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

[Tracy Baudoin (tbaudoin)]

Roy,

Laquite is the name the old timers use to describe a VERY thick syrup...so thick, you have to use vinegar or citric acid to stop it from sugaring, and if you refrigerate it, good luck getting it out of the bottle!;-)  I've been told it's syrup measuring 40Baume' or more, but I've boiled up to 42Baume' (at 70F) and been told it's still too thin.  My assumption was that they meant 40Baume' when hot, which could be 45-47Baume' at room temp.

 

Regarding how much of the stalk to top after a freeze, look at the end after you've cut it...if it has a brown circle in the middle, you need to cut this off until it looks like a fresh cut.  It's amazing how little of this 'bad' stalk can taint a whole batch!

 

T

 

________________________________

From: syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net [mailto:syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net] On Behalf Of Roy Sallis
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 8:06 AM
To: syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net
Subject: Re: [Syrupmakers] stainless steel pan, S. LA. update,and question on Laquite

 

Tracy,

What is Laquite?

" 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."  When you have cane that freezes how can you tell how much of it to top?

Thanks,

Roy

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

	From: Tracy Baudoin (tbaudoin) <mailto:tbaudoin at cisco.com>  

	To: syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net 

	Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 7:34 AM

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

	 

	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

	 

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