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bodhisatta 
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Registered: 04/30/13
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BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK 146
#24180711 - 03/21/17 03:07 PM (6 years, 10 months ago) |
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This tek is part of bod's cultivation is easy as fuck link listBod's Pressure Cooker Use TEK how to run a jiggle weight pressure cooker quietly and with littler water lossQuote:
bodhisatta said: Use of a Presto Pressure Cooker
Cultivation Videos
I strongly recommend the Presto 23 quart pressure cooker (pressure canner) Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker
It will hold 10 Quart jars How you ask? 7 on the bottom and 3 on top Wide mouth jars fit this way
 Narrow mouth jars fit this way

The 16 quart Presto model will only hold 7 Quart jars. Presto 01745 16-Quart pressure Canner and Cooker
The manual for the presto 23q says it only holds 7 jars. Because they would never tell you to put jars on their side. It's fine for our spawn jars and this way you can get 10 done in a run.
Other Pressure Cookers work, You can use All American brand stereoclave/autoclave/sterilizers/pressure cookers. Or any other size cooker of any brand mirro or presto, etc...
I personally would rather buy a few more 23q prestos than buying an AA. AA makes an amazing product that holds its value. They also look like bombs, are heavier, and cost a fortune up front. If you need the bling factor get an AA.
This TEK will cover the use of pressure cooker/canners that use a jiggle type weight on top. Sterilizers use a toggle valve to release over-pressure. AA canners can be turned into sterilizers by replacing the jiggle weight with a toggle.(click for example)
Some sterilizers also have built in heating elements. Thus being able to be used anywhere that has a power outlet. AA makes sterilizers with built in elements. They're pretty fucking badass.
First Things First Read the user manual for your pressure cooker
You can find the PDF for the presto models on their website https://www.gopresto.com/products/products.php?stock=01781
Water Level
The presto 23q says to use 3 quarts of water. This may seem like a lot of water but it's fine, DO IT. Your pressure cooker may say to use more or less water depending how big or small it is.
In addition to the water you add you'll want to add 1-2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar. This will make your jars come out looking sparkling clean rather than white and dingy from the hard water deposits.
Ideally you would use distilled water but who is going to buy jugs of distilled just to run their pressure cooker, Tap water works fine with the vinegar trick. I use very hot tap water to fill my cooker. Routine maintenance means I never worry about mineral deposits or hard water problems.
Obviously, The cleaner or more filtered your water the better, less mineral deposits, less corrosion that you'll have to clean etc... you could also use an electric kettle or microwave to pre-heat the filtered or distilled water to speed things up
 here's 3 quarts of water in a presto 23
 here's where it comes up to on the first layer of jars
Later on I explain the importance of venting, it's very important. Because we do not want trapped air in the pressure cooker I ensure I leave no air bubbles from the space under the jars here's how
 put these jars in first leaving the 7th jar to go in on the side not the center.
 tilt the jars into the water so there's no air bubble trapped beneath them. practice with empty jars if you have to see the bubble and how to get it out.
when you get to the 7th jar like in the above picture tilt that one as well and do your best to get the air bubble out.
then you can put the other 3 jars on top

The Trivet
 every cooker should come with one of these, otherwise you'll want to buy one that fits in your cooker.
Above I said to use the recommended water level, With the presto 23 that's 3 quarts of water.
If you put 7 quart jars in the bottom the water will come just under half way up the side of the jar, This is fine.
As long as half of your jar is above water there's sufficient contact surface for STEAM. STEAM is what does the sterilization you want your jars to have at least 50% of their surface above the water so that steam can transfer energy to the jars.
Say you only want to sterilize a few jars or a bottle of agar. You put the jar(s) in your presto 23q cooker and put 3 quarts of water in. You'll find out the jar(s) start to float or wont sit on the trivet. This doesn't mean you should use less water. It means you need to raise your trivet up.
The best way to raise the trivet is to put some balls of foil, jar lids, etc... anything that wont melt and can stay in a pressure cooker during a cycle. With the trivet raised up your jars will not float away when you're only trying to sterilize a few things at once.
For example pasty plates(clickable link) will require you to raise the trivet up otherwise they'll float around and tip over during the cycle.
The Gasket Most pressure cookers use a rubber gasket to seal the lid to the bottom. These gaskets will easily last 3 or more years of routine weekly use if maintained. Regardless it's less than 10 dollars for a replacement so even if you destroy it after 2 years it's dirt cheap.
Every cycle remove the gasket and inspect it for cracks or other defects.
Stretch the gasket out a little bit using your hands by pulling on it. While you're gently stretching the gasket have a little mineral oil or petroleum jelly on your hands to slightly lubricate the gasket (Petroleum jelly isn't recommended for rubber but well it fucking works great)
The best option would be silicone oil which can be found in the plumbing section. This will not deteriorate the rubber at all.
Gently put the gasket back into the lid. Then put the lid on the cooker as per instructions.
Starting Up the Cycle: Venting
My thread dedicated to the importance of venting. Yes it deserved it's very own extra thread
I usually will use very hot tap water or near boiling water to fill the pressure cooker.
Once the lid is on MAKE SURE the weight is OFF. Turn the heat to high
Once it starts to boil you'll see steam coming out of the top of the lid. After a minute or two the safety plug and the locking mechanism will pop up, at this time you will not be able to remove the lid unless you kill the heat and let the safety valve drop back down.
Once steam comes out of the top set a timer for 10 minutes. NO LESS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_pressure You don't want to pressurize AIR you want to pressurize water vapor/steam
if you do not properly vent there will be air trapped in your jars still and in the void space in the cooker. Your gauge will eventually read 15psi but if you know anything about partial pressure you will not actually be at 15psi of steam pressure but X psi of steam and Y psi of air where X+Y=15. This means you're sterilizing at a lower temperature than expected. In a static volume each gas in a mixture exerts the pressure it would as if it were the only gas in that volume. All of these partial pressures add up to the total pressure you see on the gauge. This is Dalton's law of partial pressure.

