Hot packed vs. cold packed

[Zamkev]

Just wondering if there is any way to tell the difference between "hot packed" and cold packed syrup. I realize the issue of bacteria growth etc re cold packing. What I want to know is if anyone would know the difference by looking at identical bottles.

Thx.

[happy thoughts]

You might be able to tell the difference by looking at the cap. Hot pack lids should be depressed in the middle indicating a good seal. Cold pack won't have that as there would be no vaccuum to produce a vaccuum seal.

[Zamkev]

thanks Happy Thoughts - that's what I thought.

[sg5054]

If your using bottles and plastic caps you couldn't tell. Mason jars will pull the lid down when hot packed (or should if the lid sealed correctly.) It's pretty obvious on them. I use mason jars.

[PerryW]

:lol:If there's a big glob of mold on the top, it was cold packed.


For Plastic Jugs, the cold packed jugs would be bulging slightly compared to the hot pack jugs

[happy thoughts]

re glass with plastic caps- not necessarily, it depends on the cap. Over the years I've reused many different containers and caps/lids. Thick rigid ones aren't going to show anything. But most of the thinner caps do show a depression if you look closely or feel for it. They also bulge upward a little right after hot packing just like metal caps. I think the heat of the syrup is enough to cause some softening in the plastic of thinner caps so it's more pliable.

[Zamkev]

I am asking this question because my kids think our syrup is sooo superior that they would like to enter it in a local competition for fun. We hot-packed all of our syrup into 500ml bottles and the official rules state that it should be hot-packed into 250ml bottles. I was hoping that we could just pour some from our 500's into our 250's without reheating and risking the possibility of niter. I'm not keen to "cheat", but I didn't think that there would be any difference - perhaps a slight roundness of the cap versus hot-packed as mentioned.