Stainless Steel 50 kg Honey Tank with Air Tight Lid

 The beauty of this stainless steel honey tank is it is the perfect size for our 32cm conical strainers.  This means the strainer will fit round the rim of the tank and ensure no foreign matter can get into the filtered honey.  The tank has an air-tight lid and 4 clamps to secure the lid ensuring ants and other creatures with a sweet tooth cannot get in.  During bottling ensure the clamps are released and periodically check a vacuum is not building up in the tank.

You don't have to fill the tank to the brim, for most users it will be best to fill it no more than half full and it can then be lifted up onto a worktop ready for bottling.  There are two strong handles fitted to the tank so you can enlist the help of an assistant if required!

For making soft set honey a good tip after making the first batch is to leave about 5 pounds of honey in the bottom of the tank which can then be used as a seed for the next batch.  Cool temperatures are essential for set honey so in summer cool the honey by resting the tank on freezer packs.   To make the first seed grind a pound of coarsely set honey a few spoonfuls at a time in a pestle and mortar and then add this to about three pounds of liquefied honey which is at no more than 35C.  Stir well and leave in a cool place - a domestic refrigerator overnight should be fine.  The mix should fully set quickly and can then be used to seed a larger batch.  Our stainless steel honey mixing screws are ideal for mixing in the seed as used correctly, i.e. at slow speed, they draw in very little air.   After stirring in the seed it should be left in a cool place or on freezer packs, for about 6 hours or so, but check before this point.  Stir again and decide whether to bottle now if the batch is starting to set or wait for the whole batch to set.  If choosing the latter route ensure you have a warming cabinet large enough to take the whole tank and then warm it through to 35C which will soften but not melt the honey, allowing easy bottling with minimum "frosting" of the finished honey in the jars.   Frosting is caused by the honey shrinking as it sets.  This can be reduced by letting the honey almost set before bottling or letting it completely set and then re-warm as described.

For runny honey always leave the honey in the tank at least overnight to allow air bubbles to rise to the surface.

And yes that is me in the reflection.  We'll take a better picture someday when we can afford a suitable light cube.