Safety Question: Leaving a Burner on Overnight

[Carolyn Tillie]

You can also move the stock off of the stove and into a low oven for much the same effect.

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Ever try to shove a 60 quart stock pot into an oven?

Ever try to shove 60 quarts worth of stock into a crock pot? That idea doesn't fly for me only because I make so much damned stock at one time -- they don't make crock pots that big!

[andiesenji]

I am starting to get interested in the idea of an induction unit. The concept of setting a temperature and not haveing to worry about it is appealing.

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There is one that is perfectly adequate for home use that is much less expensive than the ones available when I got my first one three years ago.

I have ordered from this vendor in the past with great success. In fact I just ordered a thing for storing rice since I use so much of it and the price was right.

Induction cooker.

I bought a dual voltage freezer from them which works beautifully in my van when I need to transport frozen things for long periods. They offered free shipping and there was no tax so it was an extra discount compared to what I would have paid if I bought it locally.

[fifi]

Two comments: 

1.  One morning I awakened to find my dishwasher had been stuck on the "dry" cycle all night long...that is...from about 9 pm until about 8 am.  I opened the door, and many items, including the rubber coating on the racks, were melted and brown.  How much longer till a fire occurred?  I don't run the DW anymore, unless I'm going to be home.  Even though I have a new one now.  And I do recall a story about a woman who put clothes in the dryer and left the house...the house burnt down.  Not fiction, but truth.  I guess one's experience is what controls the level of caution....

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A guy at work is a volunteer Fire Chief in one of our larger suburban communities. A bunch of us were talking about this very thing at lunch one day. He told us that fires started from dishwashers and clothes dryers are very common. At our suggestion, he gave a safety presentation at the next big group meeting and had some statistics on the subject. I don't remember the numbers but they made a believer of me. I don't run the dryer or dishwasher while I am not here, and awake. My coffee pot has an automatic shut off, too.

[andiesenji]

Several years ago I had a Mr. Coffee that burned and fortunately my smoke/heat and fume alarms went off and I got to it before much damage.

From that time on I had all the plugs changed to GFI plugs to make sure that never happened again.

[deltadoc]

I'm concerned here. Natural gas has no odor. That is why the gas company adds another component that has a characteristic smell. Why does the gas company want the gas to have a smell? So you can recognize if you have a gas leak and prevent your house from blowing up.

Secondly, gas furnaces are vented to the outside. Why? Mostly to prevent the carbon monoxide and other noxious components of combustion from harming you.

Thirdly, if you have a gas stove/cooktop, it should have a vent to the outside over it. And the vent should be of adequate size for the amount of gas cooking you are able to do (# of BTUs).

The gas company is so concerned about potential gas leaks, that most, if not all of them, will gladly come over and test for gas leaks for free. I strongly urge you to have them over to assure yourself that you really don't have a gas leak in your stove.

Everyone should have a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide sensor in their homes.

Leaving the gas stove on overnight, unattended, carries with it a risk. Life is full of risks, they're unavoidable. This is one risk that I personally would not take and is entirely avoidable.

I favor the previous suggestion to have your mise en place, and start early on a Saturday morning to make your stock.

doc

[piperdown]

So are people only concerned about gas stoves? I have an electric stove that I leave on over night all the time when making stock, and I've never really worried about it. If I forgot something and have to leave the house for a short time I also tend to leave it on, but in my mind I'm worried. I'm not sure if there is actual concern, or if it's just the years of being told not to leave the oven on that has me paranoid.

[bleachboy]

There is one that is perfectly adequate for home use that is much less expensive than the ones available when I got my first one three years ago. 

I have ordered from this vendor in the past with great success.  In fact I just ordered a thing for storing rice since I use so much of it and the price was right.

Induction cooker.

I am intrigued! I might not mind buying two of these, as I'm doing Thanksgiving at my house for the first time this year and most of the relatives will be bringing over stuff to heat up etc.

The question is, it says on that webpage "includes free induction skillet" -- are special pots and pans required for cooking on induction burners? Or does any type of metal work? I have a mix of Calphalon nonstick, Copper/stainless, and cast iron. Will all of the above work?

[MichaelB]

The question is, it says on that webpage "includes free induction skillet" -- are special pots and pans required for cooking on induction burners?  Or does any type of metal work?  I have a mix of Calphalon nonstick, Copper/stainless, and cast iron.  Will all of the above work?

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Nope. The pans must be magnetic. Your cast iron will work. The Calphalon will not. The Copper/Stainless probably won't.

[fifi]

Does that mean the the ChefMate stock pots won't work? They are stainless and I think they have a copper disk encased in the bottom.

I have mostly Calphalon and Le Creuset.

[bleachboy]

Does that mean the the ChefMate stock pots won't work? They are stainless and I think they have a copper disk encased in the bottom.

I have mostly Calphalon and Le Creuset. 

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I would guess that according to what MichaelB said, your Le Creuset should work. However, the "magnetic" caveat kind of makes me think I'd rather just buy some portable electric burners that would work with whatever pots people brought their stuff over in. I don't think any of my relatives own much cast iron cookware.

Or maybe I'll buy an induction and take Andie's advice and just buy a lot of Descoware from eBay for everybody to use before Turkey Day.

[msphoebe]

fifi - thanks for acknowledging my post. I think oftentimes people just don't believe fires can happen from stoves, dishwashers, and clothes dryers. I honestly never thought about it till it (nearly) happened to me. I am so glad the house didn't catch fire!

Now -- I'm still curious to know if anyone has used a pressure cooker for stock. NO OBVIOUSLY NOT 60 QUARTS AT A TIME, but a more reasonable amount, that a family or individual might prepare. I've heard good things about stock from pressure cookers.

[intraining]

a wise one learns from other's mistakes

why not set like 8 hours worth of coals on a bar-b-q and run that all night (outside of course ) ??

Edited October 29, 2004 by intraining (log)

[fifi]

why not set like 8 hours worth of coals on a bar-b-q and run that all night (outside of course  )  ??

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ummm... I do that. My Weber Smoky Mountain will go 12 hours with one load of fuel. Outside... of course.

[andiesenji]

In answer to msphoebe - - - It depends on how you are going to use the stock.

Stock made in a pressure cooker never gets really clear, even with careful straining.

Where you would skim the particles that rise to the surface as a scummy layer in an open stockpot, you can't do that in a pressure cooker and the particles are suspended so completely in the solution that it is difficult to separate them out.

However if it is going to be a base for something that does not require a clear stock, then it is fine and you can extract a great deal of flavor with much less time and effort.

Except with very large and dense bones, the bones will soften to the point that they can be put in a meat press to extract even more of the flavored liquid.

You can also make stock in the large electric roasters which were once so popular in home kitchens.

You can find the old ones in very good condition on ebay and just have an appliance repair place check the wiring and the plugs at a very nominal cost.

They are now making a comeback in many homes. Rival has this 20 quart model. Nesco, an old name, is back in the market with an 18 quart, as is GE and Hamilton Beach.

I have a 45-year-old Westinghouse that is a 23 quart and an even older Nesco that holds even more, although I have never actually measured it.

Westinghouse is similar to this one.

Because of the way the heat is transmitted, around as well as under the cooking chamber, similar to a crockpot, things on the bottom do not burn. When placed on a counter or a sturdy table, because of their shape and proportions, they are very stable and will not tip over as easily as some of the larger crockpots will.

I use mine for cooking large batches of ginger and citrus peel in syrup and you know how carefull you have to be around hot sugar syrup. I feel that these are safer than any other method I have used and I have tried everything over the years.

Edited October 29, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[Katherine]

Better safe than sorry. Never cook.