Cooler Temperatures

Hello,

I am planning out a new brew system and was looking at what I would need for the HLT. I was planning for electric and found a nice 8 gal cooler. I did some math for a two step induction mash, and noticed that I would need to get water in the 200 - 210 F range. Will a cooler handle this? And if it does, could I handle boiling in a cooler as well? - Wasn't in the plan, but if it works.....

Appreciate your time

Dave

Just to follow up, I haven't got a lot of definitive information on this. There is a concern that some toxins can escape the plastic at extremely high temps. I've had recommendations to either line the inside of the coolers with aluminum or stainless sheets, or silicone.

Dave

I wouldn't recommend using a plastic cooler to heat water to 200 degrees. Even at mash temps of 155-160, many people report some slight deformation of the cooler. Not enough to render it unusable, but it certainly indicates that pushing the upper 100's will begin to degrade the shape and insulating integrity of a plastic cooler.