woosy caps with reducers
- Thread starter maine
- Start date
salsalady
eXtreme Business
Welcome, Maine! 
My bottle supplier (http://www.specialtybottle.com/glassbottles-2.aspx?gclid=CN2Q9pCz1asCFSkbQgodkCHROg) sends unlined caps with bottles that have reducers. The caps still don't fit down as far as a plain bottle with lined cap, but I've found the unlined caps with reducers seal up just fine as long as proper processing procedures are followed.
just a side note- make sure your sauce actually needs a reducer. Many times I've opened bottles and can't get the sauce out through the reducer, so...off it goes. No need to make more work and more $ if it's not needed.
My bottle supplier (http://www.specialtybottle.com/glassbottles-2.aspx?gclid=CN2Q9pCz1asCFSkbQgodkCHROg) sends unlined caps with bottles that have reducers. The caps still don't fit down as far as a plain bottle with lined cap, but I've found the unlined caps with reducers seal up just fine as long as proper processing procedures are followed.
just a side note- make sure your sauce actually needs a reducer. Many times I've opened bottles and can't get the sauce out through the reducer, so...off it goes. No need to make more work and more $ if it's not needed.
Welcome, Maine!
My bottle supplier (http://www.specialtybottle.com/glassbottles-2.aspx?gclid=CN2Q9pCz1asCFSkbQgodkCHROg) sends unlined caps with bottles that have reducers. The caps still don't fit down as far as a plain bottle with lined cap, but I've found the unlined caps with reducers seal up just fine as long as proper processing procedures are followed.
just a side note- make sure your sauce actually needs a reducer. Many times I've opened bottles and can't get the sauce out through the reducer, so...off it goes. No need to make more work and more $ if it's not needed.
Thanks! I've used that supplier in the past but more recently have used SKS bottles. I've been trying to find out what they mean by E6 reducer and an E4 cap for a 5 ounce bottle with a 24/414 neck. I called and they didn't know much, they just said they're the right ones. I know the food microbiologist I deal with for product approvals would prefer I use a lined cap but half the time they come out of the waterbath crooked. And I do need a reducer, my sauce is thin and used in many local restaurants - I know if if I didn't use one then someone would inevitably dump too much on a meal and ruin it.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
That's interesting. Usually if you hot fill and invert, a water bath is not needed. A pretty standard process is-
sterilize bottles
cook sauce the required amount of time
fill bottles with sauce that is 180F or above
immediately cap and invert bottle
But it's up to your process authority if they want you to hot water bath the bottles. I just haven't seen that before. If your PA is only "preferring" a lined cap be used and not "requiring" it, I'd say use the unlined caps.
Don't be afraid to get another opinion from another process authority. I've had to change PAs because the first one I used made a determination I didn't agree with, and he wouldn't return phone calls to discuss it. So I went to another PA who agreed with my opinion of what classification a product should of had.
Even so, with the new PA, I had to go back on another product they mis-classified because they did not read the process for the product. I had to make a phone call, explain the process, and then she was like.." OH! Well, then definitely the product is an acid food not an acidified food."
sterilize bottles
cook sauce the required amount of time
fill bottles with sauce that is 180F or above
immediately cap and invert bottle
But it's up to your process authority if they want you to hot water bath the bottles. I just haven't seen that before. If your PA is only "preferring" a lined cap be used and not "requiring" it, I'd say use the unlined caps.
Don't be afraid to get another opinion from another process authority. I've had to change PAs because the first one I used made a determination I didn't agree with, and he wouldn't return phone calls to discuss it. So I went to another PA who agreed with my opinion of what classification a product should of had.
Even so, with the new PA, I had to go back on another product they mis-classified because they did not read the process for the product. I had to make a phone call, explain the process, and then she was like.." OH! Well, then definitely the product is an acid food not an acidified food."
The reducer acts as a seal.