Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Moderator: Site Moderator
Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I did a search for pasta water whiskey and I don't find any record of anybody using pasta water to make whiskey.
So i was pouring the precious starches down the drain from my kids macaroni and cheese and I thought I should start saving it and either add it to a mash or do an all pasta water mash and call it Italian whiskey. [emoji1787]
My thought on how to make an all pasta water mash is to save it in the fridge until I get enough for a run and then convert it with enzymes and ferment.
Does that sound remotely reasonable?
Also I might do the same thing with potato water and possibly combine them.
So i was pouring the precious starches down the drain from my kids macaroni and cheese and I thought I should start saving it and either add it to a mash or do an all pasta water mash and call it Italian whiskey. [emoji1787]
My thought on how to make an all pasta water mash is to save it in the fridge until I get enough for a run and then convert it with enzymes and ferment.
Does that sound remotely reasonable?
Also I might do the same thing with potato water and possibly combine them.
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I doubt there is enough starch in it to make it worthwhile
- jonnys_spirit
- Site Donor
- Posts: 3630
- Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:58 am
- Location: The Milky Way
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I’d also think not enough starch alone but if you can save 50 gallons you could use it with a wheat malt for a nice batch.
Cheers!
-jonny
Cheers!
-jonny
————
i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred
————
i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred
————
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
If I was to save some as an experiment and check the specific gravity should I convert it with enzymes first or just check it raw unconverted?
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Convert a sample so that you can measure the SG.
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I will report back when I do that.NZChris wrote:Convert a sample so that you can measure the SG.
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I ferment pasta before it was a mess I boiled it down to goo
You have two ears and one mouth for a reason....
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I used wheat flour and it is an excellent product, I think the pasta water has very few starches, you should have a huge amount and concentrate it a little with a boil ... but I don't know if it's really worth it!
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Yeah that would be really energy intensive unless you could make use of waste heat from something else.Demy wrote:I used wheat flour and it is an excellent product, I think the pasta water has very few starches, you should have a huge amount and concentrate it a little with a boil ... but I don't know if it's really worth it!
I making spaghetti tonight so I will save my pasta water and I'm also going to use as little water as I can to boil the noodles so as to get more concentrated starch. If nothing else I can use it in a mash for a bit of wheat flavor.
I will keep you-all posted on the results.
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
That sounds pretty messy.Durhommer wrote:I ferment pasta before it was a mess I boiled it down to goo
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Yeah I'm thinking rice water would help too
You have two ears and one mouth for a reason....
- rubberduck71
- Site Donor
- Posts: 735
- Joined: Sat May 30, 2020 11:22 am
- Location: Eastern PA
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Might need to move this to the "You might be a distiller if..." thread!!!Zeotropic wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:39 am I did a search for pasta water whiskey and I don't find any record of anybody using pasta water to make whiskey.
So i was pouring the precious starches down the drain from my kids macaroni and cheese and I thought I should start saving it and either add it to a mash or do an all pasta water mash and call it Italian whiskey. [emoji1787]
My thought on how to make an all pasta water mash is to save it in the fridge until I get enough for a run and then convert it with enzymes and ferment.
Does that sound remotely reasonable?
Also I might do the same thing with potato water and possibly combine them.
I'm forever tainted since I started this hobby a year ago. Can't walk through a grocery store the same.
Love to hear starch content & maybe some Angel Yeast experiments...
Duck
There are two times of year: FOOTBALL SEASON and... Waiting For Football Season
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
So true. [emoji1787]rubberduck71 wrote:Might need to move this to the "You might be a distiller if..." thread!!!Zeotropic wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:39 am I did a search for pasta water whiskey and I don't find any record of anybody using pasta water to make whiskey.
So i was pouring the precious starches down the drain from my kids macaroni and cheese and I thought I should start saving it and either add it to a mash or do an all pasta water mash and call it Italian whiskey. [emoji1787]
My thought on how to make an all pasta water mash is to save it in the fridge until I get enough for a run and then convert it with enzymes and ferment.
Does that sound remotely reasonable?
Also I might do the same thing with potato water and possibly combine them.
I'm forever tainted since I started this hobby a year ago. Can't walk through a grocery store the same.
Love to hear starch content & maybe some Angel Yeast experiments...
