Food safe paint/coating for sous vide cooking container.

[FeChef]

I have been building sous vide rigs out of deep fryer/steamers for a few years and the only con i have is some of the vessels to hold the water is made out of steel that has a cheap enamel coating that everntually starts to deteriate and develop rust spots. I am wondering if anyone knows of a food safe paint or coating that i could buy at places like lowes or home depot to prevent these rust spots from getting worse. I would like to buff out the rust spots now before they get worse. I would replace the vessel with stainless steel but it is a double size fryer with an odd shape/size dimension.

[rotuts]

Im probably missing something here.

 

the plastic bag protects  your food so any enamel would work if you removed all the underlying rust before the first coat.

Edited June 19, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[FeChef]

Im probably missing something here.

 

the plastic bag protects  your food so any enamel would work if you removed all the underlying rust before the first coat.

Well, sometimes you get a leak in a bag and i would hate to throw away something if some water got in the bag. Also, when i sous vide something smoked, the smell gets out of the bags even without a leak, and triple bagged, so it seems possible that if a smell can get out, something toxic could get in. Am I right?

[gfweb]

That is true. But low on the likelihood scale, I think.

 

I'd let  the paint dry then run it at temp with water for a day to leach out all the potential nasties.

 

The carcinogens in smoked meat have to dwarf whatever might be in a spot of paint by a few orders of magnitude.

[Martin Fisher]

I doubt very much that you'll find something at Lowes or Home Depot or the like.

There are heavy-duty food safe epoxies that produce a very durable coating.

Many years ago when I was in the bee business we sold such a thing to recoat old galvanized honey extractors.

Sherwin-Williams may be a good place to start...I'd also check the Thomas Register or your local industrial supply.

[FeChef]

You guys are probably right. I was considering even something like that flex seal in a spray can. Its like liquid rubber that dries quickly after you spray it on. I dont know what the temperature rating on it is, but it should be high considering it can be used to seal roofing and gutters that can get pretty hot in the summer. I dont know how toxic it would be if someone ate a piece dried, but im thinking once dried its toxic level is probably low.

[Martin Fisher]

What we offered was very similar to this (but a different manufacturer.)
I recommend checking with the manufacturer so see if it can stand the heat okay.

[dcarch]

Go and have it chrome plated.

 

dcarch

[Edward J]

Check out  bakery equipment dealers in your area and find out who glazes sheet pans and bread pans.  This is a non-stick glaze that is obvioulsy food safe, but it does wear out and is accelerated by contact with sugar. It's factory applied though, but It's still fairly cheap to do. Last year I paid 2 bucks per sheet pan and 10 bucks per 3-er bread pans.  Alot of the HVAC guys use the same service to coat fans and impellors.  Worth checking out.

[FeChef]

Check out  bakery equipment dealers in your area and find out who glazes sheet pans and bread pans.  This is a non-stick glaze that is obvioulsy food safe, but it does wear out and is accelerated by contact with sugar. It's factory applied though, but It's still fairly cheap to do. Last year I paid 2 bucks per sheet pan and 10 bucks per 3-er bread pans.  Alot of the HVAC guys use the same service to coat fans and impellors.  Worth checking out.

Wow thats cheap. I dont think there is any bakery dealers in my area though. We have bakery supply stores but they dont offer those kind of services, that i am sure of. And there is only two of them within 50 miles. But i will definitely look into getting this vessel coated with something if its less then $25

[Edward J]

The non-stick coating is a good option, and it is totally foodsafe.

 

Chrome plating, while very expensive, is not a good option .  Chroming is a three step process, where a first coat--nickel- I think, is put on, then copper, then finally chrome.  As any chrome plater will tell you, the layer of chrome is full of tiny fissures and cracks, and it is not good to have chrome in constant contact with water or it will develop rust.

[dcarch]

The non-stick coating is a good option, and it is totally foodsafe.

 

Chrome plating, while very expensive, is not a good option .  Chroming is a three step process, where a first coat--nickel- I think, is put on, then copper, then finally chrome.  As any chrome plater will tell you, the layer of chrome is full of tiny fissures and cracks, and it is not good to have chrome in constant contact with water or it will develop rust.

 

Sorry I have to disagree with you.

 

I have done lot's of chrome plating. Chrome plating has been used extensively in very abusive environments, for instance, automotive, rain, snow, sand blast, road salt, etc.  

 

As a matter of fact, chrome plated cast iron cookware was popular.

 

Expensive? depend on where perhaps, but very long lasting.

 

BTW, it is copper, then nickel, and finally chrome in the plating process, not what you said.

 

dcarch

Edited June 21, 2014 by dcarch (log)

[Chris Hennes]

I was under the impression that all modern paint was effectively food safe once cured: wasn't one of the big concerns about lead in paint because babies were ingesting the flakes?