What about those old metal presses that are on Ebay all the time? I have one of those which I want to use this fall. "Food-grade"? I don't think that phrase existed when my press was built! Ken A.
Maurice, you will only need ONE machine, and we (our club) have one. It's a crusher/destemmer, motorized, and it has adjustable rollers. The screen is stainless steel. There are several kinds available, but our machine is Italian. We bought it locally. Cheers, Giovanni.
Both of my presses (vaslins: 4 ton and 3/4 ton) have exposed steel screws. I've yet to notice any problems. Contact time is quite minimal during pressings
clyde
If you put apples in a typical "homebrew" crusher/destemmer (which has the crusher rollers in the input chute, and costs $200-500), they will never get past the rollers --- unless you crush or slice them by some other means first.
A commercial crusher/destemmer (which costs between $700-80,000, and has the crusher rollers in the output chute) MIGHT process apples, depending on the paddle design, but it is more likely that it would send most of them out the back (where the discarded stems are intended to go).
Apples MUST be pre-crushed with a heavy weight (or equivalent force) or chopped up before they will go between typical grape crusher rollers, even at the largest gap setting. If you could adjust the gap to about 3", you could get the apples to go through, but then you would have to reduce the gap slightly, and put them through again, and again, until you finally obtained a proper crush.
There are crushers specifically designed for apples, but they are unsuitable for use with grapes, because they cut into the seeds (which makes the wine very bitter).
The best solution, if you don't want to buy two crushers, is to put the apples (or pears) in a bucket or barrel, and pound them with a 4x4 post. Then, they will probably go through a standard grape crusher.
Either type of crusher will probably handle berries.
If you wish to destem as well, you should purchase a destemmer/crusher (rather than just a crusher), but it won't do apples!
It's not a good idea to allow the must to come into contact with any corrosive metal (e.g. iron, zinc, copper, etc.) because of toxicity and nasty flavours. However, there is a big difference between casual and long-term contact.
Many of the "antique" machines (such as those offered on eBay) have cast-iron parts, and wooden hoppers (which may be too contaminated to clean up and use).
As far as crusher/destemmers, the cheaper models are (food-grade) painted steel. The more expensive ones are stainless steel. If you clean up as soon as you are finished using the machine, and are careful not to scratch the finish, the painted models are probably adequate. But, if you can afford the stainless steel, it is a good investment. The paint will eventually chip and flake --- and food grade or not, I don't want it in my wine.
Crusher rollers may be aluminum, nylon, or rubber. All are good. Supposedly the nylon is gentler, and the rubber gentler still, so seeds don't get broken. But if you have the rollers adjusted correctly, this shouldn't be a concern.
Crusher rollers may be fixed or adjustable. If you are processing different types of fruit, and/or different varieties of grapes (which have different size seeds), you should try to get a crusher with adjustable roller spacing.
Crusher/destemmers may be hand-cranked or motorized. The motorized models cost about $100 more, and (IMO) are only worth it if you are processing over 500 pounds of fruit at a time. Hand-cranking is not that difficult or tiring.
Presque Isle
Grape and Granary
St. Pats
If you get a destemmer, you will also need to purchase (or make) a collection chute, which will add about $100-300 to the price. And, the shipping is not cheap, so you may do better at your local homebrew --- even though their prices are higher.
Another alternative, is to find someone locally (individually or company) who will let you borrow or rent their machine.
DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.