Burned eEvaporator

[Cedar Eater]

We've had our first burned ePan and the results were far less than catastrophic. My wife was tending the boil and underestimated how fast it was evaporating. She reported smoke and flames and the heating element was glowing cherry red when she got to the switch. She thought it was a ruined 41 gallon batch, but I tasted it and it was clearly salvageable, maybe not as syrup, but as candy at least. It poured out of the pan like very very dense syrup. I put 1/2 gallon of vinegar and 2 gallons of hot water into the pan, flipped the switch, and kept my fingers crossed. The element seems fine. It was still a little coked up after the initial vinegar boil so I'm letting it soak. I'm thinking I'll try adding a gallon of sap to see if we can bring the super dense farup back as syrup, but if it tastes too caramelized, we'll probably use it for maple nuts. Yum.

16185

[David in MI]

Glad it didn't ruin anything for you, cedar. As they say, there are no mistakes in maple products.

[Atgreene]

Taking it to candy may enhance any bad flavor, as you're concentrating it. Worth a try, but it might become cooking syrup.

[Sugarmaker]

Looks about like a scorched batch of syrup. It can and does happen.
Regards,
Chris

[Rozzy]

Is there a chance that the majority of the syrup is fine and that the smoke and fire was just what cooked off the bare heating element? You may have just taken it to taffy consistency and adding sap and boiling down again may help.

[michael marrs]

everybody burns it once, some of us a few times. My first 2 times, I went out real angry, but for some reason poured it off into a pan, and set aside. later , I did it again, ( good times). I met a guy who asked me if I threw it out, and I told him no. He told me, on the occasion he burns it, he saves it for when he is smoking a ham , or grilling something, and wants a glaze. I just put it in the freezer, and use as needed. It is great on a turkey , ham, or pork loin

[saphound]

"She thought it was a ruined 41 gallon batch.."

Your epan holds 41 gallons? :confused: Wow, that's bigger than my waterheater.

[wmick]

"She thought it was a ruined 41 gallon batch.."

Your epan holds 41 gallons? :confused: Wow, that's bigger than my waterheater.

I wondered the same thing... but I presume they started out with 40g of sap and were down to their 1g of syrup and went too far.

[Trapper2]

I barely burned a small 2 gallon batch a few years back, it makes wonderful venison jerky when you add 1 cup syrup to 7 pounds venison. I'm almost out of it. I will need to burn a batch soon. :rolleyes:

[Trapper2]

We've had our first burned ePan and the results were far less than catastrophic. My wife was tending the boil and underestimated how fast it was evaporating. She reported smoke and flames and the heating element was glowing cherry red when she got to the switch. She thought it was a ruined 41 gallon batch, but I tasted it and it was clearly salvageable, maybe not as syrup, but as candy at least. It poured out of the pan like very very dense syrup. I put 1/2 gallon of vinegar and 2 gallons of hot water into the pan, flipped the switch, and kept my fingers crossed. The element seems fine. It was still a little coked up after the initial vinegar boil so I'm letting it soak. I'm thinking I'll try adding a gallon of sap to see if we can bring the super dense farup back as syrup, but if it tastes too caramelized, we'll probably use it for maple nuts. Yum.

16185

I may be hallucinating but that element doesn't look to good CE.

[saphound]

I wondered the same thing... but I presume they started out with 40g of sap and were down to their 1g of syrup and went too far.

Ahh, you're probably right wmick.

[Cedar Eater]

Is there a chance that the majority of the syrup is fine and that the smoke and fire was just what cooked off the bare heating element? You may have just taken it to taffy consistency and adding sap and boiling down again may help.

That's what I'm hoping for. It tastes a little caramelized and less mapley. It went through a fine stainless steel strainer which strained out the candy foam and the charred flakes that came off the element. I think if will be very good, but it will probably start crystalizing very soon if I don't do something with it. Taking it backwards to syrup seems like a good start.

[Cedar Eater]

I wondered the same thing... but I presume they started out with 40g of sap and were down to their 1g of syrup and went too far.

Yes, 41 gallons of sap evaporated at a rate of <2 gph down to about 2 qts of very dense syrup.

[Cedar Eater]

I may be hallucinating but that element doesn't look to good CE.

It looks a lot better now. It's a titanium plated ultra low watt density element and it is supposedly okay to operate it in air like an electric stove burner, but I'm sure it's not rated for flaming sugar service.

[Cedar Eater]

It cleaned up well and it's back in service.

16189

[Sugarmaker]

That looks better!
Regards,
Chris