# I bought a pasteurizer but I need help dont know how to use.



## WalnutGroveFarm (Sep 27, 2008)

Ok I bought this pasteurizer off of ebay and I think I got a deal on it. But I dont know the first thing about using it. Also what temp does milk need to be brought to to pasteurize it. How long does it need to stay at that temp? Also can you pasteurize colustrum in it? Here is what it looks like if this helps. Thanks for any information you can give me.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Well, I don't pasteurize but from my cheese book it says to bring the milk up to 161*F and hold it at that temp for 30 seconds.

You don't want to pasteurize colostrum...to pasteurize would kill the immunities in it making it useless, what you do with colostrum is to heat treat it by bringing the temp up to 130 slowly and holding it for 1 hour.


You put water in the larger pot, the milk in the pot that fits down inside.


----------



## WalnutGroveFarm (Sep 27, 2008)

Ok thanks so much so just to make sure I got this right the big pot you put water in halfway full or all the way full. Then the pot with the milk goes down in it right. I wouldnt pasteurize but I cant get no one to drink it if I dont. lol


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

They may not ever want to touch goats milk again once you do pasteurize it, the flavor is altered a great deal when it's "cooked"  
Thats just my opinion though, I prefer it in the raw, chilled quickly :wink: 

You have it right, there should be a water level line inside the cooker to indicate how much you need.


----------



## Dreamchaser (Oct 30, 2008)

All I can say is you are very lucky!


----------



## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

If you don't overheat the milk it will taste fine. Unless you have goats that just don't make nice tasting milk. With the pasteurizer, I found instructions for using it on the web by searching for them in Google. I can't tell if there is a way to adjust the thermostat in it, mine would buzz when the milk wasn't anywhere near the right temperature. It had a little hole in it that would take a tiny screw driver that you could turn a screw inside the housing that would adjust the thermostat. If you don't have this you need to measure the temp of the milk and get it out of there at 165 degrees, and let it sit for at least 15 seconds. I think the 165 degree number required by New Mexico, and I believe most states, is to accommodate the possible inaccuracy of different thermometers. 

Mine had a hole for a drain hose, and it was a real pain, I ended up with water all over the place more than once. I don't see a drain on this one. but if there is a drain place you need a hose for it and a plug for the end of the hose, or at least a plug for the drain hole. It looks like a much older model of what I had. Maybe. If you treat it like an electric double boiler you should be fine. You put water in it up to the level of the milk in the bucket.

You should stir the milk before you rely on the temperature, so you know it's evenly hot.
If you have a stainless steel bucket that will fit in the pasteurizer that would be better for the milk than the aluminum bucket that came with it, although the aluminum one will work. 

Then you need to chill the milk as fast as you can, ice water works best for this. I think this is more important than pasteurizing. I don't pasteurize my milk anymore, and don't know anyone who does it unless they are selling milk or doing CAE prevention with their kids. But chilling it as fast as you can makes a very big difference in the quality of the milk. (You need to filter it too, before you do anything to it.) My milk keeps at least two weeks and still tastes wonderful at that point. Although of course I don't generally keep it that long.

Jan


----------



## WalnutGroveFarm (Sep 27, 2008)

Thanks for the help with tested it yesterday and the buzzer was going off at 159. So my husband took a screw driver and adjusted the little screw in the front next time. It came to 161 when the buzzer went off. So its trial and error. I cant get anyone to drink it here unless its pasteurized. Mine is old and it doesnt have a drain hole. But again thanks for all the help.


----------



## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

Great, it sounds like you got it figured out.

Jan


----------

