Boiling a pot dry

C

Clint C.

New member
Hi folks,
I had just put on a covered pot of water to make myself a little oatmeal
when I received a call from a very distraught family member bearing bad
news. I walked to the living room to sit down to try to calm the caller and
my Farberware 3 quart pot boiled dry. It was probably on high for 20 minutes
or so before I smelled the smell of burning Bakelite and recalled the pot. I
turned off the stove and let the pot cool down. The stainless pot was
tinted brown and the inside had black stains on the bottom. The handle was
loose, too. The lid had a brown tint to it and the handle on that was loose.

I scrubbed the pot out, and used my dremel with a wire wheel to try to
polish the bottom and remove stains. The pot appears to be permanently
discolored. The handles tightened up OK.

Not too worried about the color but use the 3 qt pot almost every day for
almost every meal I make. Do you think it's safe to use?

Jon
 
In article , [email protected] says...

If the handle isn't so loose that it's likely to drop 3 quarts of
boiling water on you, then yes. The brown is normal discoloration of
steel that gets heated to a particular temperature (a little more it
would be yellow, a little more than that blue, a little more than that
gray).

The discoloration can be sanded or ground off, or you could try a
cleaning product specifically intended to remove this sort of
discoloration. "Blue Job" (call around to the motorcycle shops in
town--one should have it, or you can order it off of Amazon) works about
as well as any--needs some elbow grease though.
 
On 3/7/2011 9:50 AM, Zeppo wrote:

Your experience (BTDT, BTW) is why it's always wise to use the "ULTRA
Ultimate Kitchen Rule" whenever something's cooking on the stove
or in the oven. That way, the risk of burning something is greatly
reduced, whether it's the food or the cookware.

Sky

--

Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!
 
On Mon, 7 Mar 2011 10:50:04 -0500, "Zeppo" wrote:


Consider yourself lucky you hadn't yet added the oatmeal.

Even if only one third filled it would take a lot longer than 20
minutes to bring a quart of water to the boil and have it boil dry in
a covered pot.

It's very difficult to believe from your description that the aluminum
cladding at the bottom of that Farberware pot wasn't destroyed... I've
done that and the aluminum blistered, melted, and separated long
before the bakelite handles loosened.
 
On 2011-03-07, Brooklyn1 wrote:


Often, it's sandwiched, in which case the two outside layers of SS
should hold the alum intact.

My SS ware has 1/8" copper plates on bottom of pans. I was amazed
it didn't separate at dull red temp. Sometimes it pays to spend a
bit extra.

nb
 
On 3/7/2011 1:14 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:


My late MIL did that once with a 1 qt. Farberware. The bottom (outside)
of the pot melted into a thick round of aluminum (?) that looked like it
had come from outer space. I don 't know if it did anything to the
cooktop, but they replaced that soon after.

gloria p
 
On Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:09:48 -0600, Sky
wrote:


My husband and I swear by the timer. We set it for just a couple of
minutes to remind us to return and check, because it's all too easy to
go into another room, start doing something or or get distracted and
forget all about what's happening in the kitchen.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
On 3/7/2011 3:13 PM, sf wrote:


And how! That's exactly why I use the timer. If I set a pan of water
on to boil, I'll set the timer for about 4-minutes or so, etc. That
way, I can't forget accidentally!!! BTDT (ooops!)

Sky

--

Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!
 
On Mar 7, 4:13?pm, sf wrote:

I have a belt attachable timer too for this reason if I'm going
outside for a minute or ten. Small piece of insurance. And I always
set the stove's timer for anything in the oven. The beep is enough to
get me off my rear if I've parked self in another room. Senior
moments can lead to house fires for sure.

Friend left pot of water on boil and left house for two hours !! Came
home to cats in a frenzy and the pot reduced to a glob. She was in
process of changing her kitchen, so at least it happened at a good
time.
 
On Mon, 7 Mar 2011 13:31:40 -0800 (PST), Kalmia
wrote:


Boy howdy!

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
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