Hello folks, I was gearing up to make a few test batches of sauce when I realised the bottles I was planning to reuse have the inserts in the plastic caps. I have some beer bottles that are 275ml so only slightly bigger than the standard sauce bottle, but I would have to crown cap them. Any thoughts on this. Would the acidity be too high for the metal or would these do the job? I am thinking some beers are around ph 3.5. The sauce will be eaten within a couple of weeks. Thanks!
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Beer bottles
- Thread starter julian.
- Start date
If this is a sauce that's for your use or just for Family and Friends just go to the store and find cheap 5 oz woozies. If there is a reducer then there's no need for an insert in the cap. Everything can be rinsed out really, labels peeped, cleaned with some HSW (Hot Soapy Water) then run through the dishwasher with the heated dry on and they will be sanitized by the steam. Soak caps and reducers in a bleach water solution and the bottles go into the oven at 250 for 30 minutes and they're all steralized and ready to fill with your sauce. Cheaper than ordering them online where shipping can cost more than the bottles but a little bit of work.
Flamecycle
Extreme Member
Whats wrong with inserts? If the sauce is just for me and friends/family, I just boil the inserts with the cap etc and reuse. Otherwise toss them and reuse the bottle/cap without the insert.
salsalady
Business Member
Hi Julian,
Do the caps you wanted to re-use have the dropper insert or a liner? Those are 2 different things. If it's the dropper insert, you can do as rocketman describes and clean them well. If it's a liner, I'd say not to re-use the cap.
I feel like the beer caps should be should be OK as the inside of the caps are painted. The sauce would not be in contact with the bare metal. If you follow the same steps as described in the link below doing the hot fill, insert,hold, it should seal up just like a regular cap.
Here's some good info for home sauce making.
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29501-making-hot-sauce-101/
SL
Do the caps you wanted to re-use have the dropper insert or a liner? Those are 2 different things. If it's the dropper insert, you can do as rocketman describes and clean them well. If it's a liner, I'd say not to re-use the cap.
I feel like the beer caps should be should be OK as the inside of the caps are painted. The sauce would not be in contact with the bare metal. If you follow the same steps as described in the link below doing the hot fill, insert,hold, it should seal up just like a regular cap.
Here's some good info for home sauce making.
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29501-making-hot-sauce-101/
SL
Thanks all. I know I can just go get some new bottles, but I have beer bottles right here ready to go, rather than wait several days for new to be delivered. Old bottle caps have some kind of insert, can see glue blobs and gap where old sauce would be hiding, don't want to risk it. Sauce is just for me/family. Crown caps are painted outside but bare metal inside, but beer just as acid as sauce so does that matter? I hear you all saying use woosie bottles with screw caps, but is that just preferred, or only option? Are beer bottles a big no no? Thanks again, appreciate you taking time to help me.
salsalady
Business Member
beer bottles are fine, woozies isn't the only bottle, just a common one. Many sauces over here are sold in flat flask-type bottles. Those Grolsch's would work also.
We call the thing up inside the cap (with the glue blob) the liner and you are correct that the gaps pose a big risk of harbouring nasties. The plastic dropper insert reducer thingy (orofice reducer) can be washed and re-used.
We call the thing up inside the cap (with the glue blob) the liner and you are correct that the gaps pose a big risk of harbouring nasties. The plastic dropper insert reducer thingy (orofice reducer) can be washed and re-used.
So with swing-top bottles do you recommend the 3-minute inversion method of bottling? The last sauce I stored in the swing-top sprayed out when I opened it (like champagne...messy) but was absolutely delicious! I'm a newbie but would like to make bigger batches and water bath can some, and store some in swing top bottles. Are swing-top bottles good for storing/shelf stability? Thanks all!