Best "string" for ceramic pie weights?

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downysoft

Assistant Cook
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
1
Location
Louisville
So, I'm looking to upgrade my sous vide gear by using a pie weight chain instead of clipping weights to the bags. You can buy metal pie weight chains, but I can only find loose ceramic beads. I want to make a chain out of ceramic beads. Drilling holes in the beads is no problem. My problem is deciding on what to use for string.


My primary use purpose is sous vide cooking. I'd like to also use the pie weight chain for baking, because.



Ideas so far:


Necklace wire - may rust because it's metal, may break if tied in knots or knitted



Kevlar thread - may not be food safe


Butcher's string - no problems except that it probably won't last long


Fishing line - may not be food safe, probably wouldn't work for baking




The basic design would be to just string the ceramic pie weight beads in a long chain. I may want to tie or knit it in such a way to more easily drape the pie weights over things.


The most important part is the string must be food safe. Next is non-rusting. After that is durability/longevity. Being able to tie or knit the string is optional, but would be nice. (I may want to have one string for a basic chain, one for a knitted net or coaster-type.)



Any suggestions for string material?
 
Why not just seal small amounts of the beads in small food saver bags. Place the bags in with the food to weight the food down. The bags of beads can be washed, sterilized and reused many times before needing to be resealed in new bags.

When I blind bake a pie crust I line pie plate with crust with parchment paper and spread loose ceramic weights on top of paper.
 
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I hope you find the solution you are looking for. Any wires will have to be stainless steel so they don't rust.

Are you having issues with the simplest solution, bulldog clips, that is making you switch?
 
Welcome to the forum!
Something you may want to look into to use as a weight is a SS cast iron cleaner. A friend with a sous vide uses one for this purpose. It's made of rounded c SS mesh, so you wouldn't have to worry about it piercing the bag. Here's one I found on Amazon, as an example, but there are many, and you could look through them, to find one with the most weight.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WZLNDFR/ref=sspa_mw_detail_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
You may what to check the bait and tackle shops for the steel leader they add to fishing line for northern pike and Muskie that have sharp teeth. If I remember right they are braided stainless steel. If I recall they are about 10-12 inches long give or take.
 
Or how bout a couple three of those steel balls used to keep cocktails cold without dilution?
 
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Rio Grande.com sells jewelry supplies. They have stainless steel, and sterling silver wire,both of which would be food-safe. They also have gold, but it's rather expensive, but hey, it never corodes.:ROFLMAO: And how do I know tis? Yeh, I also do silver-smitiing.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
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