Mashing fruit

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Allotment Jon

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Mashing fruit
« on: February 05, 2009, 09:00 »
On a lot of wine instrustions it suggests mashing the fruit in the plastic bin with a potatoe masher or simular. Is these any reason why you can not use a food processor. Is it beacause you would have to steralise it and the solution could damage the stainless steel blades ?.

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Mashing fruit
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2009, 11:18 »
It could also be that a food processor would chop the fruit up too small?  I think the potato masher is only to get the fruit crushed enough for the juices to come out, not have loads of tiny bits.

It doesn't take long with a potato masher if you only do 3 or 4 gallons at a time.

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SG6

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Re: Mashing fruit
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2009, 19:30 »
If you are making a gallon just use your hands, most fruit drfits out of the way of a potato masher I find. :tongue2: :tongue2:

A food processor, depending on the size, can only do a bit at a time. Also it will chop up any pips etc and these can add tannins and other tastes to the wine.

It would also chop it to a pulp and this could make it more difficult to clear or simply create a lot of sediment.

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Allotment Jon

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Re: Mashing fruit
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2009, 08:37 »
Thanks for the advice. It's my first brew this weekend. I am only doing a gallon to see how I get on.

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David.

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Re: Mashing fruit
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2009, 21:37 »
A food processor, depending on the size, can only do a bit at a time. Also it will chop up any pips etc and these can add tannins and other tastes to the wine.

The above is one of the most important bits of information that seems to get missed from every winemaking book (which instead have silly suggestions like mashing your fruit against the side of a bowl with a spoon).

A potato masher will work well when used on frozen (slow, not fast frozen an it breaks the fruit down more) then defrosted fruit with boiling water poured over (I avoid boiling water with high pectin fruits).

But don't use one of those 'L' shaped plastic ones that bend in hot water. Only pour a small amount of water over the fruit before squishing - and ignore silly instructions in recipes that tell you to pour a gallon of water over a few pounds of fruit before squashing!

Having said that, I only use a potato masher on blackberries, elderberries, strawberries, raspberries and loganberries and use the squish with my hands method on plums (stoned before freezing as split stones ruin the wine).






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