Glass still safe after boil-off?
I accidentally let all the water boil off in my standard glass kettle (if it matters, it's a Medelco WK112 OneAll Stovetop Whistling Kettle). It didn't crack, and cleaned up fine.
But might there be a lingering chemical change that's left the glass unsafe? (E.g., is there anything it might leach into the water I'll be boiling day after day?)
As per the suggestion of @moscafj, I asked the manufacturer, which replied:
Hi- we do not recommend you to use that kettle any longer if it was boiled out dry as stated in our instructions."
But I am still interested in the question. (I'll get a new kettle to be on the safe side, but not because I "always trust the manufacturer.")
Best Answer
While @Brendan's answer is the correct one as it comes directly from the manufacturer, the risk with glass and other ceramics is not that it will start to leach chemicals into the water, but rather that the glass has been subjected to heat in an abnormal and uneven fashion (the heat is at the bottom and localized, the top will be coolish).
This uneven heating could potentially lead to stresses on the glass that are not visible to the naked eye, but have resulted in microfractures or general weakening of the glass structure. As a result the kettle could potentially collapse/shatter, especially if filled to a high level and boiled. This would result in large volumes of boiling water being released and could result in burns from direct contact with the water and from steam.
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Quick Answer about "Glass still safe after boil-off?"
Unleaded glass is unlikely to leach anything nasty into your water. I think the risk is not that it will leach anything, but rather that the glass has been subjected to temperatures that might make it brittle and prone to breaking.Does glass break if you boil it?
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Answer 2
The manufacturer replied:
"Hi- we do not recommend you to use that kettle any longer if it was boiled out dry as stated in our instructions."
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