Jump to content

Scorching


RPG

Recommended Posts

Dear all,

Question:  Every time I distill a 'thick' wash, I end up scorching the bottom of my stainless steel pot!!  I use induction burner.  There are no heating or protruding elements in my pot.  Not even doing all grain-in distillation (which frankly I'd love to do).  Also I introduce heat gradually.  A friend of mine told me that he distills grain-in wash and never scorches his (copper) pot.  So is this a stainless steel v copper issue?  Appreciate some thoughts.    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most induction hobs will create intense hotspots where the magnetic fields hit the base of the pot/kettle.  It becomes really obvious when you add a little water to the bottom, and then turn the induction element on.  You'll see that the boiling is generally constrained to one or two "circles".

We use watts per square inch, and surface temperature, when we're talking about heating.  If you were to calculate the surface area of those circles, and the wattage of the element, you might find that the watt/in^2 is plenty high enough to scorch.

What I've seen people do to try to combat this, is to add another piece of ferrous metal between the two, in an attempt to distribute the heat more evenly across the entire bottom of the kettle, reducing the watt density, as well as the potential surface temperatures.

This is why you aren't necessarily seeing huge induction elements being used on commercial electric rigs.  Conceptually, it would make sense if you could get very even heat distribution.  Practically, not so easy.  Take a look at fancy/high end induction-compatible cookware.  What you'll see is a ferrous bottom plate (which is inductive), next a sandwiched copper plate to quickly and evenly distribute the heat, and finally a pot that's NOT ferrous/induction compatible, meaning there will be NO heat/induced here.  This fixes issue associated with the magnetic lines causing hotspots. 

And knowing is half the battle.

  • Thumbs up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Silk City Distillers said:

Most induction hobs will create intense hotspots where the magnetic fields hit the base of the pot/kettle.  It becomes really obvious when you add a little water to the bottom, and then turn the induction element on.  You'll see that the boiling is generally constrained to one or two "circles".

We use watts per square inch, and surface temperature, when we're talking about heating.  If you were to calculate the surface area of those circles, and the wattage of the element, you might find that the watt/in^2 is plenty high enough to scorch.

What I've seen people do to try to combat this, is to add another piece of ferrous metal between the two, in an attempt to distribute the heat more evenly across the entire bottom of the kettle, reducing the watt density, as well as the potential surface temperatures.

This is why you aren't necessarily seeing huge induction elements being used on commercial electric rigs.  Conceptually, it would make sense if you could get very even heat distribution.  Practically, not so easy.  Take a look at fancy/high end induction-compatible cookware.  What you'll see is a ferrous bottom plate (which is inductive), next a sandwiched copper plate to quickly and evenly distribute the heat, and finally a pot that's NOT ferrous/induction compatible, meaning there will be NO heat/induced here.  This fixes issue associated with the magnetic lines causing hotspots. 

And knowing is half the battle.

Noted!  Makes sense.  Thank you.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...