Elec pasteurisers for £39.99 at Lidl from Thur 10/6/10

[lockwood1956]

Mel...


I merged your post with this thread...

[koomber]

Fresh from JBK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65gJ5_RvwvI

It works. Not sure if the boil will be good enough, but it looks good.

[danpug]

Just picked up one of these, thanks very much for the heads up. Nearly bought one from Vigo last year, glad i didn't now! Can't wait to test it in the autumn.

[David]

Click on this link to print a voucher £5 off £30 spend at Lidl from 19-21 July 2010 and get it for £5 less:

http://www.lidl-info.com/cps/rde/xbc...r_15_07_10.pdf

Just picked up one of these, thanks very much for the heads up. Nearly bought one from Vigo last year, glad i didn't now! Can't wait to test it in the autumn.

As some others have had a problem with the temperature control, this could a good time to check the calibration with a thermometer and return if defective + get a new one for £5 less.

[crusher]

Can sombody run through the method of how to bottle Apple Juice ?
I don't have room in the freezer so am looking at bottling. I have one of the Lidl boilers.
Does the juice have to be boiled before being put into the bottles or do I just bottle the fresh juice and put it into the Lidl boiler?
If so how long does it need in the boiler, what temp, etc. etc. ?
Iv'e read that David on here bottles his juice and it keeps OK but I can't find any detailed info.
Help please, I want to get it right so the juice keeps and I don't poison us.
Thanks in anticipation.

[David]

Can sombody run through the method of how to bottle Apple Juice ?

Add sulphite (to prevent oxidation) + teaspoon of pectolase (to help sediment drop) to the pressed juice, stir in and leave 24 hrs for sediment to drop. Giving the bucket an occasional bit of a waggle helps. It's now ready for pasteurising, but if there's not enough to make it worthwhile it can be frozen and defrosted to be processes with a later batch of juice.

You need a supply of screw cap or crown cap bottles. Sparkling wine bottles take a 29mm crown cap (3p each), 750 ml Magners bottles take a cheaper standard 22mm cap, bottles from Vigo cost something like 70p each + postage and spare caps are about 10p each but I use them 3 times. I've also 660ml lager bottles when I've been running short (despite having over 300 champagne bottles, 96 Vigo screw top bottles and loads of 750ml Magners bottles. 1 pint beer/cider bottles are using for bottling steamed juices with the equivalent of 1lb of fruit in each bottle. Using different bottles (as long as same height) assists identification when you've got several different juices in the boiler.

The bottles need to be filled so that the juice inside will expand to the top of the bottle, and if there's some sediment left sligthly overfilling will ensure it rises to the top and is ejected. Filling to 1.5" from the top is usually bout right. Using a jug (rather than funnel) to fill them normally creates less foam and saves poking some kitchen paper in after getting bored waiting for it to disappear.

7 champagne bottles (8 at a squeeze) and 9 Magners or Vigo screwtops should fit in the boiler and the water should come up to the internal fill level, leaving just enough neck showing to grab them by. You will need gloves - have a look at the ones on Vigo's website, which are normally cheaper in a DIY store. You may wish to fill your bottles with tap water then top up the boiler to the right level and make a note (level or volume used) for next time so you can turn it on and have it heating up next time whilst filling bottles.

I've previously used 72 degrees C for 20 mins, but see that Vigo now have 75 degrees for 25 mins on their website, but don't know how reliable the thermostat is on the Lidl boilers. I've used 3 bottles of juice this afternoon pasteurised 2 years ago and it was fine.

Whilst the bottles are heating get the next batch ready.

When the time is up, remove the bottles using gloves, cap (I pour boiling water over caps/tops a few minutes before time but this may not be essential) and put them on their sides - I use a 12 bottle winerack - to sterilize the top of the bottle.

After they've cooled wipe any juice that may go mouldy from the outside or rinse in a dilute bleach solution.

P.S. Another thing about pasteurised juice is that it's a suitable 'thank you' for all those people who give you fruit, but don't drink wine.

[crusher]

David that's fantastic, thanks for the quick reply. I can crack on with confidence now.

[koomber]

The Thermostat on the lidl boiler is poop. Use another thermometer to set the temperature.

EDIT: Fantastic post David. First class.

[Cellar_Rat]

The Thermostat on the lidl boiler is poop. Use another thermometer to set the temperature.

EDIT: Fantastic post David. First class.

Ditto.

Test the water temp.

On bottleing you don't need ANY additives, BUT you do need to make sure the core temp is achived for the stated time in the bottle not just the boiler.

[David]

On bottleing you don't need ANY additives,

Not normally for AJ, but I'd always up the acid content for low acidity juices, just as one would when bottling (canning) low acidity fruits.

Test the water temp. you do need to make sure the core temp is achived for the stated time in the bottle not just the boiler.

Yes, I'd heard of dodgy thermostats in Lidl boilers, but have always avoided practices such as pouring very cold defrosted juice into bottles placed in the pasteuriser full of hot water in case it distorted the thermostatic readings.

The first time I saw a pasteuriser being used about 5 years ago, it pobably had a dodgy thermostat as a thermometer (held by a clothes peg) was inserted down the side and the lid kept off. A 13mm hole bored through the lid to insert the thermometer would be a more elegant solution, and a 13mm blind electrical grommet could be used to block it up when not in use.

[danpug]

Do you add the sulphite and pectolase at the same quantities you'd use for wine, ie 1 campden tablet and 1 tsp pectolase per gallon of juice?

[David]

Do you add the sulphite and pectolase at the same quantities you'd use for wine, ie 1 campden tablet and 1 tsp pectolase per gallon of juice?

Yes (but I'll still add pectolase again if subsequentley fermenting the pasteurised juice), then pasteurise after 24hrs, which is why I always try and press in the morning and pasteurise the following afternoon, but when I've been pressing late I've left sulphited juice for 36 hrs and it's been OK, unlike some apple juice I pressed late at night whilst sampling the fruits of my labours and somehow I mistook vitB1 tabs for CTs and found the apple juice was bubbling away the following morning.

I've changed the temp & times to the higher/longer ones Vigo have on their website - 75 degrees C for 25 mins.

[danpug]

Ok thanks for confirming.