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Post by philj200 on Oct 6, 2011 17:04:15 GMT -5
It looks like a heat diffuser that's been in a lot of water. What is it exactly and how do I use it? And once again, thanks for answering my questions.
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Post by philj200 on Oct 6, 2011 17:45:53 GMT -5
Could it be a steamer? I just notices little shelves that this disk can sit on half-way down the Cooker.
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Post by karitx on Oct 6, 2011 18:51:03 GMT -5
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Post by lwagne on Oct 6, 2011 22:15:11 GMT -5
It is to keep stuff off the bottom of the pot. Often there was one of those on the bottom of a canner to keep the glass jars off the bottom of the pot. Or, in this case, it is probably somewhat like the Lisk roaster and keeps the meat and vegetables out of direct contact with the bottom of the pot and prevents burning. The granite pot to the left of this steamer is what mine looks like. It has a steamer pot inside it, but no rack on the bottom. A lot of the old roasters have a similar rack to yours.
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Post by philj200 on Oct 7, 2011 7:36:48 GMT -5
Between first posting and now, I played with the pot a bit. It is suspended by about two or three inches above the burner in the well. But still boils a two inch (must be a few pints) quantity of water in reasonable time. With the steamer disk in place, it works beautifully.
And I assume it work well and long for who ever had it before me. There was considerable water scale on the inside of the pot, and on the disk as shown in the photo. The pot is aluminum and not very thick. Than meant I was not going to use any power tools to clean it. I tried a dab of Naval Jelly. It worked but it's caustic and meant for iron. So I abandoned that idea.
Hmmmm.....
Brasso did nothing. Noxon in not recommended for aluminum.
Ah....CLR (that's a brand) Descaler. Tried a little right out of the bottle. It seemed to lighten the scale. Tried more. Filled the pot with warm water and several ounces of the descaler and left it over night. This morning, almost entirely gone. The scale, not the pot.
I'll use a soft brush attachment on a Dremel to work through some tough spots where the disk sits in the pot.
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Post by Chuckie on Oct 7, 2011 8:13:18 GMT -5
Between first posting and now, I played with the pot a bit. It is suspended by about two or three inches above the burner in the well. But still boils a two inch (must be a few pints) quantity of water in reasonable time. With the steamer disk in place, it works beautifully. And I assume it work well and long for who ever had it before me. There was considerable water scale on the inside of the pot, and on the disk as shown in the photo. The pot is aluminum and not very thick. Than meant I was not going to use any power tools to clean it. I tried a dab of Naval Jelly. It worked but it's caustic and meant for iron. So I abandoned that idea. Hmmmm..... Brasso did nothing. Noxon in not recommended for aluminum. Ah....CLR (that's a brand) Descaler. Tried a little right out of the bottle. It seemed to lighten the scale. Tried more. Filled the pot with warm water and several ounces of the descaler and left it over night. This morning, almost entirely gone. The scale, not the pot. I'll use a soft brush attachment on a Dremel to work through some tough spots where the disk sits in the pot. I believe the thrift cookers hold 6 quarts liquid vs. 7 quarts for the large Chambers thermowell pot...
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Post by philj200 on Oct 7, 2011 11:47:32 GMT -5
My initial satisfaction with the descaling process is now tempered by reality. I did a test boil with about two inches of water in the Thrift Cooker. The disk stayed as clean as before it went it. The pot not so well. The dark water mark came back at the water line. So be it. At least I know what's been through the and am confident in it.
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Post by Chuckie on Oct 7, 2011 13:43:50 GMT -5
My initial satisfaction with the descaling process is now tempered by reality. I did a test boil with about two inches of water in the Thrift Cooker. The disk stayed as clean as before it went it. The pot not so well. The dark water mark came back at the water line. So be it. At least I know what's been through the and am confident in it. FYI, IF I use regular TAP water when I boil something (i.e. spuds, etc), it turns the pot BLACKish. We have filtered H20 and if I use THAT, the pot does NOT discolor at all...
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Post by philj200 on Oct 8, 2011 15:30:38 GMT -5
Aha! Thanks. I'll try that.
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Post by philj200 on Oct 11, 2011 20:34:16 GMT -5
Filtered water works! Thanks Chuckie, While mineral deposits can be removed with a de-scaler but who wants the extra work and who needs to consider extra chemicals in the household biosphere. The same filter jug that has been making coffee taste better filled and emptied twice into the Thrift Cooker left no appreciable dis-colorization for tonight's pasta. In this case; thin udon cooked al dente then mixed hot with a chicken stir fry (with red pepper, broccoli and scallions and condiments).
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Post by Chuckie on Oct 12, 2011 9:02:05 GMT -5
There are currently (10/12/11) TWO thrift cookers for sale on eBay for $6.99 ea. plus S/H if anyone is interested...
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Post by philj200 on Oct 12, 2011 12:09:07 GMT -5
Excellent deal and a lot less than I paid. I find I'm using the Thrift cooker more than the bigger, but less facile Chambers Thermowell pot. Someone should jump on this.
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