Uh, Oh.. What do I do now? Stainless Pans

[whirlcool]

Thank you all for the most generous responses!

It looks like the electric kettle, is the way to go. We actually have a tea kettle for the stove top, but it is years old and you can't really get inside to clean it out. That's why we no longer use it, but an electric kettle seems like just the thing. How do you get inside the kettle for a good cleaning?

If I use that exhaust polish on the pans, won't that leave a residue on the pots that may not be food quality?

Yes, the pots do have a bluish tint to them. I tried SOS on them and it didn't do anything. It looks like the black specs are burnt into the finish. I think those are the minerals that are left over from the water.

It looks like I will be going pot shopping this weekend. I was telling one of our neighbors about what happened and he said that he did this once before and fell asleep. He woke up hours later and found his pot literally welded to the burner! Fortunately all he had to replace was the pot, the heating element and the drip pan.

On one of those cable science shows I saw a short about heating liquids in the microwave. They recommend you put something in the water to break the surface tension. A plastic spoon or even a toothpick will work. Otherwise when you put in your tea bag the liquid can come splashing out of the container with quite a force and burn your hands or even your face. I use a large mug for my tea, it takes our microwave about 4 minutes to bring 1-1/2 cups of water to the brink of a boil. But the water going into the microwave is ice cold as it comes out of the refrigerator that has an exterior filter fitted.

 

[toggleswitch]

How do you get inside the kettle for a good cleaning?

Get one with a "big-mouth".
The trick seems to be getting a big lid, a whistle and one that looks nice, all in one unit.

I got this one. (No whistle, though. and no "keep warm" All stainless-steel "cordless" electric. The black plastic base (below the SS water tank) allows this unit to sit on any surface in that the bottom is not hot.

http://www.lnt.com/sm-cuisinart-cordless-electric-tea-kettle-chrome--pi-1351731.html

 

[veg-o-matic]

I used to think that "exploding water in the microwave" was just an urban legend until I saw it in action. It's a scary thing.

Here's what I would do. Since the pans still "work", just keep using 'em. If the discoloration bothers you, bite the bullet and get some new ones. Call it a learning experience.

Then get yourself a (preferably vintage) Sunbeam Hot Shot. It'll have the water hot before you can even get the tea out, and once it's off, it's off.

veg

 

[toggleswitch]

Of course you could get a Farberware SS percolator and use it to heat water. It DOES have a keep-warm heater, but no auto shut-off when dry.

http://www.esalton.com/control/category/~category_id=C20006

 

[flair_range]

"How do you get inside the kettle for a good cleaning? "

Swish small gravel or large sand around the bottom. Hartz packages a gravel called "Hartz Gravel & Grit Digestive Aid" that is used with caged birds and it might work for swishing and cleaning the inside of tea kettles.

 

[DADoES]

I'm not a physicist, but it is my understanding that microwaves are non-ionizing, so theoretically they shouldn't effect any chemical changes to the water.

I rarely heat water for food any way except via microwave .... even making packaged pasta salad, I do it in a large bowl, casserole, or more recently in a Visions pot, in the micro.

 

[washertalk]

speaking of scale build up in a tea kettle

A childhood friend's mother, lets just call her, ELLEN, because, well, that is her real name.
She always made tea via tea kettle with the kettle that had a trigger handle that opened the whistle fitted spout cover. (Hers was harvest gold w/white flowers)
She never cleaned it! Huge chunks of lime on the bottom from hard water. So big they wouldn't fall out the spout when turned upside down.??!

I share your concern about using a chemical inside ANY water heating container. I would think there should be a warning on the bottle of cleaner/polisher about that safty risk(though with this EPA/Food & Drug Administration...?)

 

[frigilux]

What?! No thoughtfully-selected jewelry for the wife?

OK---at least tell her I tried, LOL!

 

[flair_range]

" If I use that exhaust polish on the pans, won't that leave a residue on the pots that may not be food quality? "

I wouldn't use exhaust polish inside the pan, I would use it on the shiny outside of the pan. In the case of blue stain, I would probably not worry about the inside, because the inside doesn't show while it is hanging in the pot rack.

