Seedling Mats in a Small Fridge? - Decided on an Aquarium Heater!

[rsterne]

Has anyone here ever used a seed mat (or 2) inside a small fridge (like a bar fridge) to keep up the temperature of their press while pressing?.... We have a fridge that is part of our cheese kitchen that no longer works.... It is part of the stove/sink unit, but freezes completely if you turn it on, so we keep it turned off all the time.... We are going to be doing a recipe for an Alpine Tomme where you are supposed to keep the mould at 80-86*F during pressing, and I was wondering about putting a seedling mat inside the fridge to raise the temperature above room temperature to do that....

I have one 10 x 20" seedling matt that runs on 17 watts in the fridge right now to see how hot it will get, with the room at 70*F, and it is slowly heating up (currently at 75*F).... I'll let you know how hot it gets when it stabilizes, but I was wondering if anybody else has tried this?....

If it gets too hot, I can get a seed mat c/w a thermostat control that can be set from 40*F to 108*F (not that it would ever get that hot).... If not hot enough, I could use 2 or 3 matts to get the temperature I want, I suppose.... My press fits easily inside the fridge.... If this idea works, I could also use it when we are making Cream Cheese or Sour Cream, where you need to keep the temperature of the pot at 86*F for 12-24 hours.... It might come in pretty handy!....

Bob

[Mornduk]

Your idea should work.

For cheese I use a couple of seed mats rolled around the form. Depending on how tight/loosely I tie them and whether I use one or two I can make the temp anywhere 65-90F and keep it for hours/overnight.

For other stuff (e.g., garum, black garlic, etc.) I have used seed mats (for 70-90F) and a ceramic lamp (when temp had to go to 140F or so) with a thermostat inside a large cooler box or a styrofoam box with no issues.

[pickles]

Check out the link below for a method to use an old fridge as a temperature controlled environment.
I have one that I made, I use it for fermentation temperature control when brewing beer, when making sourdough for bread making and storing and aging cheese.
It is a very versatile piece of kit, not difficult for an average do-it-yourselfer to put together.
There are lots of instructions readily available online, I got the parts for mine from ebay.
Do a search for 'brew fridge' to find out more.
Here's a link that outlines what you need and how to proceed.
My press is too big to get in my fridge but I would use that method if I could.

http://www.berrybrew.co.uk/fermentation-fridge-build-brew-fridge/

I hope you find this useful. I'm sure you can get hold of the gear you would need in the US. This will get you accurate, reliable temperature control at a very good price.

[rsterne]

After 2 hours the fridge is now at 84*F.... so it gets hot enough.... Now to find out just how hot it will get when it stabilizes.... 

I thought of another cheap and easy way to do this.... A 50W aquarium heater, immersed in water in the crisper tray in the bottom of the fridge.... I can get one on Amazon.ca for $21 Canadian with free shipping!.... It has a built in thermostat you can set from 68*F to 93*F.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

After 3 hours it is at 87*F.... I'm guessing it still has a ways to go to stabilize (when the heat loss through the fridge insulation equals the 17W from the seedling matt).... The aquarium heater is looking like the best way to go.... cheap, built in thermostat, and the thermal mass of a couple of gallons of water will bring the inside temperature of the fridge back up quickly when you open the door.... Plus, with 50W of heat, it should heat up quicker, I think, although that really isn't an issue, we can just plug it in long enough ahead for it to reach the temperature we want (probably 86*F for most things)....

Bob

[Bantams]

Keep in mind that the room shouldn't stay at 86° the whole time, but start at 86° and then slowly drop overnight to 70° or so. 
Cheese make rooms get warm and steamy during the cheesemaking process and wash up afterwards, but they don't stay that way. 
Of course the smaller the wheel, the faster it will cool, so a little wheel might need the room to stay a bit warmer for a little longer.

Big batches of fromage blanc/chevre/etc retain heat much longer than a 1-2 gallon batch. No need to provide additional heat to the space for a big batch, but with a little batch a water bath might help.  Again, doesn't need to stay at 86-92° or whatever your culturing temp is, just needs to stay there for a few hours before slowly dropping to room temp. 

[rsterne]

Good to know.... We always maintained our Cream Cheese / Sour Cream at 86*F for 12 hours, removed some for Sour Cream, and then drained the rest in a bag overnight, allowing it to cool to 72*F....

While pressing a cheese, would it not be good to do so in an 86*F environment for the first 2 hours until it is knit.... and then allow it to slowly cool overnight?.... Perhaps just unplugging the heater when we go to bed, but leave the press in the fridge to cool slowly, would emulate a large make better?.... Would a Cheddar benefit from keeping it warm overnight?....

Bob

[rsterne]

The temperature inside the fridge stabilized at 89*F (19 deg. above room temperature) with the seedling mat.... not bad, but a bit high.... We have therefore ordered a 50W aquarium heater, and will be installing it in the crisper tray, to be filled with 10-12 litres of water when in use.... I will be able to adjust the thermostat between 68-93*F, so should have no problem maintaining 86*F inside the fridge.... I have removed the glass shelf from above the crisper, for air circulation.... and lowered one of the wire shelves to just above the crisper and removed the other one.... Our press fits easily inside, sitting on that shelf.... The bottom of the cheese mould will be about 3" above the heated water.... Alternately, we can put our cheese pot inside the heated fridge when making Cream Cheese / Sour Cream to maintain 86*F for the 12-14 hours required.... When we get the heater and I install it, I will take some photos and post them in this thread....

