I'm having difficulties with VRB agar. The instruction on the bottle say heat it in a boiling water bath - but this takes all day, at least with a 500 ml bottle. I don't like to microwave agar as it tends to superheat and then flash when disturbed. I've tried steaming at 95 C for 1 hour, but it doesn't melt or dissolve completely. So far, I've had best success with a hotplate with a magnetic stirrer, but you have to watch it carefully.
Any good ideas, and, while I'm at it, why can't you just autoclave the stuff like normal agar?
I am not sure what brand you are using but looking at the sigma brand indicates that an autoclave step is optional hence it can be done. With stubborn to dissolve media I would heat while stirring with a magnet until it is at least partially dissolved then autoclave.
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