I use Scotch Brite on the inside and outside bottom of my All-Clad pots and pans, and I polish the outside with Simichrome and a Beck shoe polisher, with a polishing bonnet that I only use to polish metal. I don't think that All-Clad would survive a scorching like that because the bottoms of All-Clad pots and pans have an aluminum core. Consumer Reports recently did a report on cookware which included allowing pans to boil dry. The aluminum layer in the All-Clad pan melted and the bottom disk separated from the pan.

 

[mixfinder]

Cuisinart

Macy's has been running a sale on the 10 piece Cuisinart stainless set for 149.00. The handles and designes are clones of All Clad, so across the room, it looks like All-Clad.
Kelly

 

[washertalk]

Whoa, wow there are enough pans to last a lifetime.

I'm still using my revere ware ss pans I bought in 1988. 3 of them a small sauce pan, a medium sauce pan, and a fry pan which I must admit, I too, left on a burner twice with water in (1991) and it evaporated and discolored the bottom of the pan.
I also over cooked chicken once that turned black and stuck to the pan. But I soaked and used baking soda and that came off-eventually. blah, blah I only stove top cook maybe twice a month, now. I use the oven more often.

In addition to the pans, nice stove and cute clock.

 

[whirlcool]

I cleaned the pots the best I could but when you boil water in them now, the water turns a slight off color (kinda brown). So I will end up buying new pots and a electric kettle.

Is that stove a Whirlpool? It looks really nice. It has the same look as ours has, Almond with black doors.

 

[mixfinder]

Whirlpool

The stove is an older Whirlpool that cooks like a dream. Free from Craiglist. The coffee pot clock was a birthday present from a friend's daughters who like to come for dinner and games.
Kelly

 

[sudsmaster]

1) Green tea is best brewed with water at the temperature of the "first boil". That is about 180 F, well below the rolling boiling point (212F). In other words, when boiling water for green tea, the kettle should not be left unattended anyway, but caught before it comes to a rolling boil.

Another thought is that there are plenty of nice stainless whistling tea kettles on the market. Yes, they will have heated the water to 212 by the time you hear the whistle, but at least they haven't boiled dry.

A coffee maker can also be used to heat water for tea. The water has generally cooled a bit before it hits the tea, so it's a good choice - as long as the coffee maker is very clean. Traces of coffee make tea taste horrible. You could get a small 4 cup Mr. Coffee style coffee maker and dedicate that to tea making. These have a 2 hour shut off and generally run about $20 at most stores.

Zojirushi sells a wonderful water dispenser that allows you to choose the water temp (the Japanese are very particular about their tea, you know). Unfortunately it's about $100, but probably worth it.

Re: the discolored stainless. Yes, this can be sanded/scoured off and then the surface can be brought back to a high polish. It's just surface discoloration. My favorite cooking pot has a nice purple sheen to the outside from one of my mishaps - I've never bothered to remove it; doesn't really bother me. I did have to scour the interior to remove whatever it was that I burned into it. Fortunately it's a very well made pot and it didn't delaminate or warp from the high heat (a gas stove probably helped there as well - electrics are more likely to be warping pots and pans).

Professional metal finishers use a stationary buffing wheel (looks like a grinder) and various grades of "rouge" (mild abrasives) to bring the metal surface back to a shiny mirror like finish. I don't think I have the patience for that, but I have gradually brought scratched metal parts back to a satin finish.

You might look up metal shops in your area and take the pots in to them for color/debris removal and polishing. Get an estimate to see if it would be the same or cheaper to just buy a new pot.

 

[sudsmaster]

Oh, also, if you make a concentrated solution of lye and water (such as Red Devil lye), you can paint that on the inside of the pot and leave it over night. It should dissolve the black discoloration, just like cleaning an oven (you could also use an oven cleaner at the same time you clean your oven).

Of course, be careful when handling lye. It can burn skin pretty bad. And be aware that it releases heat when it's added to water. So always add the lye to water, rather than adding the water to lye.

 

[toggleswitch]

Awesome pots and pans Kelly!