288906 Mon Apr 08 14:18:08 -0700 2002 10 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1561414 I don't know if this "about food" or not, but we'll start here and see what happens. Couple of nights ago i fried some bacon in a well-seasoned castiron skillet. To stop the smoke, i put a stainless steel lid atop the hot skillet. Since the skillet is large, the lid stopped the smoke, but the rim of the lid rested in the hot grease--overnight, as it turned out. The next morning, when i lifted the lid to clean the skillet, i was greeted with a very powerful awful smell. In fact, it filled the whole kitchen. It smelled like an "aromatic" solvent--like MEK, lacquer thinner, etc.-- cut with bacon grease. I cleaned the skillet with warm water and gave it a rub of grease. The smell seemed to linger, but then it went away. Worried about poisining myself, but not wanting to pitch a great pan, i called my (ex) bro-in law who's a chemical engineer. He thought that there may have indeed been "a reaction" between the hot pan/grease and the stainless lid. But he could not be specific about the exact nature of the reaction or it's product--only enough to advise that i hadn't poisoned the skillet and i should continue using it. Now. Has anyone else encountered a similar "reaction" and what was the product of the reaction that caused that weird smell? Thanks. Mon Apr 08 14:18:08 -0700 2002 0 CliffA 1 1561418 Cliff, Gen'l Topics is indeed the right place for cooking questions like this...though if it starts to morph into seriously hardcore chemistry, the moderators may ask for it to be moved to "Not About Food". I'm no scientist, but I find it hard to believe that stainless steel and grease could combine unfelicitously. There's a whole lot of grease rubbing up on a whole lot of stainless steel all the time, without creating toxic clouds. I suspect there's another factor/variable that you've not yet considered. Was the lid totally clean, for instance? Was the pan resting on the heat of the pilot light over night? Does the lid have any non-steel elements (a handle, etc)? If so, have you thoroughly checked those elements for meltage? Anything else you can give us here? ciao Mon Apr 08 14:31:01 -0700 2002 1561414 0 Jim Leff 2 1561433 I expect that the person who suggested non stainless parts of the lid is in the right track. On the several occasions when I have let a handle get too hot I have noticed a very "chemical" smell characteristic of chlorinated hydrocarbons. I can't imagine any kind of reaction between cast iron and ss and can imagine even less anything from those materials that would result in that kind of smell. Good luck! Mon Apr 08 16:43:36 -0700 2002 1561418 0 Kass 3 1561560 Cast iron has an odor. Put your nose to the pan and give it a sniff, it smells like iron. When it was hot and you put the lid on it you captured, trapped and intensified that odor. You are smelling iron and bacon grease. Next time, put your bacon in a cold skillet and cook it over low heat, less spattering, less curling and instead of a lid, try a spatter screen, be aware that iron leaches into the food that your are cooking and that is why it is recommended you do not cook acidic foods in it too, wow do you get the iron flavor and smell. Also microwaved bacon is less greasy (use a rack designed for this)and then there is the old oven method, put it on the broiler rack and bake at 350 F. until crisp. Again most of the fat will have drained into the drip pan and you get less fat in your food. Which ever method you choose is fine, but if you are going to cook it on the stove top, always start in a cold pan and cook it at low to medium heat, never hot. Tue Apr 09 17:49:21 -0700 2002 1561433 0 cgrover 4 1561562 Thanks. Tue Apr 09 17:54:03 -0700 2002 1561560 0 CliffA 2 1561561 Again, my chemical engineer said that it was a heat/stainless/grease/castiron reaction. And then went into a lot of molecular/chemical jargon. I can ask for a more complete description of the chemistry involved if you are interested. Tue Apr 09 17:51:49 -0700 2002 1561418 0 CliffA 3 1561605 Cliff, I figured you were posting a query here because you weren't fully satisfied with your scientist friend's explanation. I was just trying to pitch in and help you dig up other possibilities, that's all. The jargon would certainly be over my head. Tue Apr 09 23:06:03 -0700 2002 1561561 0 Jim Leff 4 1561810 Didn't mean to sound anything but appreciative for your input and suggestions for additional research. Best. CA Thu Apr 11 17:13:03 -0700 2002 1561605 0 CliffA 5 1561850 Hey, my input wasn't GOOD enough for "appreciation"! Sorry I couldn't offer more. You make any further progress on it? Lots of us are tensely awaiting the solution to the mystery! ciao Thu Apr 11 23:30:50 -0700 2002 1561810 0 Jim Leff 3 1563024 I would really appriciate it if you can send me more infomaton about castiron & its reaction. Thank You Tue Feb 01 09:09:36 -0800 2005 1561561 0 Beatrice Mulugeta 1 1561543 Cliff, The smell might be caused by the stainless steel, which in many compositions is highly reactive. (Strangely, it appears noncorrosive because it corrodes at the atomic level so quickly and tightly.) What may be the culprit is the stainless combining with a sulfite compound or a nitrite (i.e., bacon or eggs)? Tue Apr 09 15:50:00 -0700 2002 1561414 0 lucia