Electric hot plate to heat the water for scalding?

[Sunny Side Up]

I've tried a lot of things to heat the water for scalding my birds before plucking, wood fire, propane, BBQ grill, and now heat it on the stove inside. I use a 5-gallon plastic bucket for dunking the birds, and add fresh boiling water after every few birds to keep it up to the right temp. It's my teen-aged son's job to keep coming out with new pots of boiling water.

Today I thought of getting an electric hot plate, a 1- or 2-burner model, and setting it on bricks outside near the processing station. I would prop a heavy metal grate over it on which to set the pots of water for boiling. I wouldn't do the dunking in the pots on the hot plate, just boil water there to add to my dunking bucket. I think it would be easier to have something electric rather than using wood or propane for fuel that has to be replenished so often.

Has anyone ever tried this? If so, what was your experience? I already placed a Wanted post for a hot plate on my local FreeCycle site.

 

[wholehearted]

When we moved into our new house and didn't yet have a stove, we used a hot plate regularly. I'm not sure if ours was just wimpy or if it's the norm, but it took forever for things to heat up or cook on there. The only way I could boil water on it was in a small kettle. Perhaps there are more powerful ones out there that would be up to the task though? I'm interested to hear if anyone has a better experience with them.

 

[averytds]

I've used one before, whatever the cheapy 1 burner unit from Wal-Mart was. White, electric coil element and was something like $13. I used it with my waterbath canner sitting right on it where it sort of recesses there. Start with already hot water to speed up the heat time and put the lid back on between birds. I had it set about whatever the medium would be for the little knob and that kept it at 150. Worked fine for me.


Not sure if it will work the way you want to use it, but it works fine with a big pot.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I hope I can find one that works as well at yours. I would use it to bring water to a boil that I could add to the water already in my plastic scalding bucket. I wouldn't be doing the scalding in the pot as it sat on the burner. It might need to bring room temp water to a boil several times in an afternoon. By having the burner near the processing station I hope to eliminate the need for someone to have to carry heavy pots of boiling water from the kitchen across the lawn out to the area where I'm working. We could have it boiling handily nearby. By using an electric device I hope to have a convenient & cheap supply of energy to heat the water, better than using wood or propane.

 

[NevadaRon]

Quote:
Where do you live? If it's a high elevation, water takes longer to boil. I have to cover any pot - even on my gas stove - to get water to boil in a reasonable amount of time. Perhaps that's why the kettle (totally enclosed) worked better?

 

[GarlicEater]

I'm gonna suggest a Coleman stove, the traditional type you have to pump up. I have one, a little 533, I use for heat and today used it for frying up some eggs for fried-egg sandwiches. It boils water faster than my propane range. The reason I used it rather than my propane range is, in this shellshocked old hooch that used to be a trailer, there's a leak in the propane stove I've not been able to find, so I turn the "gas" off at the bottle outside when I'm not cooking or heating water for a bath. And I didn't feel like going out in the rain today, so I just used the Coleman.

You can get the 2-burner Colemans at garage sales or get a new one from Wal-Mart. Use only Coleman fuel and follow the directions and the thing will work like a champ!

Besides the stove, putting a lid on the pot you're boiling will make the water boil a lot faster.

 

[booker81]

How many birds do you process at a time? Just curious...

I usually do my scalding in a waterbath canner on the stove, and have done up to 15 birds. I usually wash them down, and scald when they are wet for heat transfer ease (go physics). I've not had an issue with the temp dropping much at all, and I keep it at 150. Since I'm adding a bird that is already wet, I don't loose much water over time. I think I had to add a quart or two when I did all 15 before.

 

[call ducks]

My grandfather uses a fire, and a metal tub. I am not sure the hot plate would be big enough. What we do when scalding, is get the fire/water going before we even touch a bird, and keep a close eye on the temp of the water. If you are doing a lot, i would not use a hot plate. Try a coleman stove. It was suggested by a poster.

 

[xyresicchick]

fact: propane is more efficient and cheaper than electric.

if i had a choice, i would go with propane. (coleman stove)

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Really? Of course I haven't done the math, but it just seems expensive & wasteful to keep buying those heavy metal little cannisters. I figured a hot plate plugged into an extension cord wouldn't draw many kilowatts. And I'm also trying to reduce the effort of carrying pots of boiling water across the yard. That brings a risk of tripping/dropping/spilling and injuring someone or some animal. I would have the hot plate off to the side of our processing area heating water that would be tipped into the 5-gallon plastic bucket I use for scalding.

I usually have to work alone, and do maybe 6-8 birds total each session. I butcher them two at a time, so I'm scalding & plucking just two while the water in the bucket is nice & hot. After I gut those two birds I will hang & slice two more, then replenish the hot water in the bucket so it's up to about 150 degrees for scalding the next ones.

I'll have to try that method of getting the birds wet before dunking them in the scalding water.

And of course we know the best way to get water to boil in a pot, no matter how we heat it -- DON'T WATCH IT!!!