Are frequent short cooks hard on ceramic?

tenpenny_05

This thought has been stuck in my head for the last few days and I can't shake it.

80% of my cooks are short and semi-hot. On a normal day, I get home from work, light the grill and the lump go for about 5 minutes with the lid open while I prep food. Close it up around 350/450, cook my food (chicken, burgers, steak, fish) and as soon as the food is done I close top and bottom vents. Next day I repeat the same process.

Is this repeated cold/hot/cold/hot ok?  My main concern is that since the cooks are so short, the whole grill isn't getting evenly heated.

Open to any opinions on this one...

RRP

That's fine - besides I see no reason to even have that cross your mind! Egg-On!!!

Photo Egg

Life time warranty on ceramics if purchased from dealer. I would not worry about it.

nolaegghead

Heating ceramic up quickly and unevenly creates more stress than heating it up slowly and evenly.

This is a fact.

That said, don't worry about it.  Cook how you want.  It's a tool, and it's designed to grill as well as bake.  If there are any flaws in the ceramic that cause an early demise, there is a warranty to replace faulty ceramic.

Cook on my friend.

thetrim

You may need to remove your avatar

cookingdude555

thetrim said:

You may need to remove your avatar

Hahahaha

bigegger

imo your normal day routine is fine and not really fast enough that is heats up and cools down "too fast" to cause any concerns.
My question is when i want to blast my egg at 500-600 degrees for pizza during a 10 degree cold day outside if this will warrant any problems?

NPHuskerFL

Ok I don't care who you are...that's just funny!

thetrim said:

You may need to remove your avatar

Oh yeah and egg on and stuff. 

JohnInCarolina

nolaegghead said:

Heating ceramic up quickly and unevenly creates more stress than heating it up slowly and evenly.

This is a fact.

Thermomechanics for the win!

SmokeyPitt

I don't think the short cooks are causing any undue stress. The ceramic may not be evenly heated while you are cooking, but it takes a while for the egg to cool down. I think by the time the egg cools off it is fairly evenly heated. 

However, if you cook on it often and keep it for many years your egg will probably crack no matter what you do. 

JustRog

Over ten years of constant use.  Most times the cooks are done just as the OP describes.  Cracked fire box and warped plate but the egg smokes on !

Woodchunk

Is that gasket original?

cookingdude555

Woodchunk said:

Is that gasket original?

I don't see a gasket 

JustRog

Gaskets are so yesterday

SamIAm2

I think his signature may explain his concern. Warranty may not be in play.

Kansas City, Kansas

Second hand Medium BGE, Second hand Weber Kettle, Second hand Weber Smokey Mountain

1voyager

On the other extreme, the Waldo Canyon fire In Colorado Springs proved that an LBGE could survive temperatures near 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Flames combined with 65mph winds created a firestorm in the area known as Mountain Shadows. 357 houses burned to the ground. Cars were burned to the frame, appliance housings melted and steel support beams were twisted like pretzels. (FYI - My house survived but the fire came within 2 blocks before it was contained.)

What in the world does any of this have to do with Big Green Egg, you ask???

Fast forward a few months later to my trip to my local Ace Hardware. As I approached the BGE area I noticed a picture of some of the worst devastation in Mountain Shadows area fire. I asked an Ace associate why such a terrible picture of some things all want to forget be displayed in a hardware store. She smiled and asked me to look at the picture closely. I didn't see anything other that the devastation. She said "Look there. What do you see?" It was a Large Big Green Egg! The nest had collapsed but the BGE looked to have survived. The associate said the owner replaced the nest, wood handle, shelves, gasket and the daisy wheel because the wire handle melted. The dome, base, platesetter, and firebox were not damaged. 

HeavyG

Not really surprising since kamados are fired in a kiln that is hotter than 2000°F.

blasting

My philospophy - my grills are my tools, and I'm gonna use them without babying them.  I'm pretty sure an egg will handle what you can dish out though.

SmokingPiney

blasting said:

My philospophy - my grills are my tools, and I'm gonna use them without babying them.  I'm pretty sure an egg will handle what you can dish out though.

Agree. 

It's a cooker - not super fragile Elven magic in ceramic form. Use it to cook like you want to. 

Toxarch

I am not even sure the ceramic is getting hot enough to make a whole lot of difference. IMO, you are not heating it up too fast, it's not too high of a temp, and shutting everything down means a slow cool down. I wouldn't worry about it. The ceramic has a lifetime warranty.

nolaegghead

Thermal mass is your friend here.