Has anyone used one of these?

andabigmac · #1 07/31/12, 09:14 AM

I saw the ice paddle that Izitmidnite recommended in Goldenwoods post on Amazon. Then I saw this.
Amazon.com: Super Efficient 3/8" x 25' Stainless Steel Wort Chiller: Everything Else

Would it be too hard to clean? I would wonder about the plastic in the ice paddle harboring bacteria. Do you think it would even work? Could you get cold enough water to go through it to even make a difference. Ostensibly you would use tap water. Would that be cold enough to make a difference in the milk? Has anyone tried one or anything like it? I can't keep enough ice in my freezer to chill my milk.

KrisD · #2 07/31/12, 09:30 AM

I would think it would be impossible to clean properly. I use a frozen water bottle that I stick right in my milk bucket while I'm milking. The milk cools immediately and is chilly by the time I get inside. I wash the plastic bottle, refill and refreeze.

chewie · #3 07/31/12, 11:03 AM

I've been dong as krisD has, I run mine thru the dishwasher on scalding hot, they are in the top shelf. I leave the water in them even, if it gets murky, I toss the bottle. I am using 2 right now even, when the milk hits the jar, as it filters, its already cold enough to serve. then into a big container where I have water and more ice bottles, in the milk fridge that's kept at just above freezing. they never thaw, its that cold. the jars sit in that water container til next milking. usually there is a rim of ice around the top. the largest jar I use is half gallon, a full gallon just is too much to get cold fast enough.

all of my stuff goes thru the dishwasher on that super hot scalding cycle. once in a while I do an acid wash, and if I have to hand wash, its with scadling hot water and a bleach rinse. never drying with a towel, just upside down.

if you don't like the plastic water bottle, there are stainless steel things that you can freeze, and do the same thing with. they cost about $20 each, found at a brewing supply. not sure what they are called.

Izitmidnight · #4 07/31/12, 04:28 PM

The water bottles work just as well as the ice paddle. If you are selling, the ice paddle is NSF approved (health inspector talk for food safe, I run a restaurante). The Wort chiller looks like too much work to clean and prevent bacteria growth.

andabigmac · #5 07/31/12, 05:45 PM

I use the blue ice cubes but they're always melted by the time I'm done milking 5 goats so I was just looking for other cheap options. I'm thinking about trying to get a license to sell milk. Next year I'll be milking 9 or so.

mammabooh · #6 08/01/12, 08:57 AM

I'm only milking two, but I keep mason jars in the freezer. When I bring the milk to the house, I pull the jars out of the freezer, strain the milk into them, and then put them back into the freezer for 45 minutes. I checked this morning, and the milk was 38 degrees after the 45-minute freezer time. It goes from the freezer into the fridge after the 45 minutes is up.

andabigmac · #7 08/01/12, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mammabooh

I'm only milking two, but I keep mason jars in the freezer. When I bring the milk to the house, I pull the jars out of the freezer, strain the milk into them, and then put them back into the freezer for 45 minutes. I checked this morning, and the milk was 38 degrees after the 45-minute freezer time. It goes from the freezer into the fridge after the 45 minutes is up.

That's a good idea too. Hmmm.... Thanks for all of the ideas. Life will be easier when I get my cheese made for the year and I can just feed it all to the pigs.

**mygoat** · #8 08/01/12, 12:04 PM

The chiller can't be too hard to clean. It's used in brewing - you gotta be careful to not contaminate brewed beverages as well as milk.

Can you post a link to the paddle thing?

You can put a pump in a bucket of icewater, and pump through ice water to chill. That's what we were considering doing.

I hate the idea of using plastic bottles. So terribly unsanitary... even with it setting in the freezer, it can be picking up stuff after cleaned, from freezer shelves.

KrisD · #9 08/01/12, 12:25 PM

I put my plastic bottles in ziplock bags after washing. When I need to chill milk I pull it out of the bag and plop it into the milk.

andabigmac · #10 08/01/12, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mygoat

The chiller can't be too hard to clean. It's used in brewing - you gotta be careful to not contaminate brewed beverages as well as milk.

Can you post a link to the paddle thing?

You can put a pump in a bucket of icewater, and pump through ice water to chill. That's what we were considering doing.

I hate the idea of using plastic bottles. So terribly unsanitary... even with it setting in the freezer, it can be picking up stuff after cleaned, from freezer shelves.

San Jamar Rapi-Kool Plus 128 Oz. Cold Paddles: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

So you would just hook up a pump to the wort chiller instead of just a hose with cool water?

I can't imagine the wort chiller would be any harder to clean than a milk machine. Both would be a pain but better than trying to do small scale fixes on a large scale.

steff bugielski · #11 08/02/12, 05:39 AM

My milk goes into a sink of cold water with soda bottles filled with frozen water. I also use a pond pump to circulate the water.
Works great, the milk is in gallon jars so the milk has zero chance of contamination. The pump cools the milk down to below 45 degrees in two hours, State standard.

suzyhomemaker09 · #12 08/02/12, 08:36 AM

I use a cat litter bucket which is filled with water and ice cream salt that is stored in my freezer.

Cooling bath - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

After milking it's strained into 1/2 gallon jars and they get settled into the buckets. It frequently starts to freeze the milk in the jars as it sits in my kitchen floor after about 20 minutes.
Wort chillers would really be difficult to use on milk as there is a huge contamination issue...what the pics don't really show is the scale of one.....mine is about 10- 12 inches across...and about the same height. The coils are pretty close together as well so wiping down all that surface isn't easy.Contamination in brewing isn't really an issue as it goes into the pot near the end of boiling so it' gets thoroughly pasteurized