Hop Tea Ball. How do I know if it's stainless?

[HalfPint]

Alright, we have a tea ball similar to this one http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/stainless-hop-steeper.html , but it's 2" in diameter instead of 3" like at NorthernBrewer. I know theirs is Stainless, but how do I know if mine is? When I say it is similar, I mean it's identical. The little hook/clasp assembly is exactly the same.

There is no stamp, so I'm confused.

Thanks,
Jacob

 

[slakwhere]

if it's for steeping tea i have to assume it's food safe / stainless... you could always just get it wet and let it sit out for a while to see if it rusts.

 

[HalfPint]

Hmm, I don't know if I'd want to wait that long to find out. I know it's been used for tea before and it's not rusted, so I think it may be stainless.

 

[SweetSounds]

The easiest way to find out is to get a magnet. Stainless is non-ferrous. IWO a magnet won't stick like it will to steel.
If the magnet won't stick to any of it, it's stainless (Or aluminum, but aluminum won't be as bright as SS... And really light)

 

[HalfPint]

The easiest way to find out is to get a magnet. Stainless is non-ferrous. IWO a magnet won't stick like it will to steel.
If the magnet won't stick to any of it, it's stainless (Or aluminum, but aluminum won't be as bright as SS... And really light)

Great idea!

Mine is too small, so I decided to go with this http://www.teavana.com/pwr/product-...na/p/XTM__FR__SG__TB-Swiss-Gold-Tea-Ball.html . It's just another object we had laying around the house. It's already in the keg with an oz of cascades. I boiled it for 10 minutes then just threw it in the keg.

 

[HalfPint]

I inspected the plastic very well and I didn't see any scratches. The chain is stainless and the panels are gold plated. Do yall think this will be fine?

 

[Ajt012]

Unless you've had used a tea ball in the past to boil your hops and have good results, i would suggest you go a different route.
I used one for a brew I did a while back, and I must say the bitter was lacking. I was using pellet hops (which might be where the problem arose), which just expanded to fill every little gap of the tea ball, and minimized surface area. So unless you're using whole leaf hops, i would just use a bag.

 

[HalfPint]

WEll, I think you may be right, but I already did it. The plastic/gold tea ball I have in the ling above is in the keg with an oz of cascade pellets. We shall see how it turns out.