Boiling Oddity

[hider]

I am confused by boiling water.

If I boil my small electric kettle which is plastic and pour the water into instant coffee it makes a flat black coffee, unsurprisingly.

But if I boil water on the gas in my aluminium kettle it makes a creamy head on a black coffee with exactly the same coffee and boiling. No milk, nothing.

Why?

[5239]

Ask Bill Oddie

[Peugeot 106]

Aluminium is a much better conductor of heat ( and electricity !) than plastic

but not sure how that explains your predicament.

if you wash a beer glass with fairy liquid you don’t get a head!

 

 

[hider]

1 minute ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Ask Bill Oddie

 

1 minute ago, Peugeot 106 said:

Aluminium is a much better conductor of heat ( and electricity !) than plastic

but not sure how that explains your predicament.

if you wash a beer glass with fairy liquid you don’t get a head!

 

 

He is 83 and probably can't be @rsed. Away with the birds.

Same cups, same wash. Its a mystery.

[MtB]

47 minutes ago, hider said:

Why?

 

I don't know!

 

Hope that helps....

 

But more seriously, the ally kettle probably has more thermal mass than the placky leccy kettle so the water continues to boil briefly as you lift it off the gas to pour, with heat energy from the ally still transferring into the water while you pour and keeping it right on boiling. While the placky kettle switches off and starts to cool immediately before you pick it up and start to pour. 

 

And another idea. Mebbe the placky kettle thermostat turns it orf at say 96c, rather than 100c. A 'safety feature' that is just a bloody nuisance perhaps, like so many of 'em!

 

 

[Peugeot 106]

1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

I don't know!

 

Hope that helps....

 

But more seriously, the ally kettle probably has more thermal mass than the placky leccy kettle so the water continues to boil briefly as you lift it off the gas to pour, with heat energy from the ally still transferring into the water while you pour and keeping it right on boiling. While the placky kettle switches off and starts to cool immediately before you pick it up and start to pour. 

 

And another idea. Mebbe the placky kettle thermostat turns it orf at say 96c, rather than 100c. A 'safety feature' that is just a bloody nuisance perhaps, like so many of 'em!

 

 

But the plastic kettle is a better insulator and should keep it hotter or maybe the aluminium one gets so hot it keeps heating?

[MtB]

Just now, Peugeot 106 said:

But the plastic kettle is a better insulator and should keep it hotter or maybe the aluminium one gets so hot it keeps heating?

 

Nope. 

 

 

Well yes to the second bit!!

[5239]

21 minutes ago, hider said:

 

He is 83 and probably can't be @rsed. Away with the birds.

Same cups, same wash. Its a mystery.

 

21 minutes ago, hider said:

 

He is 83 and probably can't be @rsed. Away with the birds.

Same cups, same wash. Its a mystery.

Try cleaning ‘em it might help,

the froth is most likely scum. 

I’m not a coffee snob but instant is shit, get a little espresso instead. 

[Rob-M]

Do the kettles have the same size spouts...?  Is one pouring water in quicker.

Edited July 26, 2024 by Rob-M

[Peugeot 106]

19 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Nope. 

 

 

Well yes to the second bit!!

Think you’ll find plastic best insulator aluminium worst

[MtB]

13 minutes ago, Peugeot 106 said:

Think you’ll find plastic best insulator aluminium worst

 

You clearly didn't read (or perhaps understand) my post! 

 

 

[LadyG]

I agree the aluminium kettle is still boiling as you pour it. 

Obviously I never use instant these days, I have a Melitta filter cup and paper filters, the coffee is never bitter.

Matchu Pichu is my favourite at the moment .

[Ianws]

10 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I agree the aluminium kettle is still boiling as you pour it. 

Obviously I never use instant these days, I have a Melitta filter cup and paper filters, the coffee is never bitter.

Matchu Pichu is my favourite at the moment .

Don't use water straight off the boil. It needs to cool down a bit. 

[hider]

No cut out on the electric. mugs

The stove kettle will cool a bit as I take it to the mugs, the electric is next to them.

I will try pausing.

We must like drinking s*it thank you as we prefer instant decaff., how rude.

[Peugeot 106]

12 hours ago, MtB said:

 

You clearly didn't read (or perhaps understand) my post! 

 

 

Apologies you are correct. Maybe he should try making coffee with luke warm water see if he gets the sand effect. I suspect he needs to get out more!

12 hours ago, Ianws said:

Don't use water straight off the boil. It needs to cool down a bit. 

I prefer Nescafe instant and prefer the bitter taste you get by adding boiling water! (Luddite)

[5239]

3 hours ago, hider said:

We must like drinking s*it thank you as we prefer instant decaff., how rude.

You may remember this then:

[bizzard]

I once had a party, a few of the quests reckoned they were coffee expurts. I served up Nescafe sweetened with Demorara sugar. The expurts couldn't believe how good it tasted, I though so too, really good.

[hider]

1 hour ago, bizzard said:

I once had a party, a few of the quests reckoned they were coffee expurts. I served up Nescafe sweetened with Demorara sugar. The expurts couldn't believe how good it tasted, I though so too, really good.

Always demerara sugar in instant and real coffee.

Camp was chicory, I had a boss who liked it!  With sterilised milk for heavens sake!

[ditchcrawler]

When I first worked offshore we had tea and coffee with tinned condensed milk, or "shaky shaky" as it was lovingly know as. When long life bilk  came out it was like Christmas every day.

[IanD]

10 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

When I first worked offshore we had tea and coffee with tinned condensed milk, or "shaky shaky" as it was lovingly know as. When long life bilk  came out it was like Christmas every day.

Any relation to Acker Bilk? He had a Christmas hit IIRC... 😉

[hider]

Solved it!

 

The spout of the aluminium kettle gets hot on the gas and when I pour it the water gets heated more as it runs through.

If I heat it on the smallest burner, though taking longer to boil. the spout doesn't get as hot.  No frothy coffee!

[Peugeot 106]

1 hour ago, hider said:

Solved it!

 

The spout of the aluminium kettle gets hot on the gas and when I pour it the water gets heated more as it runs through.

If I heat it on the smallest burner, though taking longer to boil. the spout doesn't get as hot.  No frothy coffee!

Good man at least you report

back with the outcome of your terrible problem when we have all spent time trying to help you. 
Wondering what happened to loose shaft/ coupling boat?

[hider]

35 minutes ago, Peugeot 106 said:

Good man at least you report

back with the outcome of your terrible problem when we have all spent time trying to help you. 
Wondering what happened to loose shaft/ coupling boat?

Thank you, I gave us both greenies on the strength of that post.

[Peugeot 106]

Didn’t realise you could give yourself greenie! Here goes!!

[hider]

6 minutes ago, Peugeot 106 said:

Didn’t realise you could give yourself greenie! Here goes!!

Whoopee!  Soon to be the favourite posters on the forum!