Rocking Pot ;(

So I finally got some time to start my first homebrew. My starter kit has been sitting in the living room for about 1-2 weeks waiting and waiting for me to break it in. So finally get everything set up. turn on the stove and started boiling water when I went in the other room and heard a strange noise.

I guess its because I have an electric stove and my kettle isnt completely flat but man was that thing rocking like crazy. If I had left it there any longer it would have probably fell off my stove.

I was devastated to say the least. Now I have to use my credit card point to buy a turkey fryer and wait for that to ship. Then wait to get another free day. Truly was a sad day for me ;(

Cheap pots can warp when exposed to high temperature. It sucks, but you'll be much happier with the turkey fryer.

Yeah I was hoping that wasnt the case as I bought to kettle from my LHBS. I wanted to fryer to start with just wasnt sure if i wanted to spend the money.. Now I have no choice. lol

You got a glass top range don't you? The same thing happened to me on my first brew day.
I'll second that you'll be much happier with the turkey fryer set up anyways (provided you have outdoor space to brew i guess).

I had the same issue (I wouldn't really call it a problem) with my first batch in my pot. Two bungee cords did the trick.

If the bottom isn't flat then take a rubber mallet and slightly pound in the center so the edge of the pot sit flush with the surface of the stove.

Mine does the same thing. I filled up a tea kettle and hung it from the handle. Did the trick for me. I am gonna try my turkey fryer burner next time though.

I prefer a propane burner. I did one and only one batch on my glass top stove. Not a disaster, but very became very nervous as the pot jumped around.

Well I am a little relieved to here that it happened to other people.

LOL at the bungee idea but i tip my hat to you for being creative. My setup wouldn't allow that tho

coolharry said:

You got a glass top range don't you? The same thing happened to me on my first brew day.
I'll second that you'll be much happier with the turkey fryer set up anyways (provided you have outdoor space to brew i guess).

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Yes it is a glass stove top.

sirmichael said:

I had the same issue (I wouldn't really call it a problem) with my first batch in my pot. Two bungee cords did the trick.

Click to expand...

Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome!! I like it, good job!

My pots do the same thing with my normal metal coil stove. I found that if I turn the heat down, the rocking stops. It has to do with the quick thermal expansion of the thin metal coming in contact with the bottom of the pot. To test it, once I got the heat down to a level where the pot stopped rocking, I later added in some cold water, which caused the rocking to start all over again. Thick bottomed pots don't have that problem though. Once the boil is going though, I don't have any problems with the rocking.

I have the exact same pot sirmichael posted above. I got it from Midwest. It warped within 5 minutes of brewing my first batch and didn't sit right on the turkey fryer (hangs over the edges just enough to wobble annoyingly when stirring)

I just deal with it. i've hammered it flat a few times but don't bother anymore. It would be annoying if I was using my ceramic stove top indoors.

Well I ended up getting a turkey fryer and it worked perfectly :rockin:

Same thing happened to me yesterday during my first brew and caused a brief moment of panic. My recipe said to take the pot off the heat while adding the malt extract. The bottom of mine bowed out when I put it back on the heat, but within less than a minute it flattened back out. I also have a glass cooktop.

Yeah i panic easily. And like to do things exactly to the T at first. Which is why i stopped everything... raged out for a min. Then ordered a fryer. lol

I had the exact same issue - thought the pot was going to 'bump' off the stovetop. Haha. Found a cheap turkey fryer on CL and it worked WAY better than the electric top.