Kim. Great to see your article in the CHOICE magazine recently about the soda machines currently available, and that it also included some tips on use, such as using cold water to increase CO2 absorption.
Also, since this is the time of year when machines are likely to be most used and be bought for the first time (they seem to have been widely sold before Christmas this year), below are my tips on how to maximise the litres of carbonated water obtained from CO2 cylinders.
Plus, people who are buying many refilled 400g exchange CO2 cylinders for $19 should consider buying a 450g Kegland CO2 cylinder that many brewing supplies shops will refill for about $5.
TIPS TO MAXIMISE USE OF CO2
- Only add gas to plain water, NOT to juices, cordials, flavours, etc. Add these to the water AFTER it has been gassed.
- Use very cold water because the gas dissolves much better in it than in water at tap temperature. So, keep in the fridge a bottle of cold water ready to pour into the gassing bottle or a spare gassing bottle containing plain water. Or use water from the fridge’s cold water dispenser.
- If using a manual machine, wait a several seconds between each gas injection to allow more time for the gas to dissolve and after each gas injection, shake the bottle while it is still attached to the machine. (This will further increase the amount of gas dissolved in the water.)
- Wait about a minute after the final gas injection before removing the bottle from the machine and putting the top on the bottle. (This allows the gas more time to dissolve in the water.)
- Store the gassed liquid in the fridge, make sure the bottle top is screwed on tight, and use the liquid soon after being carbonated.
- To maximise the fizziness of drinks, serve them as close as possible to fridge temperature.