Bob

[mikekchar]

Your other alternative (which I highly recommend) is to come visit me in Japan next summer.  89 F, 80% humidity is about normal... (though it gets down to a chilly 81 F at night...)  We'll make cheese.  Then you go home and I'll keep the cheese.  I'm liking this idea more and more...

[Bantams]

Yes, I would start it out in a warm space then slowly let it cool.  Same for cheddar unless you're having trouble with the knit. 

[rsterne]

I got my 50W aquarium heater and have installed it inside the small disconnected fridge.... I filled the crisper drawer with water, placed the heater in that, plugged it in, and I'm letting it heat up to see how long it will take to get the inside of the fridge to 86*F.... I'm sure it will take some fine tuning of the thermostat on the heater to get what I want, but it looks like the idea is going to work OK.... The fridge (and the water) is heating up about 2*F every 1/2 hour.... 

Mike, as lovely as a vacation to Japan sounds, and I am sure I would enjoy your hospitality, I don't think that's in the cards unless I win a lottery.... Oh, yeah, that's right.... you have to buy a ticket to win!.... 

Update.... After 4 hours the water temperature has stabilized at 86*F and the air temperature in the fridge is 84*F.... I'm going to leave it longer to see if it equalizes, before I raise the temperature of the heater 2 degrees.... 

Update #2.... After another 3 hours, the water was at 87*F and the air was at 84*F, I assume it has reached equilibrium.... I still have not touched the thermostat.... I put a pot of water (about 2 litres, what we use for Cream Cheese) on the shelf, with the water temperature adjusted to 86*F.... I want to see if it goes up or down after a few hours.... 

Update #3.... After 4 hours, the pot of water on the shelf in the "fridge"/oven is still at 86*F.... I am going to leave it overnight, to simulate the 14 hours we ripen our Cream Cheese for.... So far, so good.... 

Update #4.... The temperature of the pot of water was down to 84*F, so the thermostat on the aquarium heater has to be increased just a bit to get that to stay at my 86*F target.... I have increased it slightly, and will leave it for the day to see where it stabilizes.... 

Bob

[mikekchar]

Ha ha!  I used to buy a lottery ticket every time I bought something I realistically couldn't afford.  At least I'd have a chance of making the money back.  I never checked to see if I won, though.  Literally a few weeks before I moved to Japan I heard on the radio that there was an unclaimed ticket for $600K.  It was bought about the time I bought a ticket and at the store where I bought the ticket.  Of course, I did not have the ticket any more :-)  It probably wasn't mine....  I keep telling myself.... I stopped buying lottery tickets after that, though.

[rsterne]

So I have all the little tweaks finished for my cheesemaking warmer fridge.... The fridge quit working, and I disconnected all the wiring to the thermostat and compressor for safety.... Here is the submersible aquarium heater, which is in the crisper tray in the bottom of the fridge.... It takes 6 litres of water to cover it, I can put in 12 filled to the top, and settled on 10 litres which is plenty to keep it submerged, and provide a good thermal mass to minimize temperature swings.... It is set at 89*F and that is the temperature it keeps the water at....



The air in the fridge stays at 86*F, once it has stabilized, and it will keep a cheese pot that starts at that temperature at a constant 86*F overnight....



This will be what I use in future when making Cream Cheese or Sour Cream, which requires 12-14 hours for the culture to form a curd.... I can also use this warming cabinet for the first couple of hours of pressing, when the warmer temperature will help the cheese to knit, particularly for things like a Cheddar....



I get to try out this warming cabinet next weekend, when we make an Alpine Tomme.... It requires pressing at 86*F, and then holding that temperature for 3 hours before brining.... I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

The warming cabinet worked great for keeping the Alpine Tomme at 86*F for 3 hours before brining.... This weekend we finally got a chance to try it for pressing a Cheddar.... We made a Double Gloucester, a full fat (4.4% BF) cheese that is cheddared for an hour before pressing.... Like any cheddar, it is difficult to knit.... The first 2 pressings were short, only 15 minutes each, with the pressure increased every minute to slowly squeeze out the whey.... Since the curds were still warm, we just pressed on the counter at room temperature.... When flipped at 20 lbs. it wasn't even close, and at 40 lbs. it was better, but needed significantly more.... For the next pressing, an hour at 60 lbs., we put the press inside the converted fridge, which was prewarmed to 86*F.... When we flipped the cheese, it was much tighter, and we put it back in the warming cabinet overnight at 85 lbs. (3.5 psi), and unplugged the aquarium heater to let the temperature inside the fridge slowly come down....

The next morning it was basically at room temperature (72*F) and when we took the cheese out of the press, we were treated to the best consolidated cheddar we have ever had.... The rind was completely tight, with no sign of even the smallest crack between curds....  .... I think by using the warming cabinet in this way it simulates producing a large cheddar which cools slowly during the overnight pressing.... In any case, I hope this cheese tastes as good as it looks.... 



Bob

[Bantams]

Hooray! Thanks for the update!