as you can see from the graphs at 1bar or 15psig 100% steam is 121C or 250F
Say you still have 10% air left from improper venting. If your gauge reads 15psi you're actually at ~116.5C or ~242F. Not only that but it actually makes the steam transfer heat less effectively so it's a compounded problem
if you can imagine the jars are filled with air(let alone the volume of the PC), this needs a good 10 minutes to escape. As the heat increases in the cooker, the grains will start to evaporate/boil their moisture and push the air out through the filters/lids of your jars. The whole volume of void space in jars and in your PC needs to be filled with water vapor/steam. Since there's no way to test this we vent at least 10 minutes.
Starting Up the Cycle: Pressurizing
once you've vented for 10 minutes you may notice that you're at a few PSI on the gauge. That's no problem.
Put your weight on and you'll start to see the needle rise. I leave the cooker on high to medium-high during this stage.

There's many different shapes and kinds of weights, yours may not look like that one.
As soon as the pressure gets close to 15 you will need to turn the stove down to maintain pressure. If you leave the stove on too high the weight will jiggle, make noise, you'll lose water more quickly as well. You only need the stove hot enough to MAINTAIN the pressure.
I put 3 quarters (15-18 grams) of weight on top of my jiggle weight. I simply used some tape and put them right on top
This is how I run my pressure cooker quietly and with very little water loss.
The cooker is designed so that the weight jiggles at 15psi and we're trying to sterilize at 15psi. So with no added weight the weight will jiggle and make noise the whole cycle. Fuck that.
If you add a little weight to the jiggle weight. Then you can leave your pressure cooker at 15psi by adjustment of the heat and it will not jiggle. The added weight makes jiggling at 18-19psi so as long as you run it at 15-18psi it will be nearly silent and you'll lose almost no water.
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JewishLawyer
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Re: Bod's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: bodhisatta] 2
#24180976 - 03/21/17 04:38 PM (6 years, 10 months ago) |
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9 jars on bottom


8 jars on top

putting trivet over bottom layer of jars

I think they're quart sized jars...
I knocked over and broke 4 petri dishes of inoculated agar in the taking of these photos
-------------------- Niffla said: my dog ate some of my peyote, unlocked the secrets of the universe and now has tenure at Yale
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
Loc: Milky way
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Re: Bod's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: bodhisatta]
#24184047 - 03/22/17 05:34 PM (6 years, 10 months ago) |
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
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Re: Bod's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: mushboy]
#24341805 - 05/22/17 10:26 PM (6 years, 8 months ago) |
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Kaladin
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: Thethicctricc]
#25465831 - 09/16/18 09:59 PM (5 years, 4 months ago) |
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Great tek, Thanks Bod, helped me a lot.
After using the quarters with great success, I made a 17g brass spacer that fit between the two pieces of the Presto 23 quart weight.
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Johnny.rotten
Traveller


