Induction hob and old brass pan

I have an old and heavy (8 kilos empty) brass pan that I use for jam-making. It is ideal for the purpose, the thick brass bottom preventing any burning or sticking while boiling jam and it is big enough to make 20 pounds of jam at a single boiling. I have used it successfully with a gas hob and latterly with a ceramic electric hob; but of course now that we have a new induction hob I have to think again. I don't want to give up the brass pan if at all possible. I have bought one of those flat induction-hob-suitable adaptors which go between the induction hob and a non-induction-type pan, of a size to suit the bottom of the brass pan. I have taken a hammer to the bottom of the pan to make it as flat as possible -- it's now within a millimeter or two all over. It works, but the adaptor gets hotter than I think is safe for the surface of the hob, certainly well over 100 degrees C. The problem, of course, is poor thermal contact between the flat adaptor and the not-quite-flat pan. I hesitate to grind the pan flat because, thick though the bottom is I might end up with a hole. And I doubt if it is practicable to braze or solder a thick flat copper sheet to the pan because it would need to be in metal-to-metal contact all over to achieve anything So does anyone have a solution please? Many thanks in advance.

Stephen

Reply to
Stephen Mawson
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How about getting a gas (or even electric) single burner and using that?

When we got an induction hob I looked round at those iron plates but got a generally poor impression of them in use.

What about a mercury double-boiler? Iron/steel pan, slosh a bit of mercury in, then put the maslin on top but in contact with the mercury? Keep gold rings away.

Reply to
polygonum

Borrow a neighbour's hob in exchange for some jam?

Use the small individual gas burner(s) for camping?

Hire a tar boiler gas burner (if you're in Chelsea, they're called paella rings)

Owain

Reply to
Owain

If the 'adaptor plate' is still in reasonable fettle I can silver solder or braze it to the bottom of the brass pan if you like. My 60 ton press will sort out the flatness issues! Probably have to drill a few holes in the adaptor plate to get enough braze penetration but it'll work I'm sure. (Soft solder would be unsafe as it would be very weak at jam temperatures)

Andrew

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

I think that you have been very cunning in creating a problem that need not exist at all, and I suspect doesn't! I have a solution.

Make a horizontal turntable, and temporarily Araldite the pan to it. Then spin the pan rapidly in one direction. Once the contents start to get up to speed with the pan, reverse the direction.

As you may need to use very high speeds that may test the physical integrity of the pan, I recommend a suitable burst-proof containment system.

In addition, the spin speed, or at least the angular acceleration may need to be adjusted to take account of the different viscosity and hysteresis in the jam as it starts to thicken and set.

Continue to do this until the jam is cooked or the copper pan melts, and/or both.

Please report back.

Reply to
GB

Couldn't you drill the holes, chamfer them so they are bigger at the bottom and then press the plate into the brass pan so that some of the brass flows into the holes and secures the base? That's how the induction bases are held on my aluminium pans.

Reply to
dennis

How about using some conductive paste - of the type used on computer processor heat exchangers - between pan and adapter ring? That stuff can stand fairly high temperatures - but you'd have to check the spec to be sure.

Reply to
Roger Mills

I do realise you have said you want to keep the current pan, but a replacement induction friendly one is around £23 delivered.

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I cant see you will get even heat transfer by attaching something to the bottom of the current pan without some serious work...

Does your induction hob have a constant setting - on my (Siemens) one, you can get the pan to whatever temperature you like, then press the temperature up and down buttons together so it shows -C- the hob then monitors the temperature of the pan and keeps it constant, which should help...

The only solution I can see that will work reliably is this, or a separate gas or electric burner.

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- electric
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- Gas
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- Gas

Reply to
Toby

If you shove an adaptor on, how will the hob know the temperature of the pan? It will know the temperature of the adaptor. With a highly variable thermal connection between that and the pan, it is not going to work, IMHO.

Reply to
polygonum

It is not brass, waste of an URL as he would know of the modern alternatives He was talking about brass pots. As an aside does anyone know of any medical problems of brass constituents leeching into jam?

Reply to
F Murtz

Lots of that gunge you put on heatsinks for pc processors?

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

For my self, I know nothing. But this link has some discussion:

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I have always understood that untinned copper and brass are OK for jam but not chutney and pickles. And even then, not leaving the fruit in the pan longer than necessary. I guess so long as we don't get more than 900 micrograms of copper a day...

Reply to
polygonum

Very many thanks to all who made suggestions, facetious or serious. I've come to the sad conclusion that I shall probably have to give up the old brass pan and buy a new induction-suitable one. The other real alternative was a stand-alone electric boiling ring but they seem to come 18cm in diameter and 1500 watts and for a fast boil the large brass pan needs more than that in both respects.

Turning to the health aspect that someone raised, I doubt whether the copper and zinc in the brass would do much harm, though I have noticed that the pan is beautifully shiny inside after I've been making slightly acid marmalade. More concerning is that the old brass (late nineteenth century, I think) may well have more lead in it than would be approved of nowadays; perhaps I should have tinned it inside.

Many thanks again,

Stephen

Reply to
Stephen Mawson

But would that tinning have arsenic in it? :-)

I meant to mention marmalade as questionable even if most fruit (I suspect I mean non-citrus) is OK.

Reply to
polygonum

With what? Leaded solder?

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

No, tin: that is what was (and is) used, in "tin" cans for example, to keep foodstuffs away from other metals.

Stephen

Reply to
Stephen Mawson

After you.

Do remember to inhale and breath in all that wonderful mercury goodness.

Reply to
Sam Plusnet

Some grades of stainless steel are magnetic - cut a disc of that, lay it in the bottom of the pan. Try it with a sample piece first to save hassle.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

The problem is induction hobs are too low power - the brass pan would work in an induction furnace :) Putting anything in the brass pan won't get detected by the hob as there's too much brass in the way which is too conductive for the hob.

How about going to Pyrex and the microwave?

[Gee ain't this much easier than diybanter.com!]
Reply to
pmailkeey

You might find it even easier if you moved to usenet proper, not google groups ...

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Reply to
Andy Burns

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