Using Aluminum Foil

Turk

Giving everyone a heads up. Last weekend I did a cook for about 18 people. I was using 4 large chickens and I wanted to use use an traditional Hoosier sauce. I set the the Egg up for indirect cooking. I used the wire grid with the large stone wrapped in aluminum foil on top. I used the three layer grid on top of that as I needed the space. Cooked the chicken (cut-up) as usual and basted with the sauce the last 10 minutes. The meal turned out great as always. When I did the clean up the stone that was wrapped in the foil had turned absolutely black. It appears to be OK though I have not baked on it since. However the grid was badly pitted and the foil had fuzzed to it to the extent that it cannot be removed. I have cooked on the grid since and it seems to be OK but I was ticked off big time. The foil was Reynolds Heavy Duty. Has anyone else had this happen?

RRP

I have had aluminum foil melt before so yes I've had it happen. As for the stone being black - mine is shiny black from years of baking pizzas and I'm proud of it. My gut feeling that the glaze on your wire grate has cracked - which it will do because of trapped heat and the melted foil - even though minute in size - has entered those cracks and stuck. You might be able to clean it, but don't get your hopes up. BTW that's why I pitched those glazed grills years ago and went to stainless steel ones and cast iron ones.

Capt Frank

I think RRP nailed it
I love stainless & CI

Capt Frank
Homosassa, FL

Rascal

If you are referring to "porcelainized" grates, they are for c**p and break down in no time, exposing the carbon-steel core that rusts and quickly renders the cooking surface unusable. SS rocks if it doesn't come from Asia, but then again, nowadays, what doesn't? Check SS products with a magnet. If they test positive leave 'em in the store!

RRP

yes - that was what I meant - I still have mental scars from being beaten on this board when I was critical of the OEM porcelain coated grate! A few years back when tjv was cutting this teeth putting his company together he organized a special deal whereby a bunch of us collectivity went together and had some grate manufacturer fabricate wonderful stainless steel grates for us. Mine are still excellent - though I wish I would have bought spares!

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

magnets will cling to stainless steel sometimes simply because it has been stressed during manufacture.

stainless hand rail, for example, will not be magnetic along the straight portions, but a magnet will grab where it has been bent.

RRP

So, Jeff, would the gentle rolling process of making the outer ring for a grate cause enough stress to magnetize it or are you talking about pieces with real mass?