Registered: 08/16/18
Posts: 159
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: tathlyn]
#25466926 - 09/17/18 11:22 AM (5 years, 4 months ago) |
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I have a presto 18 liter cooker. That makes 19 quarts. I assumed that i could only put 7 in, but when I crammed my jars in, it looks like I can get in 10. Am I overloading it? Or did I luck out with an odd shaped cooker and jars? also, just to clarify, the jars can touch the sides correct?
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Edited by Johnny.rotten (09/17/18 11:24 AM)
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Johnny.rotten
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: bodhisatta]
#25467778 - 09/17/18 05:26 PM (5 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
bodhisatta said: He's confused. It's a 23q. You can tell in the picture
Here's the model # on the box, and a pic of it on my stove. I agree, it seems to be a 23 quart, but with no pressure gauge. I picked it up on craigslist a few months back for cheap, still in the box. Either way, it was a success. I just got 10 jars done with it. Time for a brew, and a bowl
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Doc9151
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: Johnny.rotten] 1
#25748293 - 01/16/19 08:30 PM (5 years, 12 days ago) |
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Quote:
Johnny.rotten said:
Quote:
bodhisatta said: He's confused. It's a 23q. You can tell in the picture
Here's the model # on the box, and a pic of it on my stove. I agree, it seems to be a 23 quart, but with no pressure gauge. I picked it up on craigslist a few months back for cheap, still in the box. Either way, it was a success. I just got 10 jars done with it. Time for a brew, and a bowl 
You have a pressure cooker, there is a difference between a pressure cooker and a pressure canner, pressure canner is what you want. Pressure cookers operate at lower pressure than pressure canners and are not sufficient for sterilization.
--------------------
  Psilocybe cubensis data collection thread. please help with this project if you hunt wild cubensis. https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=26513593&page=0&vc=1#26513593
Edited by Doc9151 (01/16/19 08:31 PM)
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phazer5
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Re: Bod's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: Grocko]
#25951228 - 04/23/19 04:40 PM (4 years, 9 months ago) |
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Hello
I had some problems with grains coming out a bit wet. After reading your PC tek closely, I see that you said the jars should have 50% surface area above water and that your water level with 3qts and seven jars is below this halfway mark. I have the 16qt Presto PC and when using the recommended 3qts the water level reaches above halfway.
This is where the level of water comes up to:

I am wondering if this is why my grains were coming out wet. I am assuming to fix this problem I would just need to elevate the trivet using lids or something, but I thought that the 16qt and 23qt Prestos were the same size at the base, just taller so I don't know why the water level would come up so high. I am using the lowest engraved mark on the inside of the canner to measure the 3qts.
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Nostalgia_Kills
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: Johnny.rotten]
#26424735 - 01/09/20 01:49 PM (4 years, 19 days ago) |
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[/url] I agree, it seems to be a 23 quart, but with no pressure gauge. I picked it up on craigslist a few months back for cheap, still in the box. Either way, it was a success. I just got 10 jars done with it. Time for a brew, and a bowl 
My 16 quart Presto cooker has no gauge and a similar rocker weight as you have on this model you posted. Did you vent for 10 minutes and add your rocker weight without additional weight added or did you add weight as suggest in the beginning of this post?
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
Loc: Milky way
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Re: Bod's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: Vylie]
#26597662 - 04/13/20 10:37 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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I don't care about your experiment. Buy one of these
 They go IN the cooker. They register the maximum temperature hit
Try it yourself.
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SYF8
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Re: Bod's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: Vylie] 1
#26603818 - 04/15/20 07:07 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thanks for the TEK 
I have a 22 qt Presto with a different type of jiggle weight than what is shown here. This is my solution to reduce the noise for others with similar weights:
-------------------- Start Here and Read as Much as You Can <<< BOD’s / SHROOMERY Knowledge Index
Trade List ISO Cuban and Roatan Honduras Prints
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enzofilo
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Re: Bod's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: rudimentary] 1
#26748534 - 06/16/20 08:50 AM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Just wanted to say thanks for this tek. I'm another noob and used this yesterday, the part about rasing the trivet was really helpful. Since my PC didn't come with one I used this

