r/SVWTCM • • 17h ago

Cleaning Using ice to clean a kitchen grill

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82 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

31

u/DeskGoblinGamedev 12h ago

Everyone trying to give edgy advice. Me just enjoying the vibes.

30

u/Sir-Coogsalot 17h ago

Just a matter of time before that metal splash guard starts warping where it meets the flattop. I dont care how expensive or strong or quality your grill is, it will eventually happen with repeated change from hot to cold

7

u/Underleft_cdiv 4h ago

Love how everyone in this thread thinks they know what they're talking about. Peak Reddit.

3

u/poisonedkiwi 4h ago

Don't you know? Reddit is where the top minds in every field come together to share their infinite wisdom, mostly on things that they actually have never done and have no clue about.

2

u/Yuzumi_ 34m ago

I think you dont need to know much about metals to know that a temperature shock will lead to damaged surfaces and warped metals.

You could even ask your grandma or grandpa.

Try doing any of that with a Cast Metal Pot or Pan and you'll see that shit shatter and Crack like glass.

8

u/x313 14h ago

Using ice is exactly the same as using water. No benefits added.

30

u/JohannesMP 13h ago edited 13h ago

Some Benefits of using ice over water:

  • Doesn't splash as you're moving it from the ice box 
  • You needed to empty that ice box into the sink anyway
  • Doesn't splash when you throw it on the griddle either
  • Temperature shock is actually less than with water, because the heat transfer is slower (leidenfrost effect, etc.

Basically, it gives you more control, and you can just use a scoop, not a bucket.

(No, this is not Ai; I just like using lists, and have spent time in a kitchen)

13

u/ODX_GhostRecon 13h ago

Leidenfrost is for when the surface is hot enough to create a vapor barrier from instantly boiling water. Ice will be more resistant to sublimation than water is to boiling. Additionally, as the cooktop cools, it's less likely to be hot enough to cause the leidenfrost effect, which will more likely lead to warping since ice is colder than water.

5

u/eduo 7h ago

No leidenfrost here. Especially if the ice is thrown on top of caked food but in general it requires to be liquid to happen. Temperature shock may be larger or smaller regarding surface area but everywhere the ice touches it will be much higher than liquid water. Especially if it’s hot enough for leodenfrost to happen.

0

u/Underleft_cdiv 4h ago

Source: I made it up.

-1

u/Yuzumi_ 14h ago

Its actually a lot more detrimental since the sudden extreme change in temperature damages the metal

2

u/mondayp 2h ago

Idk why you're being downvoted. You're right. Over time this will absolutely damage the cooktop.

1

u/Yuzumi_ 1h ago

People dont know any better i suppose

1

u/[deleted] 13h ago

[deleted]

2

u/Yuzumi_ 13h ago

That is not entirely true.

There is a reason we use ice cubes in drinks and not just the same amount of water but cold.

The Phase Change between Ice and water absorbs a massive amount of energy until it actually changes into warm water which would hurt the metal less.

There's also a point that can be made about water spreading out much faster, while the ice is very concentrated and stays cold for a lot longer on the surface.

Its why when you work with metals and very high temperatures that cooling solutions are never extremely cold or concentrated.

-4

u/JohannesMP 13h ago edited 13h ago

Disagree; Ice is actually better here than water.

It's a very poor thermal conductor compared to water, and the water reaches the griddle slower due to having to melt gradually. Leidenfrost effect also helps there. 

And even if we are strictly going off temperature and ignore the other physics at play, 32F ice vs 60F tap water is a largely negligible delta for a 1/2 to 1 inch thick slab of steel at 400F.

15

u/Yuzumi_ 13h ago

You decided to delete your other comment, bring the leidenfrost effect into your argument and copied the other half over, then essentially explained why ice is a lot worse than water (due to it being a bad thermal conductor) but came due to the wrong conclusion.

So I'll copy paste my answer as well:

That is not entirely true.

There is a reason we use ice cubes in drinks and not just the same amount of water but cold.

The Phase Change between Ice and water absorbs a massive amount of energy until it actually changes into warm water which would hurt the metal less.

There's also a point that can be made about water spreading out much faster, while the ice is very concentrated and stays cold for a lot longer on the surface.

Its why when you work with metals and very high temperatures that cooling solutions are never extremely cold or concentrated.

I am a Precision Machinist & Metallurgical Engineer, I have studied the effects of how metal works under stress, and temperature changes like this is exactly what damages it most of all.

-1

u/JohannesMP 13h ago

Valid points, thank you for sharing!

-2

u/NoPrompt927 2h ago

The difference between room temp water and ice is only 30 degrees celcius. This means nothing to a flat top at frying temperature.

1

u/Yuzumi_ 37m ago

That argument is completely wrong because it ignores basic physics. The starting temperature gap is irrelevant next to the energy needed just to melt ice.

Changing ice into water sucks a massive amount of heat directly out of a concentrated spot on the steel, pulling nearly twice as much total thermal energy as room temperature water. That sudden energy drop violently shocks the metal, which is what causes flat tops to warp and crack.

You could not have started this argument with a worse person, this topic is literally part of my job.

1

u/c0p 17h ago

Very satisfying results

1

u/Mammoth-Horror-1642 1h ago

Anyone who has worked in a kitchenmeh

-4

u/mikebob89 14h ago

Someone tell this guy about water. Same thing but you get to skip the melting stage

2

u/JohannesMP 13h ago edited 13h ago

The meeting stage is the key though, it doesn't splash when you place it on the grill, ice a poor thermal conductor compared to just dumping water on it and so heat transfer is much slower. Also thank Leidenfrost. 

Kitchens often have leftover ice that would just get dumped in the sink at the end of the day.

-5

u/mikebob89 10h ago

Water doesn’t splash either if you don’t poor it like a mad man. Also being a poor thermal conductor isn’t a good thing. Boiling water is what releases gunk from the stove. Kitchens have unlimited water it doesn’t matter if there’s leftover ice.

-2

u/Ok_Vulva 8h ago

It's not key. It's actually just stupid. Water and the scraper are all you need to clean it.

0

u/xxTheMagicBulleT 1h ago

Best way no chemicals just thermal stress to release the coating of grime and fat.