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Mold in Cuisinart Steam Oven Reservoir

weinoo

By weinoo
in Kitchen Consumer

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weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted

So the bottom of the reservoir to my CSO has grown a little bit of green mold. Pretty sure it won't kill me, as that water is heated to a boil to turn into the steam, but I'm wondering how everyone else deals with cleaning of the reservoir.

 

Lemme know!

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Yes, but how do you wash it - it's impossible to reach into the bottom, no? Or do you just add some liquid soap and shake it up?

Ooops - wrong reservoir - I thinking the drain one. Haven't had any in the goes in water. I'd likely soap and a bendable brush.

 

 

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted
56 minutes ago, weinoo said:

So the bottom of the reservoir to my CSO has grown a little bit of green mold. Pretty sure it won't kill me, as that water is heated to a boil to turn into the steam, but I'm wondering how everyone else deals with cleaning of the reservoir.

 

I have seen this in mine.  I thought it was algae.   When I see it, I give it a good rinse.  It doesn't seem very adherent and rinses right out.  Then I use 1 cup water/1 distilled vinegar and steam per the decal instructions in the manual.

 

My tank was right under a fluorescent under-cabinet light.  It burnt out a couple of months ago and I haven't replaced it, thinking I'd soon replace them all with LEDs.   Without the light - no more algae....or whatever the green stuff was.

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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1 hour ago, Okanagancook said:

one could use 10% bleach solution to rinse out the reservoir then flush well with plain water

10% is supposed to kill microbes on contact as far as I know.

 

I did consider bleach with mine but I was concerned that there might be some residual odor that might come through in the steam and decided I'd prefer vinegar over bleach 🙃

Just in case. 

 

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

I had disgusting algae in the tank of my old CSO.  I doubt that anyone here is seeing mold.  The algae first appeared in winter when the wretched sun reaches far into my south facing kitchen.  I tried vinegar to no avail.  My hope is that by double filtering my Brita water there will be enough residual Ag ions in the reservoir to discourage any algae.

 

Algae is tough stuff.  Many years ago a dear woman who was a mentor when I was a quondam biologist pointed out the algae growing in her bottle of algaecide.

 

My best advice is to shield your reservoir from light.  And if you find any thermophile archaea growing in your CSO please start a different topic.

 

 

 

 

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

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Thanks for the Crepes

Thanks for the Crepes

Posted
Posted

Well, having read that this algae thing might be a problem, I simply take the water reservoir out and drain it. I let it dry out. It can take several days, but that's not usually a problem for me. I do not like any chemicals around food and we have heard one story about vinegar not really working. So for me, deinstalling the water reservoir seems to be the best way. It's a PITA, and if you need steam every day, then it may not work for you. For me, it works well.

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> ^ . . ^ <

 

 

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted (edited)

Ive had this.

 

I rinse it out w hot water first

 

then a little bleach and hot water , about a cup total.

 

I put my thumb over the valve area and give it a good shake. 

 

I don't want bleach to damage the rubber gasket , if it might.

 

Ive used a long thin brush to get some of it out in the past

 

the reservoir get sun in the afternoon

 

after its ' clean enough '

 

I cover that 1/2 w a folded ' tea or kitchen ' towel

 

that seems to take care of the problem

 

and I take the towel away when using the CSO.

 

as mentioned above , I think its algae or the like

 

not mold.  mold generally floats on the top of liquid

 

 

Edited by rotuts (log)
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weinoo

weinoo

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Ahhhhh, algae...well, that makes me feel so much better!

 

I've tried the vinegar thing - didn't work. I've tried vinegar/baking soda - didn't work.  

 

I like the idea of some sort of bendable brush. And as we're going away for a few days, I've emptied the reservoir and it will have time to dry out,  but I don't see how that will remove the green stuff from the bottom of the tank!

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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Anna N

Anna N

Posted
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43 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I've tried the vinegar thing - didn't work. I've tried vinegar/baking soda - didn't work.  

Denture cleaning tablet. 

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

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KennethT

KennethT

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Posted

I see algae issues all the time with hydroponics - any time there is water and light, you will get algae.  So, the best long term solution is to get rid of the light.  Is it possible to wrap the tank with aluminum foil?

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weinoo

weinoo

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52 minutes ago, rotuts said:

dilute hot bleach w the Thumb on the opening

 

rinse w hot water

 

let dry while you are away

 

Why are you not taking the CSO with you ?

 

just asking

Not planning on cooking, as we're heading to one of the best food cities on the continent - Montreal, and tonight we will be having dinner at Joe Beef!

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted (edited)
12 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Not planning on cooking, as we're heading to one of the best food cities on the continent - Montreal, and tonight we will be having dinner at Joe Beef!

While in Montreal, visit Patisserie Kouign Aman.  Serious Eats did a column on them a while back.  I was there just last week and picked up a whole kouign aman, about a 12" round.  Delicious.  Also visit the Jean Talon market.  It's a fabulous place.

 

https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/07/where-to-eat-kouign-amann-captivates-twice-in-montreal.html

Edited by ElsieD
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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

I let a film of algae accumulate in the reservoir and now I fear my internal plumbing is blocked up.  (That is, the internal plumbing of the CSO.)  I use only decalcified water, so I doubt there is a calcium problem.  This unit is still under warranty but eventually Cuisinart may get tired of replacing my CSO's.

 

Any suggestions for unblocking?

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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kayb

kayb

Posted
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I think I'd put about a 50 percent bleach solution in the reservoir and run it on clean a couple of times. Might try cleaning the valve at the bottom of the reservoir first, and maybe sticking a paper clip or something into the channel in the CSO the valve leads to. Stands to reason the clog would be near the beginning.

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Don't ask. Eat it.

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

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The odd thing is once the water starts flowing it will usually continue to flow.  If I cancel the steam function and immediately restart I will get the low water alert.  But if I let the unit sit for a few minutes I can get it to restart.

 

I'm not sure where the channel in question is located.  After the CSO cools down I will take a closer look.

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I let a film of algae accumulate in the reservoir and now I fear my internal plumbing is blocked up.  (That is, the internal plumbing of the CSO.)  I use only decalcified water, so I doubt there is a calcium problem.  This unit is still under warranty but eventually Cuisinart may get tired of replacing my CSO's.

 

Any suggestions for unblocking?

 

@Shelbyposted a detailed unclogging regimen a while ago

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