Collapsible Chimney Starter Mods?

[ChadVKealey]

Re: Collapsible Chimney Starter Mods?

Stainless steel cannot be electroplated, only welded. What you're experiencing sounds more like the breakdown of low-quality grade of stainless steel when exposed to high heat. That heat can accelerate oxidation (like corrosion) and break down the integrity of stainless steel.

OK, my bad on the "plated" part...I was going on someone else's assessment of the sub-par "stainless" grill grates. They look/work fantastic for the first 5-6 cooks, then they start pitting and rusting regardless of how well you clean and maintain them. The common lore is that you should use a magnet to determine the quality/purity of stainless steel. If it sticks, it's low-quality and should be avoided. I just pretty much avoid any Chinese-sourced stainless items, or, if I do buy them, understand that their lifespan is limited.

[tplife]

Re: Collapsible Chimney Starter Mods?

Avoid taking "common lore" as fact, but we all have a lot of these myths taken to heart as truth (like that the DNC helps the poor, LOL). Many microsurgical instruments are magnetic to allow easy location when necessary in the OR. Magnetism can mean low chromium content, but it's not a sole judge of quality in stainless either. Many types of SS are magnetic, although the typical household 300-grade isn't. Higher-grade 400 series SS is magnetic, but is actually of higher grade quality. It's truly weird physics, but repeatedly bending SS will give it a magnetic charge, and heating it to over 700 degrees will remove the charge. Crazy stuff.