[Syrupmakers] stainless steel pan, S. LA. update, and question on Laquite

[Tracy Baudoin (tbaudoin)]

Monty,

To give you a slightly different perspective, I built mine out of 11ga SS...it's a fair bit thicker than 1/16,  and I don't have a problem with it cooking after the burners are turned off.  I figured the old cast iron kettles would stay hot for a while, so why not beef up the SS to last as long as possible.  I also don't have any angle iron around the top.  It barely warps when heated.  The bottom will warp significantly if you turn on the heat while empty (for drying or cleaning).

 

I agree with Floyd about making the stand ¼" to ½" larger than the pan itself.  I used a 4 X 8 sheet of stainless, bending the sides 12" tall, and angling the front with a bent edge at the top to make a drip edge for skimming (87 gal capacity).  This works great when you put a gutter on the drip edge with spring clips.  I have a downspout on one end of the gutter with a bucket under it to catch skimmings.  In case you want to calculate the volume of a pan, divide the total cubic inches by 232 to get gallons (232 cubic inches in a gal.)  I have drawings of mine in MS-Word.  Email me directly if you'd like a copy (tbaudoin at cisco.com).

 

 

 

On a side note, I have one batch of cane left to cut, but the rains kicked in yesterday.  It's supposed to rain for the next 2 days non-stop!  This will be batch #15 this year!  Before this, I'd never done more than 10 batches in a year.  I was extrememly lucky that the previous two freezes didn't really hurt the cane much - I just have to top the stalks about 4" lower than usual.

 

Yesterday, I attempted to make Laquite (sp?).  I boiled it to 234F after adding about a dozen lemons for acidity (to stop sugaring).  It still only registered 36Baume' at that point (I wanted to shoot for 40Baume' while hot).  This year, I've seen the Baume readings go up 5-7 degrees as the syrup cools to room temp.  I figured I'd better stop when barely any steam was coming off, but it was still boiling rapidly.  If I'd turned the fire down any more, it would've gone out.  Does anyone know how the old folks used to tell when it transitioned from syrup to Laquite?

 

Tracy Baudoin

Gray, LA

 

________________________________

From: syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net [mailto:syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net] On Behalf Of Floyd and Bobee
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 8:29 PM
To: syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net
Subject: Re: [Syrupmakers] stainless steel pan

 

1/16 inch is enough.  You will have some warping due to expansion but it is not a big deal.  Mine has an angle iron frame around the top and I set it in an angle iron frame with legs.  Leave a little room for expansion on the base.  The thicker you make the pan the longer it will cook after you turn the burners off.

 

Floyd Boyett

Lumberton, Texas

	----- Original Message ----- 

	From: mb58 <mailto:mb58 at bellsouth.net>  

	To: syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net 

	Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 5:32 PM

	Subject: [Syrupmakers] stainless steel pan

	 

	I am going to have a stainless steel batch pan built. Can anyone tell me the minimum and maximum gage thickness I can work with? What is the ideal gage for syrup cooking?

	 

	Thanks

	Monty Bradley

	Crowville, LA.

	
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