|
microtripper
Stranger
Registered: 10/08/20
Posts: 2
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
|
Another pressure cooker question, or solution
#26975181 - 10/08/20 09:45 AM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
I have been reading and studying this forum for years, but have now decided to actually grow some mushrooms, both gourmet and medicinal. So I joined this GREAT forum today and this is a question I feel is worthy of the experts here.
Almost everybody says you MUST have a pressure cooker. Not a big problem and I have one ordered. But there are a couple of questions I have about WHY, and maybe the answers will provide a workaround for those who can't afford a pressure cooker or just don't want one for whatever reason.
According to the best explanation I have been able to find here or anywhere else, a pressure cooker is ONLY required to increase the boiling point of the water to 250 degrees, which is the temp required for full sterilization of grains. That makes sense, if one is using boiling water to sterilize their grains.
But what OTHER purpose does a pressure cooker serve in the process? And if it serves no other purpose, why not just use something other than water, such as cooking oil or olive oil, both of which have boiling points in excess of 400 degrees, and are safe for human consumption. Then heat the oil up to the magic 250 degrees and let the jars sit in that for the two hours or so?
I find it difficult to imagine that nobody has thought of such an obvious solution to the pressure cooker dilemma so there must be something I am missing.
So experts, thanks for all of your help in understanding the process. Now I need you to make me look like an idiot for suggesting such a simple solution to something has caused so much confusion for me and many others.
|
The Mycologist
Explorer

Registered: 05/06/16
Posts: 3,024
Last seen: 29 days, 8 hours
|
Re: Another pressure cooker question, or solution [Re: microtripper] 1
#26975202 - 10/08/20 09:57 AM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Pressure and heat are connected. When pressure is increased heat is increased and vice versa.
We use pressure cookers because the pressure that is created gets the interior hotter than if there was no pressure.
The pressure is formed by water moving into its less dense form(vapor)
Oil or some other shit is not going to turn into vapor. And if you used iso its probably a bomb lol.
Stick to water and stop overthinking
-------------------- "That you are here—that life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.” ― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

|
Josex
#cheat_code


Registered: 11/13/15
Posts: 8,995
Loc:
|
Re: Another pressure cooker question, or solution [Re: The Mycologist]
#26975219 - 10/08/20 10:17 AM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
microtripper
I find it difficult to imagine that nobody has thought of such an obvious solution to the pressure cooker dilemma so there must be something I am missing.
The thing you are missing is that in a PC there's pure steam at 250f penetrating every single nook and crany of whatever you're sterilizing. Steam sterilizes by wet heat which is far more efficient than dry heat.
|
microtripper
Stranger
Registered: 10/08/20
Posts: 2
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
|
Re: Another pressure cooker question, or solution [Re: Josex]
#26975679 - 10/08/20 03:13 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Thanks. I have looked further at steam sterilization with an autoclave or pressure cooker. I have a better understanding of the process which I was going to use anyway, and still am.
But for future reference and experimentation, isn't the main goal to reach and maintain 250 degrees to heat the grains in the jars, regardless of how you get there? And while hot oil may not be the best way, or the fastest, is there any reason you see that it can't work so long as you can maintain things over that 250 (actually I think 325 dry heat) threshold for long enough?
When I start something new like this, I try to learn the best way and that's why I ordered a pressure cooker last week. At the same time, in my research it became apparent that a method with near 100% success without a pressure cooker is the Holy Grail of mycology. Thus, I will figure it out or have fun trying...
Maybe it will come to me while I am tripping on the results of the pressure cooker methods that I know to work best....lol
Thanks again.
Edited by microtripper (10/08/20 03:15 PM)
|
dfwerydfhg
Stranger
Registered: 05/04/20
Posts: 194
|
Re: Another pressure cooker question, or solution [Re: microtripper]
#26975814 - 10/08/20 05:01 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
How are you gonna keep that 250 degree oil out of your jars?
|
PBJ710
Strangler


Registered: 07/05/19
Posts: 2,623
Last seen: 18 days, 14 hours
|
Re: Another pressure cooker question, or solution [Re: dfwerydfhg]
#26975945 - 10/08/20 06:49 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Theres a reason hospitals use steam to sterilize instruments when possible. It's extremely effective and although there is generally specific equipment required to do it correctly, once you get set it's much more efficient in the long term. Times required to sterilize non-liquids would be extremely long if not under pressure.
I use mine for preparing agar as well as grain jars - other than agar/grains/LC, what else would you want/need to sterilize? You're overthinking this.
|
bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
Loc: Milky way
|
Re: Another pressure cooker question, or solution [Re: PBJ710]
#26976037 - 10/08/20 07:49 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Aside from what's already mentioned above. 400F oil will only get grains to 212F until all the water boils out of them and only then will they get any hotter.
|
|
|
You cannot start new topics / You cannot reply to topics HTML is disabled / BBCode is enabled
Moderator: Shroomism, george castanza, RogerRabbit, veggie, mushboy, fahtster, LogicaL Chaos, 13shrooms, Stipe-n Cap, Pastywhyte, bodhisatta, Tormato, Land Trout, A.k.a 160 topic views. 26 members, 272 guests and 95 web crawlers are browsing this forum.
[ Show Images Only | Sort by Score | Print Topic ] |
|