Popular Science Monthly 



617 



An Easily Constructed Pan for 

 Sterilizing Dairy Utensils 



WHEN dairy utensils are sterilized by 

 steam all bacteria and disease germs 

 which may be upon them are destroyed 

 and, therefore, milk and cream when placed 

 in these utensils will keep much longer. 

 A very efficient and inexpensive steam- 

 sterilizing plant for the small dairy can be 

 made as follows: An ordinary' roasting-pan 

 20 in. long, 14 in. wide, top measurement, 

 and 3 in. deep, is used for the steam gen- 

 erator. The cover is in three parts; the 

 lower part, fitting closely over the pan, is 

 covered with asbestos, upon which is 

 placed the upper part, the latter being the 

 same width as the pan, but 3 in. shorter 

 at each end. It is made as follows: A 

 sheet of hea\y galvanized iron is cut large 

 enough to cover the top of the roasting 

 pan, allowing a little to overlap the edge. 

 Flanges are soldered beneath this cover so 

 that they will meet the edge of the pan. 



The parts of the sterilizer for the dairy, 

 made with a roasting pan as a base 



thus making a tight cover. A hole is cut 

 in the center of the cover 1 3^ in. in diameter 

 and a round galvanized-iron pipe 43^ in. 

 in height and i3^ in. in diameter is soldered 

 in it. The cover should then be insulated 

 by covering with a piece of asbestos board 

 5/16 in. thick. A hole is cut in the center 

 of this piece to allow the steam-outlet pipe 

 to pass through. Then for the upper part 

 make a shallow pan of galvanized iron 14 

 in. square with sides ^ in. high. Cut a 

 hole 1 3^ in. in diameter and fit the pan 

 on top of the asbestos, allowing the steam- 

 outlet pipe to extend through the center 

 hole. When the pan is pressed down close 

 to the asbestos, solder it to the steam-outlet 

 pipe which passes through it. Four strips 

 of stiff galvanized iron ^ in. wide are 

 soldered to the pan. These should extend 

 5^ in. above the bottom of the pan and 

 should run from a distance of i in. from the 

 corners to i in. from the steam-outlet in 

 the center. A section through the cover is 

 illustrated. 



In case asbestos cannot be obtained, 

 paper may be used instead. Pack the 

 papers tight to a thickness of ^-g in. over 

 galvanized iron and cover with another 

 iron sheet, soldering all edges together to 



STEAM OUTLET PJP£ 



Section through the cover of the roasting pan 

 showing asbestos board used for insulation 



make absolutely tight seams. This will 

 form an insulated cover ^g in. thick to 

 take the place of the asbestos. The con- 

 struction of both covers is ver\' similar. 



The other part of the sterilizer consists 

 of a galvanized-iron box with a removable 

 cover, which has a handle on the top. 

 This box has no bottom. The 14-in. shallow 

 pan on the asbestos over the cover of the 

 roasting-pan forms the base of the box. 

 The sides should be made separate, 11 in. 

 high. These should fit tightly in the 

 shallow pan. On one side of the box at the 

 top a wire should be attached, ^^ in. from 

 the top and 3^ in. from the side. The 

 cover for the box should be made large 

 enough to extend over the sides and fit 

 closely. A two-burner wickless kerosene 

 stove will give excellent results for a heater. 



Sterilization is not a substitute for wash- 

 ing. All utensils should be rinsed in cold 

 water, then washed thoroughly with hot 

 water and washing powder so that they 

 are well cleaned before sterilization. Water 

 at the depth of i in. in the pan will furnish 

 steam at a temperature of 211 deg. F. for 

 about 50 minutes. If the sterilizer is 

 operated for a long period, water should be 



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The same construction of a cover for the 



sterilizer with paper used instead of asbestos 



added to make up for loss by evaporation. 

 The temperature of the steam as it comes 

 from the outlet pipe must be at least 295 

 deg. F. and preferably 210 to 211 deg. 

 Cans, pails, covers, and strainer-cloths 

 must be steamed for fully 5 minutes. 

 Longer steaming will do no harm, but it is 



