Retrospect, appliances: the grill melted

Self-tutoring about appliances: the tutor mentions an event from decades ago.

I knew a guy who was very smart and interested in almost everything – including real estate. Along with his real estate interests came other consequences like buying new furniture and appliances.

One time I was invited to an impromptu house-warming party at one of his new flats. Another friend and I were doing some work there as the party just developed around us. The guy who owned the flat decided he’d cook the first dinner on a new range that had just arrived.

I don’t know what happened, but I think the burner, being gas, heated up more rapidly than he’d expected. Soon a grease fire started. It didn’t spread; rather, some got under the burner and caught fire. He tried to put it out, but couldn’t, so realized he’d have to let it burn out on its own. After a few minutes, the grease burned off. It was then that he noticed – and commented – that part of the grill had melted from the grease fire. It was hard to believe, but you couldn’t deny it, since it was plain to see.

I recall the flame being bright orange, so it might have been around 1000°C or more. I seemed to overhear that, examining the melted metal, people thought it was aluminum, which has a melting point of around 660°C.

The owner said that the range was a new product in Canada, so he had been one of the first to buy one.

Source:

thyssenkrupp-materials.co.uk

sciencing.com