I have a wine recipe that says to bring the fruit to a boil in a non-mettalic kettle. Is this really neccesary!
Second, enamel coated kettles are most certainly "non-metallic" for the purpose of food contact. The trouble is that one tiny scratch in the enamel and you now have metal contact. Non-stick coated pots also qualify in this category, but the scratch exception is a little more forgiving. In the case of enamel coated kettles, the base metal is usually galvanized steel which reacts negatively to acidic foods. With non-stick pots, their base metal is almost always aluminum.
Third, and probably most useful...
If you've ever been to a winery, you'll notice one thing right away....a LOT of stainless steel tanks and containers. You will also notice that there isn't any boiling going on, either, but that's not the point. The point is that if you're using a metal kettle, it should be stainless steel, not aluminum or "pot-metal." Yes, there are acids present in grape wine, but more often than not, more acid is added during the process (yeast likes it and bacteria doesn't). On top of that, if you're doing a fruit or berry wine, they're not very acidic so you'll need to definitely add acid to that (typically using a product called "acid blend"). This is completely harmless to stainless, but if you're using aluminum or pot-metal there can be some effect.
Recipes that reference non-metallic pots were generally written before stainless steel cookware was affordably available for home use. Nowadays you can go to your local discount store (Big Lots, Wal-Mart, etc.) and find good sized, inexpensive stainless pots. Today's recipes that say the same thing are usually passed along by people who copy them down without really understanding the basis. Just remember that there is no acid in your kitchen that will cause harm to a stainless steel pot (if you have concentrated sulfuric or nitric acid in your kitchen that's more than I care to presume) and likewise, the acidity you'll find in wine ingredients are not going to be affected by any reaction with the stainless pot.
Answers: First, you shouldn't boil your fruit...it hurts the flavors and leaves your wine with a "cooked" flavor. You can heat it up to around 150-180F if you want to pasteurize it, but that's not always necessary and there are some that say even that brings on the cooked flavor.
Second, enamel coated kettles are most certainly "non-metallic" for the purpose of food contact. The trouble is that one tiny scratch in the enamel and you now have metal contact. Non-stick coated pots also qualify in this category, but the scratch exception is a little more forgiving. In the case of enamel coated kettles, the base metal is usually galvanized steel which reacts negatively to acidic foods. With non-stick pots, their base metal is almost always aluminum.
Third, and probably most useful...
If you've ever been to a winery, you'll notice one thing right away....a LOT of stainless steel tanks and containers. You will also notice that there isn't any boiling going on, either, but that's not the point. The point is that if you're using a metal kettle, it should be stainless steel, not aluminum or "pot-metal." Yes, there are acids present in grape wine, but more often than not, more acid is added during the process (yeast likes it and bacteria doesn't). On top of that, if you're doing a fruit or berry wine, they're not very acidic so you'll need to definitely add acid to that (typically using a product called "acid blend"). This is completely harmless to stainless, but if you're using aluminum or pot-metal there can be some effect.
Recipes that reference non-metallic pots were generally written before stainless steel cookware was affordably available for home use. Nowadays you can go to your local discount store (Big Lots, Wal-Mart, etc.) and find good sized, inexpensive stainless pots. Today's recipes that say the same thing are usually passed along by people who copy them down without really understanding the basis. Just remember that there is no acid in your kitchen that will cause harm to a stainless steel pot (if you have concentrated sulfuric or nitric acid in your kitchen that's more than I care to presume) and likewise, the acidity you'll find in wine ingredients are not going to be affected by any reaction with the stainless pot.
Yes, it is necessary..try using a ceramic lined kettle..the acids in the wine will react to the metal and make you something that could be toxic..
Yes, it is necessary.
The acids in the fruits react chemically and oxidation can ruin your recipe!
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Yes, for the love of Gawd, don't boil wine in a metal kettle...it will turn to grape oxide!!
It is best to follow all recipes as they are written, yes. The acid in some fruits can leech the metal taste from the pan, and then you have something with a metallic taste to it.
Well metals usually hold more toxins than others and it will also mess up the taste. So for some great tasting wine. Follow the directions.
There's acid in the fruit and it could react with the metal in the kettle therefore, affecting the taste. Follow the recipe.
yes if you use anything other then a non metallic kettle. When boiling the fruit, the acid from the fruit will have a reaction with the metallic kettle. Which will in return will not make wine.