I finally did it!!! I managed to find the perfect water-bath-container/cheese-vat combination for a sous-vide circulator setup! Why was this such a challenge to find? It's all about the water content in the water bath.
My first setup was an 8L vat with only 8L of water in the water bath (see last pic). This setup was perfect for 2 reasons: The circulator can warm the 8L of water without any difficulty and warm it quick enough during a typical cooking step (2F per 5 minutes). The second reason was that the stainless steel pan fits perfectly on the inside lip of the water bath container, so I don't need additional support to keep the SS pan from falling inside the water bath.
I really wanted to upgrade to a 16L vat using the same Sous-vide circulator, and keep the 2 advantages mentioned above (low amount of water and SS pan fits perfectly on top of water bath container).
Well, I finally found the right combination!
My new setup consists of a typical 6" full pan (good for 16-18L) and it fits really nice and snug on top of the inner lip of the water bath container. 16L of water comes up to 3" around the SS pan from the bottom, and 4" with 18L. I tested the 18L water bath and it works great with my Circulator! It was just a water test though. It will be slightly different with milk when it is curdled. Whats also great about this is that there's water that circulates all around the SS pan, all 4 sides plus the bottom. This is possible because the SS pan is somewhat of a "V" shape and the plastic container is a straight shape. This gives ample room on all sides for water to circulate.
I'm really happy with this find! It literally took me MONTHS to find this plastic container. I can't wait to try it for the first time (only in a few weeks though... :( ) Now I'll be able to play in the deep end of the pool with you big boys and girls ;D
Here's a link to the container : http://www.webstaurantstore.com/metro-mtb93080w-23-x-18-x-8-white-divider-tote-box/461MTB93080W.html (http://www.webstaurantstore.com/metro-mtb93080w-23-x-18-x-8-white-divider-tote-box/461MTB93080W.html)
That's such a score, Spoons. Congratulations!
Wowsers! Simple, beautiful, and utilitarian. An elegant solution!
Do you have hoops for that much curd?
Well shoot - I just ordered something from Webresturantstore and sure would have considered ordering the "tote" as I like the square pans as well. Those circulators aren't cheap so I probably would stick with my current systems (griddle or crock pot with controller) but the tote would be great for storing my pans and cheese making equipment. Do you cook sous vide or just plan to use the set-up for milk (cheese)?
Thanks Geo!
Dave, I have a 7" tomme mould. It will do the job. I'll probably buy a kadova mould eventually, just for aesthetics purposes.
John, The tote also has a lid. It turns out to be a nice storage container for all my cheese making equipment. Everything fits in it... ok, maybe not the press ;)
I sous-vide cook a lot. I had to slow down though as I was eating too much meat. lol. The only thing I don't really care for is sous-vide veggies, I prefer them steamed. Meat and eggs are now always cooked sous-vide. I'm hooked!
My next sous-vide experiment is to make my own nacho cheese. I know some cheese lovers will frown upon this as it's a processed cheese. But no one can deny the awesomeness of a great tasting perma-melt nacho cheese O0 . Come to think of it, I'll post the recipe (it's a short 2 minute video).
Where did you get the mould? How about a photo!
I got the Kadova mould at Glengarry's. They also ship FROM the U.S. so there's no extra shipping cost.
http://glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/ (http://glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/)
In the picture;
Front: 4.5" hard cheese mould from cheesemaking.com
Left: 7" tomme mould
Right: 1.5-2kg Gouda Kadova mould
Picture of the cheese: 4.6 LBS gouda using the Kadova mould.
Greeting spoon (EMG),
I know this is a old post but I was wondering how did the setup work for you? I have Anova sous-vide and been thinking about using it the same way.
Cheers
I can't answer for Spoons but I have an Anova One as well and can vouch for how effective it is when making cheese. The only drawback I have is that you need a really big water pan if you want to do a batch of 4 gal. or more. I've got a 12 gal. polycarbonate food box that would work, but just too much water bath to deal with.
Is the SS pan this one? http://www.webstaurantstore.com/full-size-standard-weight-anti-jam-stainless-steel-steam-table-hotel-pan-6-deep/4070069.html (http://www.webstaurantstore.com/full-size-standard-weight-anti-jam-stainless-steel-steam-table-hotel-pan-6-deep/4070069.html) I'm looking to build the same setup as you it looks great.
I did the same setup as you and it's perfect. I'm now trying to make a eletric curd stirrer
Does this really take over an hour to heat 4g milk +1g water to 180?
I got an Anova sous vide recently - they sure were on sale for the holidays!! It is a fun toy for cooking!
I want to try out this set up for doing makes since I also have the 6 inch deep steam table pan.
Any recent info on how this is working for anyone out there??
Beautiful setup!! I bought a Gourmia about a year ago. I don't use it to warm the milk but rather create a water bath for the warm phases of cheeses. I simply set them in a bag and lie them on the water turning regularly. Works great!
Susan, I also have the Anova and have used this setup for 2 batches. It does an amazing job of warming the milk and holding it at just the right temps. It also works great when having to slowly increase the temp over a certain amount of time.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4765/25150270297_f7c6bde2a8.jpg)
Quote from: Al Lewis on January 03, 2018, 04:23:09 PM
Beautiful setup!! I bought a Gourmia about a year ago. I don't use it to warm the milk but rather create a water bath for the warm phases of cheeses. I simply set them in a bag and lie them on the water turning regularly. Works great!
Clever! O0
I'm just starting out making cheese, and used my Joule and a stainless pot for my first batches of Quesa Blanco and Quesa Fresco. I was very pleased with how well the Joule worked warming the milk in a way that I did not have to pay any mind to managing the heat. I used two different pots. One that handled 1 gallon of milk, and the second that handled 2 gallons. As a hobbyist, I think this will last me for a while at least :) I use a cheap $4 plastic tub from Target for my sous vide setup and it works great.
Hi @Spoons, Thank you so much for putting the details and links! I went ahead and bought the items described and now I have a beautiful setup (just like yours :D ).
Could you also detail your smaller setup with links? Would be very helpful for those smaller batches.
Thanks again!
That's a nice setup. I've been using a galvanized steel waterer (a round one) with a bigger diameter than my 20 and 40 quart pots for cheesemaking. I put the sous vide circulator in the waterer same as your setup above. The volume of water is too high for the circulator to manage the temperature changes entirely on its own, so I have a pot of hot water on the stove I use to "help" it along. But for maintaining temperatures and small/slow increases it does the trick. I've managed this setup even with 8 gallons of milk/curds. It sure beats the pants off the price of a commercial cheesemaking vat!