Hey, I’m pretty new to this! Anyhow I did make my 1st batch and i was wondering is there any easy/cheap way to help my electric glass top stove boil better? I’m just extract kits, I’ve read about heat sticks and immersion heater but thouse are for all grains correct?
As a starter check the manual for your stove. Find what type of bottom for a pot/pan performs best on the model you have. You may find only flat bottom cookware is recommended. Your boil pot may have a shaped bottom for strengeth/stability. A brewer friend of mine had to buy all new cookware after they switched to a glass top for their stove.
Heat sticks/ immersion heaters are best used in the boil pot. Doesn’t matter if the wort is from an extract jug or from grain.
If you have a place to use it I would recommend a cheap turkey fryer setup.
What immersion heaters is good? I’m not even sure how they work? I can’t use a turkey fryer inside, I have room in the basement but I do not want deal with CO. Can you buy a heat stick also, like I said I’m total newbie.
They are easy to make, I have made 2. http://www.3d0g.net/brewing/heatstick And yes, they will work for extract batches as well.
Think I’ll go with the immersion heaters. Can anyone recommend one to get?
+1. I went this way 2 years ago. Cut my brew day in 1/2. Cheap & easy.
:cheers:
Ok maybe the heat stick is the best way to go. I dunno if I have the skills to make I one tho.
I was suggesting to brew outdoors with it.
its too cold to be brewing outside right now. i will prolly start doing that in spring/summer
Make sure the bottom of your kettle is flat and not warped. The more contact area, the better.
Also, make sure your range top is clean with no crud on the burner you’re using. I’ve noticed a significant difference in the amount of time it takes to reach a boil when I have a dirty burner.
My other tricks are to leave the cover on the pot until it hits a boil. If I’m having a hard time keeping a boil going as vigorously as I’d like, then I’ll leave my cover about 2/3 of the way across the top of the pot. Keep in mind, you are definitely going to want to use some sort of foam control if you’re doing this. Otherwise, expect some serious boilovers.
See my frist batch I didnt have worry about a boil over. I had a pretty good size boil bubble in the middle. I did make the mistake boiling with the lid on, taking it off every 5-10mins to stir. I was thinking trying wrap the pot in foil and maybe try to use both burners. What do you use for foam control, just a spray bottle with water?
