I have a flask for making my starters, and I’ve heard the rule that if you have a gas stove you can boil the starter’s wort directly in the flask on the stove, but if you have an electric coil range, you cannot put the flask on the stove.
Well, what if you have a flat-top glass electric range. It seems like glass on glass would be OK.
Can I boil directly in the flask on a glass-top stove?
Thanks
You can, but I wouldn’t. I had boilover issues even using Fermcap. Now I boil in a pot and then xfer to a flask or jug.
Do your self a huge favor, forget boiling in the flask. I did that all the time and had large boil overs every time. The flask acts like a volcano! I have to give Denny the credit on this one. He told me to boil in a pot. I now use one of my propane burners which gets me out of the kitchen. I sanitize the flask and stir bar with starSan while the starter Is is boiling. When the boil is complete, I dump out the StarSan keeping the stir bar in the flask, then pour the hot wort into the flask using a sanitized funnel. Cool, pitch the yeast, add O2, cover with sanitized tin foil and onto the stir plate. No fuss no muss. 
Yup, it seemed like a good idea that never was. I only tried it once and realized it is a dumb idea. The shape of the flask is not conducive to something that foams while boiling. So much safer and easier to boil in a pan and then transfer.
Heck, you guys are probably just sampling a little too much homebrew while trying to make a starter… All you gotta do is keep a close eye on it. “A watched pot never boils… over.”
Not me…stone cold sober.
Yup. That’s why I went right back to just using a pan after giving it a couple shots. I’m not a fan of effort-saving measures that turn out to require more effort in practice.
Yup. That’s why I went right back to just using a pan after giving it a couple shots. I’m not a fan of effort-saving measures that turn out to require more effort in practice.[/quote]
+1.060!
Yup. That’s why I went right back to just using a pan after giving it a couple shots. I’m not a fan of effort-saving measures that turn out to require more effort in practice.[/quote]
+1.060![/quote]
The physics just make it a no win situation. I do not have the time to monitor every second of heating up of my starters. Plus I like to chill them down right away and I am leery of putting the glass right into cold water, even though they say you can do it. Small pot is much easier and safer.
Yep, not a beer to be seen while making the starter. I just can’t control the boil in the flask. I used Coleman camping stoves, kitchen stoves, and my smallest propane burner, nothing worked better than boiling the wort in a small kettle. Don’t know why I fooled around with the flask in the first place.
Because all the “cool” kids said you had to have lab equipment to do this. 
Yeah, I bought a flask for an excuse to make a stir plate. Which was fun, but realistically it’ll take quite a lot of batches before I’ve saved enough DME to make up the money I sank into it. And that’s for one I built from parts laying around the house. I shudder to think what the payback time would be if I had bought a commercial stir plate. Decades, maybe.
If (when) the flask breaks, I’m not sure I’ll be replacing it. Gallon jugs work just fine.
[quote=“bunderbunder”]Yeah, I bought a flask for an excuse to make a stir plate. Which was fun, but realistically it’ll take quite a lot of batches before I’ve saved enough DME to make up the money I sank into it. And that’s for one I built from parts laying around the house. I shudder to think what the payback time would be if I had bought a commercial stir plate. Decades, maybe.
If (when) the flask breaks, I’m not sure I’ll be replacing it. Gallon jugs work just fine.[/quote]
I built a home made stir plate for ~ $13 to hold my $26 flask. I wil admit I know I could of bought a $5 gallon jub from NB, but just for some reason wanted to cool factor of the flask.
Stir plate turned out pretty nice - took a wooden box from Jo Anne Fabric that cost $3.99 and stained it. has a nice very thin wooden lip around the edge, with about 1/8 inch of space on each side of the flask. honestly looked custom measured for it (which it obviously wasn’t). I have been meaning to post a few pictures of it. Not as fancy as many of the things you guys build and post, but still turned out nice.
BTW, back to original topic, since then I have made 2 starters, just boiled in a small pot and transferred. worked fine I think.
I guess I’m the odd man out on this thread, because I love my flask. I freeze leftover wort from each batch of beer for use in my starters. There is a learning curve with these things though.
Now as far as a flask on glass top I’m not sure. (no experience there) :cheers:
I boil in my 2000ml flask on the glass top stove all the time, but only water to sanitize the inside of the flask. I boil my starter wort in a pot, chill in an ice bath and pour into the flask. The wort will cool much faster in a metal pot (conductive) than it will in a thick glass flask.
Because all the “cool” kids said you had to have lab equipment to do this. [/quote]
You mean you don’t!! Shoot, I may as well cancel my order for the white lab coat. Now I’m bummed
Because all the “cool” kids said you had to have lab equipment to do this. [/quote]
You mean you don’t!! Shoot, I may as well cancel my order for the white lab coat. Now I’m bummed[/quote]
Nah, you can still wear the lab coat.
Jamil and Chris say a labcoat is essential attire in your home yeast lab, as it will help protect you and your clothes from caustic and corrosive chemicals.
Also, use nitrile gloves because latex offers poor protection against some of the nastier solvents.
I’m really not sure what it is they’re doing to that yeast. :shock:
I typically avoid liquid yeast if I can. Dry yeast is way too easy to use and I have not noticed any difference in taste. Having said this, if a style demands a certain yeast that is not available in dry, i will obviously use liquid. I have boiled with my erlenmeyer on a flat glass stove top every time and yeah foam is a pain.
