How do I know if pasteurization worked?

[cjeanean]

I just pasteurized my first batch of bottled cider, and I realized I haven't seen anything on here about how to tell if the process worked. I boiled the water, let it cool to 190, and put 8 room-temp bottles in there. I didn't take them out after 10 minutes though, I just left them till the water cooled (I forgot about them and went to bed). This morning I took them out, and they are CRYSTAL clear with a very thin layer of lees on the bottom. Does the clarity mean the process worked? I want to put these up without worrying about bottle bombs.

Another thing: I made some others that got cold crashed instead of pasteurized. Can I bring them back up to room temp and pasteurize them?

 

[dinnerstick]

put on welding visor and a helmet and a stab vest, and stand next to them for a few weeks?
no really, open one every so often over 3 weeks or so and if the carbonation level isn't increasing (ie. no gushers) then you're done the job
yes you can pasteurize the other ones, with the normal caveat of making sure they aren't super-carbonated before you heat them. again i would pop one open first, and bad news- you will need to drink that cider straight away, or risk 'sober hands disorder' where the microshaking induced by your withdrawal symptoms will rouse the yeast out of their slumber and right back up into active mode. if you think there is the chance of a lot of yeast becoming very active as they warm, i wouldn't hang around long, maybe get them up to temp quickly first in warm water and then right into the pot?

 

[cjeanean]

Thanks, I wasn't sure. I'm a bit of a worrier, so I actually re-pasteurized the first batch to make sure. I did discover three bottles that didn't seal all the way, evidenced by the tiny bubbles of carbonation that were escaping up the sides of the bottle. I resealed them and marked them, and I know they won't be carbonated like the others. My sweet batch fermented out during the time it took for them to carbonate, so all I've got is a bunch of dry. For the next half of the batch I'm gonna increase the sugar so it has enough to carbonate and still be sweet. Thanks for the help, and I'll keep an eye on them!