Sooty Saucepans

[LONG_KEELER]

Calor gas seems just as bad as spirit stoves for blackening the bottoms of pots and pans.

Any ideas ?

 

[MikeCC]

Wire wool?

 

[ctva]

Sounds like you have burner problem as they should burn clean. If the flame is not blue and clean you might also have a CO problem.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Calor gas seems just as bad as spirit stoves for blackening the bottoms of pots and pans.

Any ideas ?

Check your stove is working right clear jets, clear/proper air flow, correct/good regulator.
Butane (blue)is a nightmare for soot, Calor (red/propane) really shouldnt be so bad.
The flame should start within a few mm of the burner and have only an occasional yellow/orange flit.

 

[Prasutigus]

Greetings..

if gas is making your pots black, check the flame for yellow, the dreaded CO might be wafting around.

Otherwise, what harm is it doing? Always useful for blacking up, if you are into Morris Dancing, a bit part in the Black and White Minstrel Show, starring in Othello, special forces night ops, don't waste it.

 

[Capt. Clueless]

buy a set of black pans.

 

[duncan99210]

buy a set of black pans.

Oh, like that one!

Seriously, if the gas is burning such that it's giving sooty bottoms to the pans, there's something amiss with the burners. We had a bit of a problem like that this summer and it was down to a rust build up on the underside of the flame spreaders. Cleaned them up and that sorted the problem. If that isn't a problem, check your regulator. If the gas isn't at the right pressure it can also give rise to sooty flames.

 

[Boathook]

As others there is something wrong with the burners / pressure, etc. The cooker should be as 'clean' as the one at home running on gas.

 

[jamie N]

With my Origo meths stove, I lightly wipe washing up liquid on the bottom of the base before using them. They then clean up very easily.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

It could also be from cooking residue or spills on the 'grid' supports upon which the pans sit. Any residue here is burnt off by the flame and the effect of this is blackening of the pan bottoms.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

I'm a spirit cooker now using bioethanol . Perhaps this might produce more soot than meths. Will investigate.

 

[jamie N]

I wrote meths in my post, as I couldn't be arsed to write 'Bio-Ethanol' at the time! I've used Bio-E, in preference to meths for a couple of years, as it produces less soot! I believe that the flame temperatures are about the same.