the water in the cooler to 125 deg and then add (12) 12 oz bottles and set the heat on the sous vide to 155 deg (accounting for bottle insulation) to get the cider to 150 deg. Once thermometer in open bottle reads 150 deg I will start the timer and leave them in the cooler for 10 min. After that I will turn off the sous vide and remove the bottles from the cooler and let them cool back down to room temp and then while they are cooling back down I will add another 12 bottles to the cooler and start the process again. A question I have is since the cooler water will be around 150 deg for the 2nd batch should I remove some water and cool it back down or will adding the bottles in at 150 deg be an issue since the room temp bottles should cool the water bath down some. Another option would be to leave water at 150 deg and pre heat bottles in sink to 125 deg before adding.