Vat, Stockpot Or Pan - Where Buy?

[Bowl]

Hi, Im try to find a container/saucepan that can hold up to 5 gallons of liquid,  for me to coagulate my milk in etc.

Though I'm having hard luck finding one

Where did you get yours?

[Gina]

I feel your pain. A larger pan is on my wish list too. I currently have a 3 and a 4 gallon size. The 3 gallon one was purchased at a local restaurant supply years ago for general cooking, and the 4 gallon was a lucky yard sale find I forgot I had. Just yesterday I made a 'two pot' parmesan, totalling 6 gallons of milk split between the two. While not as difficult as I had envisioned, it was much more of a hassle than a one-pot cheese.

While most of the time I am happy with 3 or 4 gallon size cheeses, it makes more sense to me to make larger sized ones that are supposed to be aged 6 months or more. I want more than a thick rind at the end of the aging process.   

Since I'm still a beginner, I just dont know what size pot I'll want in the end. I'm waiting to see what direction my cheese-making will go before I commit the funds to a larger ss stock pot. I also want to be able to still use my current tools in any new pot. 

[coffee joe]

I've moved to SS rectangular restaurant 10 gal pots but this was where I got my first one.

http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/kitchen/stainless-steel-stock-pots/c1995.aspx

Great selection and fair prices, I got lucky and found used rectangular which I find easier to cut curd in.

[JaimeMacNCheese]

I would suggest checking home brewing stores/websites.  I was able to get a great deal on a 6 gallon SS stockpot at a local brewing supply store.  Good luck

[Bowl]

Thanks very much for the advice!

[velward]

I would love to make a 5 gallon cheese, but since i use the double boiler method, I could never lift that 5 gallon pot into the water pot. I would have to do a lot of whey transfering. google on stockpots if you'd like to see really big pots

[wharris]

For a while there, I used a food-safe 7 gallon bucket for my cheese vat..  I simply tied the handle of the bucket to small clothesline rope, and strung the rope through a pulley on the ceiling.  I was able to simply raise or lower the bucket of milk in the water bath below.  Actually, my avatar is a picture of me doing just that.

I do essentially the same thing now, just scaled up a bit.  Folks here refer to my rig as the "dungeon..." 
I never could figure out why though....

[Chris_Abrahamson]

So, how were you heating and maintaining temp control of the water in the water bath?

[MrsKK]

I use a 22-quart (5 1/2 gallon) SS canning kettle.  The SS is rather thin, so it works best in my utility sink as a hot water bath.  I pour the milk into the kettle after it is in the sink, as 5 gallons of milk is quite heavy.

[Mondequay]

Karen, I have a 22 qt ss stockpot and with 4 gallons it is very heavy! I've never tried 5 gallons for fear that there wouldn't be enough headspace for stirring. How do you manage it?
Christine

[wharris]

So, how were you heating and maintaining temp control of the water in the water bath?

If you look close, i use five, 2000watt immersion heaters.  They are hanging in the water bath.

I control temp of the cheese by turning on the heaters individually.  Need more heat?  turn on more heaters..

Also, i can crank the cheese vat in, or out of the bath by raising or lowering it.

I get very fine control of my heating protocol.  i can consistently achieve temperature control to about 1 degree in accuracy.


But its all very manual.  Cannot let it be for even 2 min...

[Boofer]

But its all very manual.  Cannot let it be for even 2 min...

But still, a thing of beauty.... 

-Boofer-

[MrsKK]

Karen, I have a 22 qt ss stockpot and with 4 gallons it is very heavy! I've never tried 5 gallons for fear that there wouldn't be enough headspace for stirring. How do you manage it?
Christine

22 quarts is 5 1/2 gallons.  Five gallons in the pot doesn't leave much headspace, but I never stir vigorously when making cheese anyway, just gentle stirring.  I put the stockpot in the utility sink and add some milk to the pot, then start filling the sink with hot water as I fetch the rest of the milk and pour it into the stockpot.  I don't ever have to lift the pot when it is full of milk because I ladle off the whey to the level of the curd before lifting the stockpot to dump the curd into the colander for draining.  By that point, the pot is about half empty, so not quite so heavy.

[Mondequay]

Well, Karen, you must be stronger than me and taller too!  I think I'll give 5 gallons a go when I have someone home just in case. Thanks

[MrsKK]

I'm only 5'5" tall, but I am quite strong.  I move our feed sacks (50-lbs) around without too much trouble and can even throw a few 60-70 lb haybales, but prefer not to, of course!

At 8 lbs per gallon, a 5 gallon SS pot of milk would be just over 40 lbs.  But, as I said, I don't normally lift the pot out until it is about half emptied, so about 20-25 pounds.