Large pickling pot

Hi,

After a few years off list, with life, I’ve been working on larger
items that don’t fit into my pickle pot. I have a Hamilton Beach 18
qt. slow roaster that has an enameled finish on all surfaces,
including the insert. I’m just still working through this, and
thought I would ask if there is any reason NOT to use this for
larger/ longer items. I will just be using it for copper. I don’t
want to ‘test’ it, as it’s a very nice slow cooker, and if I gave it
a ‘try’ I would not feel safe using it for mass buffets.

I’ve really missed Orchid!
Kind regards,
Dinah

I'm just still working through this, and thought I would ask if
there is any reason NOT to use this for larger/ longer items. I
will just be using it for copper. 

Sure it would work. The only concern would be a huge pickle pot, if
heated, will put off more fumes. The giant vats of pickle I’ve used
in college classes were under ventilation hoods.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com

I have started using the big oval crock pot from Big Lots - don’t
remember the brand. About $20. It is about 14 to 16 in long. I did
remove the metal rim from the lid yesterday after reading that the
steam that collects on the lid and drips into the pot could possibly
be contaminating the pickle since the rim is an unknown metal. There
is a nice clean lid now, and I just read that splitting a plastic
tube could be run around the rim to make a nice seal!

What a bunch of good ideas have come up with this subject.

Rose Marie Christison

I have a Hamilton Beach 18 qt. slow roaster that has an enameled
finish on all surfaces, including the insert. I'm just still
working through this, and thought I would ask if there is any
reason NOT to use this for [pickling] larger/ longer items. 

I can say with pretty good confidence that using it for pickle is a
bad idea. Enamel contains metals, and even if it didn’t, microscopic
cracks will let the pickle through to the steel pretty quickly. You
can probably find a similar pot with a ceramic or glass insert-- the
classroom I teach in has a huge Corningware one. Or just use a
plastic tub and be patient!

Noel

I use a large Black & Decker oval 6 quart crock pot as my regular
pickle pot. It works great. I see no reason yours would not work just
as well. But don’t use it for food again afterward. You might wander
through the local thrift shops and see if you can find something
similar that would save your good slow cooker for kitchen use.

Kathy Johnson
Feathered Gems Jewelry
http://www.featheredgems.com
http://www.fgemz.com

Dinah,

Pick one: food use or pickle pot- don’t use it for both. As a pickle
pot it is perfectly suited for large pieces, just remove any base
metal rim that may be on the lid as those have been known to
contaminate pickling solutions by the condensate dripping back into
the pot. I would not say that it is then safe to wash out and use
for food at all though. Buy a second one for buffets !

rer

I have started using the big oval crock pot from Big Lots - don't
remember the brand. About $20. It is about 14 to 16 in long. 

Hi Rose, Great idea with the tubing, which is probably what I will
do with my HB. I need something about 18", and yes I could put the
tubes in one way, and then turn them over of course. The one I have
now will accommodate just the sizes I’m using.

Dinah

I can say with pretty good confidence that using it [Hamilton
Beach 18 qt. slow roaster] for pickle is a bad idea. Enamel
contains metals, and even if it didn't, microscopic cracks will let
the pickle through to the steel pretty quickly. 

Thank you Noel, I’m sure that if I really inspected this I would
find many pin hole spots wearing my optivisor, and hairline cracks,
which lead me to believe, I’m not sure this is good for cooking
either. :slight_smile: I live near CGW, so will ask about a larger one or use one
of the countless tubs I seem to have collected.

Dinah

Dinah,

I have been using large slow cooker for years as I too sometime make
larger items. What I have done is stop at yard sales and flea
markets. Usually I pick them up for $2 to $5 each. If one burns out
I have another ready to go. I have been using the same large slow
cooker now for 10 years and it is still kicking butt. Make sure that
you use clear silicone around seams that may corrode if pickle gets
into them.

Larry Silva
Da Gama Designs

I'm not sure this is good for cooking either. 

There’s nothing wrong with cooking in a steel pot, so there’s
nothing wrong with cooking in an enameled steel pot, even if the
enamel isn’t perfect-- no glaze or enamel is ever perfect! (I have a
Le Creuset enamelled cast iron stew pot that has a crack clear
through the cast iron, and I’ve been using it that way for 20 years!)
Cracks or pits will have no effect on its usefulness for stew, but
pickle reacts with steel and is a different story.

Noel

What a great idea to use large slow cookers for pickle. I have a
nice small one for jewelry, but as I make large enameled wall pieces
on copper, cleaning the copper prior to enameling has been
tedious—usually hand scrubbing. What a boon to be able to dunk them
into a large pot of pickle and save all that scrubbing.

And thanks for the suggestion about sealing the seams with silicon
sealant.

I have used a fairly large corning ware casserole set on a portable
electric burner, but had to watch it constantly so that it would not
boil over. Not the best thing to have in one’s studio.

I’m off to the local thrift shop to see about getting a used slow
cooker. Now why didn’t I think of that? After all, when I am down in
my studio working, my slow cooker is usually busy preparing my
dinner, so I am well aware of their usefulness. Just never thought of
using a large one in the studio.

Alma

I have used a fairly large corning ware casserole set on a
portable electric burner, but had to watch it constantly so that it
would not boil over. Not the best thing to have in one's studio. 

Try using a better electric burner (or a warming tray) – one that
has a working dial which you can set and leave on “warm” (or
whatever).

Judy Bjorkman

A cheap coffee percolator (often on sale for around $ 10-15) with the
“water boiling” parts removed or disabled works very well for a few
years… All that’s left is the warming plate that is
thermostatically controlled well below boiling temperature. It does
burn out every few years with all-day use as pickle pot, but it’s a
lot cheaper than any of the commercial units…

Sandra Kay and Peter Bauer
Canada
www.peterbauersilver.com

Correction: my wife tells me that it’s a coffee maker (drip type)
rather than a percolator. Here’s my revised note:

A cheap coffee maker (often on sale for around $10-15) works very
well as a pickling pot for a few years. After remvoving or disabling
the coils in the water chamber, all that’s left is the warming plate
and the Pyrex pot itself. The warming plate is thermostatically
controlled well below boiling temperature. It does burn out every few
years with all-day use as pickle pot, but it’s a lot cheaper than any
of the commercial units.

Peter Bauer
Canada
www.peterbauersilver.com