Hello Everyone,
I have a few questions regarding the autoclave (or pressure cooker) stage of preparing the plates for flasking.
I have never attempted to create any flasks before so please bear with me
1. I have heard that the microwave oven can now be used as a substitute to an autoclave or pressure cooker to sterilize the flasks. Is this true? And has anyone tried it with any success?
2. When placing the flasks in the autoclave, do you need to wait until the agar solution has hardened? or do you sterilize it while the agar is still in liquid form?
3. Also when in the autoclave, do you leave the jars open? or do you use the jar cover and close it tight before autoclaving? or do you just need to put a "soft" cover to prevent the water/steam from entering the jars?
I am concerned that if the jar covers are tightly closed, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the jars could cause it to break - or is the pressure range not that great so this is not an issue?
Right now I do not have laboratory grade flasks rated for the autoclave, but I do have plenty of the Starbucks cold coffee bottles and some old canning jars from fruit jellies (the ones with the two-part covers).
Thanks, and Happy Growing.
John