Duck
My wife knew something was up before I finished the first sentence. She said is this interest or obsession. I just replied obsession. [emoji1787]
Last edited by Zeotropic on Sun Jan 24, 2021 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Do you salt you pasta water?
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I didn't this time.jward wrote:Do you salt you pasta water?
I had spaghetti tonight.
It ended up so close to nothing that i couldn't tell the difference on the hydrometer and it didn't taste sweet.
- Tummydoc
- Site Donor
- Posts: 967
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:05 pm
- Location: attack ship off the shoulder of Orion
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
How true. My grocery discount store was closing out 5 lb bags of Aunt Jemima white cornmeal mix for $ 0.25.(corn meal and wheat flour) I bought 130 lbs for $6.50. I spent the summer mashing with enzymes to fill a 5 gallon barrel.rubberduck71 wrote: .
I'm forever tainted since I started this hobby a year ago. Can't walk through a grocery store the same.
Duck
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I remember someone in Jimbo's wheat bourbon recipe mention tater water. They boiled the taters and used the water in the mash. Wasn't pasta, but they claimed it did help the end product. A starch water none the less. Can't imagine using it for a base. But it could be adjunct to trial and error.
My 9" Shotgun Condenser
This hobby really is not so much about making alcohol. But bottling opportunities to make memories with Friends and Family.
This hobby really is not so much about making alcohol. But bottling opportunities to make memories with Friends and Family.
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
That's a start. I think there is potential in the water things are cooked in just not much potential alcohol.SmokyMtn wrote:I remember someone in Jimbo's wheat bourbon recipe mention tater water. They boiled the taters and used the water in the mash. Wasn't pasta, but they claimed it did help the end product. A starch water none the less. Can't imagine using it for a base. But it could be adjunct to trial and error.
-
- Site Donor
- Posts: 723
- Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2016 11:08 am
- Location: french canada with good vermont neighbors
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Sound like something you'd make in jail
its better to think like a fool but keep your mouth shut,then to open ur mouth and have it confirmed
- still_stirrin
- Master of Distillation
- Posts: 10337
- Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am
- Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I’d imagine you’d have to eat a lot of mac’n’cheese before you could make even a shotglass of whiskey. Sometimes the effort isn’t worth the “savings”.
ss
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Building off of the O/P.... Would it be worth saving to maybe use as mash water? Maybe add 1-2% ABV to a mash just to augment and add some flavor?
This could actually be interesting.
This could actually be interesting.
The wise man has something to say. The fool has to say something.
- still_stirrin
- Master of Distillation
- Posts: 10337
- Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am
- Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Maybe, if you worked in a restaurant that made a lot of pasta. Otherwise, how long could you keep a quart here and there of cloudy water before it started to stink, or “go off”?
I believe the “flavor contribution” would be negligible. As Zeotropic already commented, “little to no flavor” in the water.
There are probably better ways for fermentable recycling than pasta water...unless you have a lot of it on a regular basis. Then, you’re simply looking at it as a “method of disposal”....sort of like pig farmers and the craft brewing industry’s spent grain disposal.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
+1 for recycling water but I doubt that enough starch is left to convert to fermentable sugars.
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
That was my conclusion. I heated it treated it with enzymes and then let it cool. Then I checked the SG and I could not distinguish it from plain water.v-child wrote:+1 for recycling water but I doubt that enough starch is left to convert to fermentable sugars.
-
- Master of Distillation
- Posts: 3387
- Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:27 pm
- Location: Ontario
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I make a potato water sugar wash.. and makes a nice neutral, smoother than plain sugar wash.. no different than adding bran or some other ingredient.. I use 1L of potato water per gallon.. (approximately 1 lb of potatoes per liter of water)
Mars
Mars
" I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent. Curiosity, Obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my knowledge and understanding "
– Albert Einstein
– Albert Einstein
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
Interesting, I might try this. Do you use the water left over from making potatoes, or do you cook the 1lb of potatoes in to the water? I haven't been fully happy with the neutral I have made as of yet. I have done birdwatchers (not a fan of the odd sweet aftertaste) and plain old sugar wash (much better when I sub EC-1118 for the bread yeast, but still doesn't stack up to commercial stuff...). Wanted to make a vodka my wife likes, but no luck so far... She is a bit picky, always take it off slow, comes out smoother than commercial but something about the sugar bite doesn't sit with her...StillerBoy wrote: ↑Wed Feb 24, 2021 8:07 am I make a potato water sugar wash.. and makes a nice neutral, smoother than plain sugar wash.. no different than adding bran or some other ingredient.. I use 1L of potato water per gallon.. (approximately 1 lb of potatoes per liter of water)
Mars
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
When I want a really nice neutral( call it vodka), I make a rice mash. Good flavor, a bit floral, and certainly doesn't chew the end of my tongue off.