I think it's a cooking mold or whatever is called (English isn't my first language)....leaving the idea here in case it helps someone at the shroomery
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icpurple
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Re: Bod's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: thecja]
#27147630 - 01/14/21 12:12 PM (3 years, 13 days ago) |
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Good thread and good info.
I do slightly differently with the ramping up of temps though.
I set the heat at '6' where it shall sit for the whole time. The reason for this is it provides a slower ramp up of temperature inside the PC. Why? Maybe it isn't so important for lids with vents but I PC the grains with a fully intact lid and basically pressure can them and leave them set on the shelf until I am ready for them then innoc in a SAB and apply a sterilized, vented lid at that time. If the jars are processed properly they should last months on the shelf. This way I can see if they contam because of my processing the grain. In this case, the slow ramp up of temperature; around 30 minutes before steam starts to appear out the vent, then vent for 15-20 minutes, then it's usually around 20 minutes once the jiggler is put on before it starts to jiggle. The only way air inside the jars will get out in my method is by heating the contents of the jar enough to evolve steam, which pushes the air out. If the heat is cranked and the PC is locked with a heavy weight and pressured up quickly, the pressure outside the jars will be greater and the jars won't vent the air. Also, the jiggler jiggling releases what is inside the PC, which may or may not be a mixture of air and steam, this will, over time, increase the steam to air ratio inside the PC to your advantage. Something you may have noticed after the PC is up to pressure and jiggler is jiggling, the frequency of the jiggles increases and you can turn down the burner a bit to lower the frequency... The reason for this change in frequency is the contents of the jars has equalized to the PC and the heat coming into the PC from the burner is no longer being absorbed by the jars, or at least to a much lesser extent. This also means that the jars were probably venting air up to that time and may even more yet, another reason not to lock up the vent completely.
This is a pic of my original mod of a little Fresco pressure cooker that I modded over 10 years ago by wrapping wire around the pear shaped weight. That baby holds 4 Quart jars! Hahaha. I sold my 941 cause that sumbitch bent my stove when it was full with 19 Litre/quart jars of chili!

You may have seen it if you watched a youtube video titled "can you use a pressure cooker as a pressure canner" I deleted that YT account over a year ago so it shouldn't be available anymore.
This is another pic of how I've modded my presto and Mirro pressure cookers:

The Presto, with a washer that has been drilled and shaped to fit under the plastic cap that screws onto the metal weight - weighing 12 grams and the Mirro, with the cylindrical weight - I have placed 2 deck screws through the 'bottom holes' and wrapped wire around them to equal 15.3 grams, this brings the temperature to near the same temperature of the Presto with the 12 Grams of extra weight.
Now, I do have to say, NEVER OPERATE YOUR PRESSURE COOKER OR CANNER IN A MANNER NOT INTENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER; DOING SO COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH. *edit; I only read the first 4 and half of the 5th page so sorry if these ideas have already been covered.
Edited by icpurple (01/15/21 07:24 PM)
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savan73
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK *DELETED* [Re: bodhisatta]
#27168675 - 01/25/21 08:59 AM (3 years, 2 days ago) |
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Post deleted by savan73
Reason for deletion: .
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ModularMind
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: savan73]
#27168690 - 01/25/21 09:10 AM (3 years, 2 days ago) |
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Quote:
savan73 said: This is brand new Presto. It doesn't look good. Does it cause problems?

I don’t think it would compromise the seal.
Are you worried about it structurally?
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vaudvilleviktor
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: bodhisatta]
#27188197 - 02/05/21 03:18 PM (2 years, 11 months ago) |
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Just got a 23 Qt Presto, using it for the first time.
During the initial heat up / vent- there is a lot of steam and water sputtering out of the air vent/ cover lock thing. There is steam coming out of the vent pipe as well.. but more coming out of the air vent/ cover lock thing. Is that normal or sign of a problem?
Edited by vaudvilleviktor (02/05/21 03:19 PM)
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icpurple
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: Caleb83838]
#27245711 - 03/09/21 09:12 PM (2 years, 10 months ago) |
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If it is simply the noise you are mostly concerned, as I've already explained why you want to have the jiggler jiggling to get rid of the air that continues to leave the containers as the pressure/temperature rises inside the PC after the weight is put on you can place a facecloth with a hole cut in the center of it and a large cup over the weight. I'm using a double layer of some light weight canvas as an insulator, see pics...
I check the effectiveness of this with my sound level meter and it's at least a 20 dB drop in sound pressure with both weights rockin' out. And if you take into account that every 3 dB difference equals a halving or doubling in sound pressure, it is quite significant.
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my0mycelium
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: bodhisatta]
#27736162 - 04/15/22 03:41 PM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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Thank you for this very helpful and informative TEK! I hope it is ok to ask questions... I live at an altitude over 4,000 feet. Should I increase the time and/or pressure?
Maybe there is another TEK for preparing the jars for the PC? I have a few questions about the jars. Please see image of lid.

1. I have always wrapped foil around slightly loosened jar lids before PCing them. Does that inhibit the steam from populating the head space inside the jar? 2. What type of air filter do you use for the jar tops 3. Should I replace the filter and inoculation port after every use? 4. Should I tape over the inoculation port after inoculation? 5. How long can the sterilized jars be stored and how to store them?
Any comments and observations will be welcomed.
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SwabMarley
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Re: BOD's Easy AF how to use your pressure cooker for mycology TEK [Re: MetaSophia] 1
#27736865 - 04/16/22 06:46 AM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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I saved this picture from somewhere last time someone posted it. Hope it helps…
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