Best honey warmer

[PeaBee]

The inkbird thermostats are worth a look, really simple "plug and play" heat controllers. That's what I have on my warming cupboard (with a circulating fan and a cheap oil filled radiator plugged in to the warming socket) and it was simple to set up and seems pretty accurate

 

[JamezF]

I bought this one, which claims to have a 90°C cutout.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B095X6VJB2/
Two feet long is almost certainly too long for a fridge though. You may need to stick with the shorter models.

James

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thanks John.
So, what limit would you suggest, I am clueless about this

It can be tricky to determine what the cutouts are rated for. I bought a couple as frost protection for taps in the stables. When I tried one in my old fridge I found it stopped heating at 30 degrees. Opening up the casing to bypass it the mica element frame fell to bits.

 

[BernardBlack]

Extracted honey is usually stored in buckets till it’s needed. After a couple of months, (sooner for some honey) the honey will be crystallised and need melting to make it runny again.
40 degrees overnight will do it nicely. Then you can jar it.

So, here’s a silly question

If I jar my honey immediately after extraction, what’s the outcome? .....compared to keeping it in a warming cabinet for a time, before jarring it?

 

[elainemary]

So, here’s a silly question

If I jar my honey immediately after extraction, what’s the outcome? .....compared to keeping it in a warming cabinet for a time, before jarring it?

Depends on the balance of fructose vs glucose sugars. A high fructose honey - like spring honey from trees (rather than oil seed rape) will take months to crystallise. I have some spring honey from 2021 which is still clear as a bell in jars. Other honies will crystallise in a matter of 2-3 months or less if higher in glucose.
A way of delaying is to warm honey to 60c for an hour (some texts suggest lower at 53c for an hour). That will give approx an extra 2-3 months ‘shelf life’.
All depends on your type of your honey which you can try yourself to gain experience.

First 4 years of beekeeping I ran all my honey into jars, as it didnt hang around & wasn't a problem. However as you produce more honey you need a different plan, as others have explained

 

[Erichalfbee]

You need the honey to settle first. Air and tiny bits of wax that got through your sieve will rise to the top. You need to either skim this off or jar from the tank stopping before the scum hits the valve. If you don't your jars will have this floating on top and it looks unpleasant.
If you jar all your crop then don't sell it immediately it will start to crystallise (some don't but most do)
This looks unpleasant too...remember your customer is expecting crystal clear honey unless they are of course looking for set. (If you are selling set honey it's best to soft set it)

 

[Erichalfbee]

A way of delaying is to warm honey to 60c for an hour

Does anybody here actually do that I wonder?

 

[elainemary]

Does anybody here actually do that I wonder?

I know of a few beekeepers who sell to shops who do

 

[Erichalfbee]

What does that do to the honey?

 

[Newbeeneil]

What does that do to the honey?

It will slightly lower the diastase level and slightly raise the HMF level but at those times will have minimal detrimental effect on the honey.
What I have been doing recently I'd checking the temperature of the honey in my warming cabinet after heating. If I put buckets of honey in my cabinet for say 48 hours @ 40deg and test with a thermometer the honey may we'll have cleared but has not achieved 40 deg, the probe thermometer is only reading 35-36 so I am finding the honey needs much longer in warming to achieve long term clarity.
Ps. Both temperature probes were tested by a mate and found to be within 0.5deg accurate.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Does anybody here actually do that I wonder?

I wouldn't even dream of doing it

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If I jar my honey immediately after extraction, what’s the outcome?

if the honey sits in the jar long enough and crystalises completely - you will never get it back to a wholly runny state - however long you warm it for - the bottom quarter of an inch will always be crystalised to some extent.
When it sets in a bucket, all you need to do when you want to bottle it, is to put it in a warming cabinet for 24/48 hours, maybe giving it one good stir if you think that the last half inch in the bottom is still set, decant into a bottling tank and get it ready for sale.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What does that do to the honey?

boogers it up

 

[Erichalfbee]

boogers it up

Yes I meant the taste

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes I meant the taste

At least it would taste the same as supermarket honey - so it could be pretty popular if you hacked the price down to match the quality

 

[BBC]

Can I just say that my underfloor heating makes for a great honey warmer. I usually leave the bucket in the corner of the kitchen for a few days before jarring up.

 

[BernardBlack]

Depends on the balance of fructose vs glucose sugars. A high fructose honey - like spring honey from trees (rather than oil seed rape) will take months to crystallise. I have some spring honey from 2021 which is still clear as a bell in jars. Other honies will crystallise in a matter of 2-3 months or less if higher in glucose.
A way of delaying is to warm honey to 60c for an hour (some texts suggest lower at 53c for an hour). That will give approx an extra 2-3 months ‘shelf life’.
All depends on your type of your honey which you can try yourself to gain experience.

First 4 years of beekeeping I ran all my honey into jars, as it didnt hang around & wasn't a problem. However as you produce more honey you need a different plan, as others have explained

Thanks for that.

So would you have to store your jarred honey in a warming cabinet until it’s used?

And if you heat your honey bucket for a day or two, then jar it, would the honey not still crystallise when you put the jars in say, your kitchen cupboard?

Or once initially heated (in the bucket), the honey won’t crystallised?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks for that.

1.So would you have to store your jarred honey in a warming cabinet until it’s used?

2.And if you heat your honey bucket for a day or two, then jar it, would the honey not still crystallise when you put the jars in say, your kitchen cupboard?

3.Or once initially heated (in the bucket), the honey won’t crystallised?

1. No you jar just enough to sell comfortably before it sets.
2. Yes. But I refer you to 1.
3. It will still crystallise.
I think you are missing the point. The honey goes in buckets to store it till it’s needed.
If it’s stored for a couple of months it will be crystallised so you have to melt it.

 

[BernardBlack]

1. No you jar just enough to sell comfortably before it sets.
2. Yes. But I refer you to 1.
3. It will still crystallise.
I think you are missing the point. The honey goes in buckets to store it till it’s needed.
If it’s stored for a couple of months it will be crystallised so you have to melt it.

Ah right, I see.

I only have a few frames (possibly as little as 2 or 3) to do , and it will just be for our own personal use.

Maybe in future I might consider selling.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ah right, I see.

I only have a few frames (possibly as little as 2 or 3) to do , and it will just be for our own personal use.

Maybe in future I might consider selling.

Then just put it in jars and eat it.