Boiling dry is a very popular topic to our consumers and as the experts in cookware; we want to share with you some key facts.
Radiant Ring cookers give the highest temperature on maximum heat of any cooker type available. The rings can reach up to 1000°C compared with 650°C for gas, 540°C for ceramic hobs and 300°C for induction.
These temperatures exceed the melting point of metals in cookware with the exception of stainless steel.
However, cookware under normal cooking conditions is stabilised at 100°C by the energy of the heater converting the water in the pan to steam. Even at the point of contact of the base with the hot hob it does not rise measurably over 100°C. This is because the conduction of the metals continually pass the heat from the hob into the water.
In the event of boiling dry the situation is very different. Within a few minutes the temperature has risen within the pan to 400°C which is where stainless steel starts to discolour. The temperature can keep rising to 660°C, which is the melting point of aluminium and this could also allow any copper in the base to release. If the item is left on the cooker, the temperature rises to the point where the stainless steel discolours from brown to blue and if left longer it could reach near to its melting point of 950°C.
Our cookware has a 'safety margin' which can vary from 150°C for non-stick coated items to 560°C for cookware described as above.
When this happens, cookware will become permanently damaged by the very high temperatures and should then be disposed of.
We hope you found this article useful and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.