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Lighting alcohol question

Willie Lump Lump
Willie Lump Lump Posts: 229
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I am a fan of the alcohol method, but have some chemistry questions as to the different types of alcohol available.
Is there a deference between Isopropanal, denatured and rubbing alcohol?
Is denatured alcohol 100% alcohol (like 90% ethanol and 10% methanol)?
The reason I ask is because of the problems I’ve had with 70% alcohol and gelled alcohol not getting hot enough.
Anyone have a good source for high percentage alcohol at the best price?
Thanks, WLL

Comments

  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    sorry i use the expensive one........... 151

    eggin003.jpg


    ha ha sorry i could not help it.. i hope i do not ruin your post..


    but i have no idea to your question i use a mapp torch



    hope someone has your answer

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Great picture, hope you also put some of the 151 in you.
    :woohoo:

    Cheers,Beers and 151 to ya.

    Bordello
    In the pub & on the hunt. :woohoo:
  • What are you doing there Bente? Plantains?

    As to the question, I have had great luck with the Paraffin cubes.
  • Mike in Abita
    Mike in Abita Posts: 3,302
    Denatured has some type of additive that prevents it from being used for human consumption. Working in the gasloine industry, they denature the ethanol used in blending gas to stop people from drinking it.

    I hear that Wally world has 91% denatured alcohol in the personal hygiene area.
  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    i have actually not drank any of it since 1990 :blink: is was very good in daquris but i have been drinking more spiced rum when i drink rum.. but don't worrk my bourbon intake makes up for my loss in rum intake :woohoo:

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    bananas foster:::

    Dessert, Bananas Foster, Rick's Tropical Delight

    WoW! you guys are in a posting flurry today! i read from work, but i cannot post from work.so anyway, the bananas foster recipe is from Mario Batali, my hero...from his Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style cookbook.


    INGREDIENTS:
    4 bananas, ripe, but not over-ripe (i used 6 per pan at the eggtoberfest)
    1/2 stick butter
    6 Tbs of packed brown sugar (i used 1/2 cup at eggtoberfest)
    1/2 tsp cinnamon (i used 1 teaspoon at eggtoberfest)
    2 oz 151 rum
    vanilla ice cream



    Procedure:
    1 get everything ready because it goes pretty quick once you get started...
    2 peel and half the bananas lengthwise (i cut them the other way at eggtoberfest and usually do because there is more surface area to hold onto the sauce and it's easier to stir them... your choice really)
    3 heat cast iron skillet over high heat till smoking.
    4 put butter in pan. it should melt and start to brown quickly.
    5 add brown sugar and stir to form a caramel-like sauce that bubbles quickly such that when you stop stirring, it "foams" quickly.
    6 add cinnamon and stir.
    7 i do this part a little different than Mario... add bananas and stir to coat with sauce and let cook for no more than two minutes.
    8 add 151 rum CAREFULLY!! and dribble the last drops into the fire so it ignites. (mario adds the rum first before the bananas)
    9 if rum doesn't light, use a LONG lighter and be ready to jerk your arm back! (you might have observed a little singeing on my arm hair at eggtoberfest)
    10 once the flames die off, about 30 seconds, take off heat and serve with vanilla ice cream (i used light whipped cream at eggtoberfest)
    11 be very careful with the rum cause it WILL BURN YOU! and that's the last thing i need to be reading on the forum.
    12 do NOT let the butter and sugar cook for too long as it will burn and taste like it.
    13 enjoy and BE CAREFUL! if you are not comfortable with fire and flaming alcohol, DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS.
    14 thanks for all the great comments on this one eggers! and sorry about that third pan whoever got some of that. now you know what burnt butter and brown sugar tastes like *cringe*


    Recipe Type
    Dessert

    Recipe Source
    Source: BGE Eggtoberfest '07, Rick's Tropical Delight, 10/22/07

    eggin008.jpg

    we put it on ice cream ;)

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

  • Looks nad sounds great. I will have to try it this summer.
  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    if you live in florida isn't it already almost summer already? :blink:


    :P

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

  • I think it is only spring we are still in the mid 70's summer will be here in a few weeks when it gets back to the mid and upper 90's.
  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    ok then try it on whipped cream instead of ice cream :)


    it is pretty tastey if you get a chance ;)

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Wally World is where I get mine - 91°.

    On my large I have to soak 2 areas about 1.5 oz each side of center and not too big of an area or there won't be enough fuel to ignite the lump . Most of the time I get a nice light. Once in a while 1 out of 15 or 20 lights I might need to get the torch out to supplement the starting process.

    If I had to go to the effort of figuring out which alcohol or order it in, I would go back to paper towel & oil, torch or weed burner.

    I don't bother with starter cubes any more as the filler material seems to never really be completely consumed until well into the cook.

    However, for those using starter cubes, get a fireplace log and cut pieces off of that. 3 bucks for one log will give a huge amount of starter cubes (pieces).

    GG
  • Mike in Abita
    Mike in Abita Posts: 3,302
    Of all the photos ever posted on the forum, that one ranks tops in my book of "Coolest looking" :cheer:
  • Morro Bay Rich
    Morro Bay Rich Posts: 2,227
    Isopropyl alcohol and rubbing alcohol are the same thing.

    Denatured alcohol is ethanol with additives that will make you sick if you drink it.

    100% Denatured alcohol is ethanol that has had an additive added to it which will break what is called an aziotrope of ethanol and water. When you distill ethanol it comes over with 5% water. To get above 95% ethanol the additive is added to disassociate the alcohol and the water. I'm not too sure what is used now but it used to be benzene.
  • mo egg
    mo egg Posts: 143
    you need 91% alcohol. someone on this site soaked cotton balls with 91% alcohol and placed 3 or 4 in lump and light sounds like that might be the way to go
  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
    the rubbing alcohol section at the store will have several differrent options 70% ethyl and 70% isopropyl and the same in 90%. obviously 90% burns better as it has less water
    isopropyl is common rubbing alcohol and is toxic when injested. c3h7oh. it is what is on that little pad the nurse wipes your arm with before an injection

    ethyl alcohol c2h5oh is 'adult medication' drinking alcohol.. it is denatured [rendered poisonous] by the addition of any number of different compounds, most commonly, methanol ch3oh or wood alcohol.
    you can also buy denatured alcohol at the hardware/ paint store. it is used for alcohol torches and surface cleaning.
    sterno is denatured and gelled ethyl.. street bums used to put in a sock and squeeze out the alcohol and called the cocktail "squeeze" when drunk it often resulted i blindness or death ..

    i will check price per ounce of pharmacy versus hardware store this week and get back to you .
    bill
  • Sundown
    Sundown Posts: 2,980
    I love my MAPP torch!
  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    thanks mike

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb