more UC vs crockpot... my experience

[mikepetro]

I put one inch of sand on the bottom of my crock pot to protect the juice from the excessive heat at the bottom. Another alternative is to use COPYRIGHTDMCA.

In Sous-Vide cooking we often use crock pots. The most commonly used, inexpensive method, to avoid hot spots in the bath is to use a fish aquarium air pump to put a small stream of bubbles into the water. This provides circulation and a pretty stable temperature throughout the bath. Expensive Sous-Vide units will use a pump for circulation.

I performed an experiment last night to compare Ultrasonic vs Crock Pot methods. I used a Sous-Vide controller that I built which is designed to maintain temperature within .1 degrees, you just set your Crock Pot, Rice Cooker, whatever to its maximum and plug it into the controller. The visual results of the two methods were nearly identical, I will do some taste trials later today.

Here is my post from the Ultrasonic thread:

OK Folks, I will put this to bed once and for all. I myself am curious if the steeping effect is just from heat (ie potentially from the cavitation heat), or if the Ultrasonic vibration contributes as well.

So I am doing a controlled test.
Test Parameters:

• Mixed one 100ml batch of a Strawberry recipe.
• Filled two identical blue glass Boston Round Bottles to the same exact level, right where the threaded neck starts.
• Boston Rounds were approx 1oz. Put remainder of juice in a clear bottle as a control sample.
• Placed one bottle in a Crock Pot controlled to 135 F.
• Placed one bottle in the Ultrasonic controlled to 57C.
• Allow both batches to run for 3 hours, maintaining identical water levels in both vessels.
• Pour samples into a clear glass bottles for visual comparison
• Compare results against one another and Control Sample.

Here is the Crock Pot apparatus:

Here is the Ultrasonic apparatus:

Here are the 3 clear glass bottle, marked as to source:

Here is the recipe I used.

Strawberry Steep Test (36mg 100ml 50-50)

NIC-BASE SPECIFICATION
Nic1 RTS	10% in PG
DESIRED MIX SPECIFICATION
Mix Strength (mg/ml)	36mgl
Mix PG-VG Ratio (%)	50-50
Mix Volume	100ml
RECIPE VOLUMES
Nic1 RTS		36 ml
PG Essential Depot PG		4 ml
VG Essential Depot VG		40 ml
F1 TFA Strawberry Ripe	8%	8 ml
F2 VZ Strawberry	5%	5 ml
Saline	7%	7 ml

And the result is this:

 

[Heabob]

Very cool testing...

Have you done a taste test yet?

 

[dead not sleeping]

No matter what method you use, it still takes some time imo. UC, blenders, magmixers, paint shakers, frothers, etc., just mix and blend. The better its mixed, the better. Only time combines, but I will submit that heat does speed up the chemical reactions. Mix, heat, and let sit has been the best method for me. I have a cheapo crock pot that reaches 150 only after 3hrs with the lid off, it wont fit with the bottles in it. I dont see any difference over one that reaches 150 quicker imo. I'll heat it till a color change, then a 1 week sit, or longer. Good things take time.

 

[Blueser]

So I put 4/30ml bottles of juice in the CP bout 9pm last night, went to bed at 11pm, told my wife to be sure and take them out when she came to bed. Woke up at 7am this morn, juice still in the CP....eeek! Two were tobacco mixes, the other two were combobulations of tobacco/vanilla/coconut/chocolate whatnots.

These were regular mixes for me. One of the tobacco's taste better than the 4hr CP it's been getting, the other taste quite a bit more ashy in a good way. One of the other's taste really good but it seems the profiles are rearranged in it...haven't tried the last one...10hrs in CP...ha

 

[mikepetro]

Ran about 2ml of each juice through my Taifun today. No discernible difference in taste. The color of the bottles looks the same even in the sunlight. Didnt take a pic as they still look the same.

 

[Stacy1]

I was shopping online looking for a UC after posting a thread earlier today asking which was a good one to buy. I dont know why I didnt just purchase one when I was looking at them, but for whatever reason I decided to return to the forum and read up a little more before dropping a "c" note on a cleaner, still with all intentions of buying one tonight. Man am I glad I found this thread. I already have a crock pot! Thank you for taking the time to do the comparison and posting the results. Thats a hundred dollars I can spend on more DIY supplies

 

[rowdyplace]

I was shopping online looking for a UC after posting a thread earlier today asking which was a good one to buy. I dont know why I didnt just purchase one when I was looking at them, but for whatever reason I decided to return to the forum and read up a little more before dropping a "c" note on a cleaner, still with all intentions of buying one tonight. Man am I glad I found this thread. I already have a crock pot! Thank you for taking the time to do the comparison and posting the results. Thats a hundred dollars I can spend on more DIY supplies

This thread contains good advice. But, keep reading. There is another thread about this that is more recent. It is very long and details a good test conducted by "MikeP". It is worth the time you will spend reading it. You have just proven that reading this forum can impart wisdom and save a bunch of money.

PS - Look around at the info pertaining to steeping and food dehydrators... I use one of them for "store bought" juice. (The water used by the CP and UC damages the labels.)

 

[Stacy1]

Thanks for the advice Rowdy. Will definitely check those threads out. There is so much info on here its overwhelming sometimes. I try to spend a couple hours daily reading in this forum trying to educate myself but I could spend all day everyday for a week reading and not even scratch the surface on the amount of knowledge to be gained here. Loving it!!

