[Stoves] insulated pots - Tony Chan

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Tony

This is getting a little old but just in case ....

There is an idea in the below (in your message) that deserves following.

Friends:  Tony suggests that to insulate the side of a pot will cost more
heat than it saves, especially when the stove is on 'high'.  Tony, I am not
sure if you are still with us in the group.  My question is, has anyone
quantified what the influence of a pot insulator would be, based on material
and pot size? It is a good 'thermo' question.

I think the answer would be a general formula not a single number.  For
example if you insulated the lid of a pot there is only gain.  If you
started placing an insulating blanket around a pot starting at the top and
working down, there would be a heat retention gain up to the point where
heat arriving in from the sides would be kept out.  Where is that point?
Does it exist if there is no side skirt?

Then, developing Tony's point, somewhere there is enough gain from
insulation to justify the loss during boiling.  It may turn out that the
heat retained during most of the cooking more than offsets the loss during
the initial high power boil, or in fact that there is a net gain all the
time even with a pot that is insulated on the sides all the way to the
bottom corner.

I have not yet seen such a pot but it would be pretty simple to make one.
Why aren't all pots insulated (especially on top)?

Regards
Crispin


-----Original Message-----
From: stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of tony chan
Sent: January 12, 2007 6:29 PM
To: stoves at listserv.repp.org
Subject: [Stoves] insulated pots

Hello everyone:

This is my first post, so please tell me if this is properly done.

Insulating a cooking pot is great on top, but around the edges, would reduce
the heat transfer from flame to content, so we can lose more then we gain.
(insulated a simmering pot would work, but hard boiling we could lose lots
of heat transfer area).  So pot design (tall, squat; concave/convex/round
bottoms; etc) is another rabbit trail, just as ingredient preparation ; )
Martin

[snip]

Tony Chan
Winnipeg MB