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I'm new to the forum, but saw a previous posting on using a hot water canner as a cheese vat--the one quoted held 5 gallons I think.  Anyway, I'm buying the Weck that holds 7.75 gallons if you are using it without a secondary container, but therefore will also acommodate a larger inner vessel.  It is commonly used for pasteurizing milk for home milkers like me (goats). The Weck sells with or without a faucet, such as that shown in the previous example, but is both larger and cheaper.  It is least expensive when bought directly from Weck and as it is made in Germany, it may have better workmanship than some others

https://secure.concentric.com/weckjars.com/productsDetail.php?category=8

I'll see how it works for pasteurizing with the milk pails I have, and although I just bought a chafing dish warmer and warming table inserts for a cheese vat, I may end up using either for making cheese also...

from KaTom.com:

Electric Water Pan For Full Size Chafers Product Code: 370-ECFRWP4   1   $47.86 
   
Super Pan III, Full Size Food Pan, 8 in Deep, 22 Gauge Stainless Steel Product Code: 175-90082   1   $37.48 
   
Heavy Gauge Dome Cover w/ Top Handle & Satin Finish, Stainless Product Code: 028-607802   1   $27.46 

So, for less money, you can buy 32 and 40 quart SS kettles from Amazon and have them available for other uses.  Just a thought...

Like all grain brewing? 

I need to get a big SS kettle.

Though, I suppose if you're into pressure canning, the Weck is probably also dual purpose! 

Any one of those would work nicely. I have the large pots (used for brewing and making lots of spaghetti for parties or catering) and the chaffin dish vat and for me my best vat is the chaffing dish for these reasons:

1) I am short and the chaffing dish is too
2) it is easier for me to cut the curds evenly, or heat evenly
3) I set it next to the sink to drain whey, add hot/cold water etc. using a hose or that sprayer thingy
4) I do ot have to carry water/whey back and forth to the sink
5)  it also fits in my sink for meso makes that don't require much heat and fits under the fauset


The down side of the chaffing dish is : to date the largest pan I have found 8" deep only holds 7 gallons of milk with room to stir.

Quote from: anarch on March 06, 2012, 04:31:25 PM
Though, I suppose if you're into pressure canning, the Weck is probably also dual purpose!

The page says that they are water bath canners - not pressure cookers, so they wouldn't work for that purpose...just to clarify.

The Weck is NOT a pressure canner, although I have one of those also...I could use my regular water bath canner (big kettle), but the Weck is electric with a pretty good range of temperature and thus can be used to heat treat, pasteurize, or keep coffee hot for a crowd if one wanted to.  My main use for it will be heat-treating colostrum for bottle-fed kids (goat type!) and pasteurization of our goats' milk for human consumption.  I'd love to try raw milk cheeses (aged at least 60 days, of course), but since I don't yet have my 'cave' built yet, have to settle for what I can make without the 50-60F range for aging.

The warmer/chafing waterbath + steam table insert setup is primarily for my cheese vat, and since I don't need a huge volume for milk, it will do for my purposes.  Easier to maintain an even temperature than my propane/gas stove and less heat added to the kitchen in our hot California Central Valley summers.

Yes, with 4+ does milking starting in 1.5 months (not just the 1 now), I'll get an increasing volume of milk.  But our household can't consume enough cheese for the excess milk after feeding kids, so much of it will go to raise the eventual pigs that will be added to our little ranch--great whey to add to the whole circle of production and use we have going.  Rabbit, goat, pig meats, chicken eggs (they love cheese!), veg garden, fruit trees (prunings and dried fruits for goatie and bunny treats), etc.

Anyway, love the forum!!! and thanks for the comments

I am happy with my cheese vat, and planning some improvements:

https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,7495.45/topicseen.html

Ah another vote for the chaffing dish warmer!  I haven't done anything to mine except buy pans and a lid, it didn't come with any. I thought about drilling holes for drainage etc but why? I just use a beer hose an siphon it off.

I've had great success with this setup, a bit bulky but i can do 10 gallons of milk with plenty of room fog working with the curd.
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,6741.0.html