-
- Master of Distillation
- Posts: 3387
- Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:27 pm
- Location: Ontario
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
The wife saves the potato water whenever we have boiled potatoes or mash ones (I keep the potato wash in the deep freeze in between batches).. otherwise, whenever I want to make a batch and don't have enough freeze, I make some up based on 1 lb per liter.. russet potatoes are the one I use mostly.. diced in cube of about 3/4" and cooked for 10 min.. drain and cool.. and I use about 1 L per gal of water for the batch.. the trick to doing the potatoes is not to over cooked them.. so for 6 lb of potatoes, I boil them is 4 L of water for 10 min at medium boil, remove from heat and add 2 L of cold water.. that stops the potatoes from going all mushy..
Your sugar bite is mainly cause by using to much sugar.. stay at about 750 gr. per gal.. plus don't strip to low, like stopping at an overall average at 50%.. and reflux the low wine to 95%, leaving the heads and tails out..
Mars
" I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent. Curiosity, Obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my knowledge and understanding "
– Albert Einstein
– Albert Einstein
-
- Master of Distillation
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:48 am
- Location: Northern Victoria, Australia
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
I read a recipe on the internet, from I think a well known still supplier.
Boil the potatoes.
Throw away the potato water!
Seemed a bit silly to me.
Geoff
Boil the potatoes.
Throw away the potato water!
Seemed a bit silly to me.
Geoff
The Baker
Re: Pasta water whiskey anyone?
[/quote]
Your sugar bite is mainly cause by using to much sugar.. stay at about 750 gr. per gal.. plus don't strip to low, like stopping at an overall average at 50%.. and reflux the low wine to 95%, leaving the heads and tails out..
Mars
[/quote]
I have been inverting 4kg and making a 5 gal batch from that. Haven't done any stripping for neutrals, that may help. Put wash straight through cm column, balance 15 min, then pull off 100ml fore shots. My column is a cm design, I set the cooling output temp at half way through the range that produces getting a drip drip spurt off take speed and take off a heads jar until I can't detect any heads (usually about 200 - 400ml). This jar still has good ethenol in it so it goes in the next batch as feints. Then I hold that cm temp until I get about 1 drip per sec, switch to a tails jar and bring the cm temp up to collect tails. Comes out very clean with no taste of heads, maybe sugar bite is not the right word. There is something about it that is not quite as nice as the commercial stuff. I think it comes down to faint flavour coming through from the source wash, or lack of faint grain flavour. For neutral so far I have done bw and posw. To me posw came out better, but there is still something about it... That's why I was interested in your idea of using potato water, though I have yet to try a tffv which might suit our tastes better. Anyway, thanks for the help, feel a bit like I'm getting off topic so I'll stop now...
Your sugar bite is mainly cause by using to much sugar.. stay at about 750 gr. per gal.. plus don't strip to low, like stopping at an overall average at 50%.. and reflux the low wine to 95%, leaving the heads and tails out..
Mars
[/quote]
I have been inverting 4kg and making a 5 gal batch from that. Haven't done any stripping for neutrals, that may help. Put wash straight through cm column, balance 15 min, then pull off 100ml fore shots. My column is a cm design, I set the cooling output temp at half way through the range that produces getting a drip drip spurt off take speed and take off a heads jar until I can't detect any heads (usually about 200 - 400ml). This jar still has good ethenol in it so it goes in the next batch as feints. Then I hold that cm temp until I get about 1 drip per sec, switch to a tails jar and bring the cm temp up to collect tails. Comes out very clean with no taste of heads, maybe sugar bite is not the right word. There is something about it that is not quite as nice as the commercial stuff. I think it comes down to faint flavour coming through from the source wash, or lack of faint grain flavour. For neutral so far I have done bw and posw. To me posw came out better, but there is still something about it... That's why I was interested in your idea of using potato water, though I have yet to try a tffv which might suit our tastes better. Anyway, thanks for the help, feel a bit like I'm getting off topic so I'll stop now...