How come "stainless steel" kitchen pans and kettles rust?
I thought stainless steel isn't supposed to rust. Most recently, I discovered the inside of my "stainlesss steel" KitchenAid kettle, was rusting. This doesn't make any sense. So does this mean that the manufacturer is lying about the metal composition of the kettle? If so, what are my options? The warranty was up many years ago. Isn't the consumption of rust, which is inevitable if you are using cookware that has rust on it, a health hazard? I've noticed that many "stainless steel" cookware items tend to rust after a while. I know when I was growing up, stainless steel meant no rusting. What has happened in the last decade to our cooking ware? And what are the health consequences of consuming rust in our foods?
overtime the coating on the stainless wears and allows the metal to oxodize
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4 Responses to “How come "stainless steel" kitchen pans and kettles rust?”
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Posted by: admin : Category: Cookware Kitchenaid
December 26th, 2008 at 2:01 am
overtime the coating on the stainless wears and allows the metal to oxodize
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December 26th, 2008 at 2:24 am
There is information in the first link that will let you know what might have happened.
Also, you may want to try what is prescribed by answer #3 on link 2.
The consensus is that while the steel is technically "stainless," it still can be stained or "rust."
References :
http://bbq.about.com/od/stainlesssteelgrills/a/aa042305a_2.htm
http://www.ssina.com/faq/index.html#3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
December 26th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Stainless steel is actually an iron alloy. It also contains a minimum of 11.5 wt% chromium, which gives it a nice shine. What really give it strength and resistance to rust and/or staining is the carbon. While the iron is hot, the molecules are far apart. Carbon is quickly introduced at this time. When the iron cools, the carbon is trapped within the aligned atoms. What's really important is the amount of carbon, along with a few other factors. Some manufacturers produce high-quality stainless steel, while others don't. The results can vary greatly.
While KitchenAid is a decent product, it's not the best. All-Clad or Mauviel are top shelf products, but they can cost you. TJ Maxx stocks up on All-Clad from time to time. If you swing by there enough times, you can build up an impressive collection and save some cash.
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December 26th, 2008 at 3:11 am
There are several grades of stainless steel, and several often show up in kitchen utensils. Stainless steel GENERALLY isn't supposed to rust, but many people do not know that it is actually rust resistant rather than totally rust proof. In other words, it's not likely to rust, but it certainly can happen. The fact that you mentioned that the item is a kettle is probably a hint; water proabably was trapped in the kettle for a certain period of time and now the result is rust.
There is also the chance that the stainless steel might not be rusting-it's just turned a nasty off color. This can happen due to a number of things. One thing that many people don't know is that stainless steel can be damaged very easily by exposure to direct heat at high temperatures. Once this has happened, the stainless steel has discolored and nothing can bring it back.
Also, of all the major grades of stainless steel only the so-called 18-8 alloy is truly stainless. The other alloys that fit into the category of stainless steel all tend to discolor very easily when exposed to certain substances. Whenever you have a pan or knife made of stainless steel, wash it immediately after use, as it can stain very easily, especially when allowed to sit.
There's also the chance that the stainless steel was coated with something else and this is causing some problems, although this wouldn't be my first guess.
High heat might have also damaged the surface of the kettle, undermining its integrity and leading to the onset of rust when it normally might not have happened.
Rust generally isn't the largest problem when it comes to metallic problems in the kitchen. I'm not going to say that it's the best thing that can happen, but it is edible in trace amounts. The main problem with rust is that it tastes horrible and the taste cannot be disguised by any means. For quality concerns as well as your long-term helath, I would recommend either retiring or discarding the pan for the time being and finding a replacement.
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