 

[Blueser]

Thanks for the advice Rowdy. Will definitely check those threads out. There is so much info on here its overwhelming sometimes. I try to spend a couple hours daily reading in this forum trying to educate myself but I could spend all day everyday for a week reading and not even scratch the surface on the amount of knowledge to be gained here. Loving it!!

Just keep in the back of your mind that large chunks of thought-to-be knowledge gets regurgitated across all vaping forums and when you start honing your mixing skills you'll soon be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Not trying to be a downer, mixing your own juice is great fun and very rewarding...just in my case I found that when I started using my own intuitions as opposed to following all the expert advice I was reading my mixes really came into their own...all flavor companies have their good and bad flavors....some brands are across the board better...once you find the right nic, brands of flavorings and the correct percentages you'll have little/no need for so-called flavor enhancers muters or a lot of hocus pocus steeping rituals.

 

[Stacy1]

Am definitely trying to keep things simple in the beginning. I did go overboard and order too many flavors, but I made it a point to get some of the same flavors from different makers and nic from two different recommended sources. The plan is to make small batches of each individual flavor and test them side by side to see which is more appealing to my taste. From what I've read thats the best way to set yourself up for success when it comes to mixing flavors.

 

[Blueser]

Am definitely trying to keep things simple in the beginning. I did go overboard and order too many flavors, but I made it a point to get some of the same flavors from different makers and nic from two different recommended sources. The plan is to make small batches of each individual flavor and test them side by side to see which is more appealing to my taste. From what I've read thats the best way to set yourself up for success when it comes to mixing flavors.

Yep, smart move, as you'll find that you prefer one of those same flavors over another and then there are times you may want to use several brands of the same flavor combined. I'm kinda lucky (money-wise) that I don't really care for fruit/dessert flavors much. I went through my flavorings last night and starting separating the ones I don't use or simply don't like. I have bought a lot more I don't like as opposed to those I do like. Have fun, it's an addicting little hobby...

 

[dannyv45]

I was shopping online looking for a UC after posting a thread earlier today asking which was a good one to buy. I dont know why I didnt just purchase one when I was looking at them, but for whatever reason I decided to return to the forum and read up a little more before dropping a "c" note on a cleaner, still with all intentions of buying one tonight. Man am I glad I found this thread. I already have a crock pot! Thank you for taking the time to do the comparison and posting the results. Thats a hundred dollars I can spend on more DIY supplies

There you go you've already saved yourself some money by using an old crock pot and not having to go out and buy a UC. What blueser said is very true. I like to call it the "Common sense rule". Read as much as you can then let common sense take over. The only important thing I can tell you is don't go hog wild buying everything in sight because you will wind up with lots of stuff you'll never use. Get some experience by getting a few good mixes under your belt and the next time you want to spend your money you'll know exactly what your looking for and buying.

 

[Stacy1]

I feel I'm a little unlucky money wise because even though I thought I would mostly prefer tobacco flavors, it turns out that vanilla custard flavor mixes seem to be my go to vape and HOLY COW at all the different versions of vanilla and custard! After a few weeks of being glued to ECF I'm finding it pretty easy to figure out who's opinions on here are truly valued and the posts and comments that truly need to be paid attention to. Danny, I've read all your blogs and paid attention to the posts of yours I've run across so far. Blueser, you have me checking in daily to see your latest post and when im reading I do pay attention. I am new to all this and I know there will be bumps in the road but today was two months without a cigarette and instead of being consumed by wanting one I'm content and excited about vaping. You guys that have been at this for a while truly make a difference to people trying to kick the analog habit, and by being willing to share your experiences and what you've learned along the way, it is alot easier for people like me who have no clue about vaping to have a positive experience making the transition. Thanks so much. Time to go get my first to flavors out of the crock pot

 

[Blueser]

Stacy1...haha, hey don't be listening to me. I always go against popular opinion. But I do stand behind the fact that 97% of all the master/expert advice you read is regurgitated from folks repeating what they've read and the other 3% will fall into the "your mileage may vary" catagory.

My mixes took a drastic change for the better when I found the right nic, flavoring brands and got better at fine tuning those persnickety percentages...

 

[dannyv45]

I am new to all this and I know there will be bumps in the road but today was two months without a cigarette and instead of being consumed by wanting one I'm content and excited about vaping. You guys that have been at this for a while truly make a difference to people trying to kick the analog habit, and by being willing to share your experiences and what you've learned along the way, it is alot easier for people like me who have no clue about vaping to have a positive experience making the transition. Thanks so much. Time to go get my first to flavors out of the crock pot

It's been 14 months for me since I quit and I was a smoker for almost 40 years. I'm at a point where just the though of having a cigarette sickens me. At this point I'll never go back and I look at this as one of my biggest accomplishments. Keep at it and know that you have lots of support here.

 

[dannyv45]

I always go against popular opinion.

My mixes took a drastic change for the better when I found the right nic, flavoring brands and got better at fine tuning those persnickety percentages...

You may go against popular opinion but your statement right there is so true and is the most important part of the whole DYI process.

 

[Dixie1954]

Ok I have the crock pot it is a 1.5qt. My question is this if I have dropper bottles in glass will those be ok to use in it or do I need new bottles and or lids? Got this answered - yes I can use them,hopefully it will help others to know