Yet more lifestyle self-tutoring: the tutor shares a find from cooking.

I don’t like getting burned, so use oven mitts whenever something might be hot.

Yesterday, I was boiling water to cook pasta. I used a higher-quality pot than I usually do: Normally I just use the ordinary pots, leaving my wife to use the “better” ones.

I had the lid on the pot so the water would boil faster. When I could hear the water boiling, I looked at the lid – specifically, at its metal handle.

The lids of the pots I normally use have wooden handles, so are safe to grab even when hot. However, since this pot’s handle is metal, I wondered if it would be safe to touch. Beneath it, of course, was boiling water – would the lid burn me?

Reaching out, I gave the handle a light touch and found it to be safe. Surprised, I lifted the lid off, added the pasta, and continued cooking. Yet I wondered how the handle could be cool, when in contact with a lid above boiling water.

Today, research tells me that stainless steel has poor heat conductivity – meaning its temperature doesn’t rise or fall easily, even when around ojects hotter or colder.

I placed the lid back on the pot after reducing the heat. The handle did become noticeably warmer later, but still safe to lift the lid off quickly.

The pot doesn’t say its metal on it; I surmise it must be stainless steel.

Source:

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Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.