What's with crappy plastic mash paddles?

[Peruvian802]

Other than the price, what's the point of the crappy plastic mash paddle that's not stiff and gets softer when you are actually stirring in hot mash?

You know the kind I'm talking about.

 

[Master]

For me using a HERMS system in a Keggle it's pretty good for giving a quick stir and breaking up balls on dough in without being so big I can't move it around the recirculating hose

 

[Master]

Also good for giving kettle a quick stir to homogenize before taking a pretty boil SG reading.

 

[mongoose33]

I don't have any problem with mine.

 

[bbohanon]

No problems here either..I have 3 of them and one of them is my HLT gallon measuring stick. Works great to use a sharpie and mark gallon increments.
They are also good at breaking up doughballs as others have mentioned.

I have a fancy wooden mash paddle I used to use when I was propane brewing outside, but I have since retired it in lieu of the plastic ones.

 

[cubalz]

I personally use a stainless steel one for no other reason than everything else in my brew room is made of SS. Purely for aesthetics. With that said, I can't imagine the plastic one being an issue. It is used for breaking up dough balls not mixing concrete.

 

[pockets121]

I use one. No issues.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

I made my own, out of white oak. It doubled as a weapon, when all the wort-robbers thought they'd be cute.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Still haven't figured out the need for a paddle. A giant spoon does the trick.

Giving props to the cool factor of a paddle

 

[triethylborane]

 

[augiedoggy]

I have both the cheap plastic lhbs paddle and spoon which both get soft and bend easily when hot.. I also have a stainless spoon which gets pretty hot quickly... Ive been too cheap to spring for a real hardwood paddle but I believe it would be nice for when I mash in and also use my paddle to temporarily lift my hop spider up and dunk it back into the wort.. I also dont feel comfortable leaving the plastic spoon in my kettle as I would with a wooded one (if it didnt float to the top) because it cant be all that stable being that it gets soft at boiling temps.

 

[mongoose33]

I have both the cheap plastic lhbs paddle and spoon which both get soft and bend easily when hot.. I also have a stainless spoon which gets pretty hot quickly... Ive been too cheap to spring for a real hardwood paddle but I believe it would be nice for when I mash in and also use my paddle to temporarily lift my hop spider up and dunk it back into the wort.. I also dont feel comfortable leaving the plastic spoon in my kettle as I would with a wooded one (if it didnt float to the top) because it cant be all that stable being that it gets soft at boiling temps.

What are you doing with that paddle that it needs to be in boiling water or wort?

The hottest water mine ever sees is maybe 170 degrees. Anything at boiling temps, I'm using a long-handled stainless spoon.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Long handled slotted cafeteria spoon works for me with my 3gallon batches. Never noticed it getting too hot druring a mash.

 

[augiedoggy]

What are you doing with that paddle that it needs to be in boiling water or wort?

The hottest water mine ever sees is maybe 170 degrees. Anything at boiling temps, I'm using a long-handled stainless spoon.

I make beer with it...
Apparently im the only one who uses the same paddle/spoon for the whole brew session rather than one for the mash tun and one for the boil kettle. (Not sure why that would seem to be a strange concept). I use hop spiders and stir my bk from time to time the plastic paddle actually came with my first extract brewing kit so Im pretty sure its not marketed as a mash paddle only..

 

[augiedoggy]

Long handled slotted cafeteria spoon works for me with my 3gallon batches. Never noticed it getting too hot druring a mash.

me either when I use the stainless spoon. But I sometimes do later when using it the stir the boil kettle unless I stir and then remove it and set it aside each time. its also fallen into the kettle a couple times when I tried to balance it on top across my hop spider.. had to fish it out with the plastic spoon or paddle.

 

[wyowolf]

I make beer with it...
Apparently im the only one who uses the same paddle/spoon for the whole brew session rather than one for the mash tun and one for the boil kettle. (Not sure why that would seem to be a strange concept). I use hop spiders and stir my bk from time to time the plastic paddle actually came with my first extract brewing kit so Im pretty sure its not marketed as a mash paddle only..

still using my crappy plastic one.. toooo cheeeep.
but it seems to work... all i really use it for is dough in, and stirring boiling wort sometimes... but then i have eBIAB.