h a l f b a k e r yProfessional croissant on closed course. Do not attempt.
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I recently picked up a vacuum insulated stainless steel flask and I'm very impressed with how well it keeps its contents insulated. Hot stays hot and cold stays cold but it has another great property that occurred to me while carrying a bowl of hot soup from the microwave over to my desk and nearly burning
my fingers off in the process - the vacuum flask really protects your fingers from whatever molten hot is contained within. Why not apply this technology to all our dishes and never get burned again by a hot plate, bowl, etc.
HydroFlask
http://www.hydroflask.com/ inspiration [gordy, Sep 02 2012]
Vacuum mug
http://www.globalma...fee-cup-401953.html [pocmloc, Sep 02 2012]
Vacuum soup pot
http://sell.lulusos...acuum-soup-pot.html [pocmloc, Sep 02 2012]
Bodum Midoria Therma Bowl
http://www.amazon.c...-Bowl/dp/B0000A8VV2 Stainless steel, double-walled bowl. [prufrax, Nov 23 2012]
[link]
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Hollow stainless dishes would weigh considerably less than their stone and ceramic counterparts. |
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Size and weight should not be an issue judging by the weight of my stainless flask compared to a similarly sized glass water bottle. The thickness is similar despite the two layers of stainless steel with a layer of vacuum in-between. |
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Being made of stainless steel will not necessarily make them unsafe for microwaves or unsightly. I think they could be coated with a thin layer of something that does not absorb microwaves and provides a more traditional look and feel. |
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Why not use the rising heat to raise a small hot air balloon
and simply navigate it back to your desk? |
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//absorbs microwaves// the problem with metal is that it *doesn't* absorb microwaves. |
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/// the problem with metal is that it *doesn't*
absorb microwaves.// Say that again slowly. |
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Well, if you're talking about waveguides, then
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<realises that audience have that glazed,
bunny-in-the-headlights look again> |
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<drops whiteboard marker, wanders off to
get coffee> |
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// coated with a thin layer of something that
does not absorb microwaves // |
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You could use the tinfoil from your hat
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Fine, whatever: metal in a microwave generally either causes a fire or shorts out the microwave or something. If nothing else it will keep the food from being heated properly. |
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[+] the idea though: lightweight, non-breakable, shiny. |
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// lightweight, non breakable, shiny // |
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The shape is also an issue. Vacuum flasks are almost always some approximation of spherical, for strength---at worst they are cylindrical. A vacuum plate would be two flattish plates supported at their rims, with the centers under great strain. |
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Just an idle question: Have you ever dropped and broken a vacuum tube of any size? |
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You'd be better off getting some structural insulation in there. Aerogel, maybe, or just some styrofoam. |
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...or, you could use a normal ceramic dish which has handles. |
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It would be possible to place a thin alumina
ceramic spacer, having a profile that had a
large number of point contacts distributed
ove a wide area, between the two planar
surfaces. Atmospheric compressive forces
would keep it trapped in position, and it
would have minimal conductivity. |
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If only there were some kind of flexible padding that could be used to carry hot dishes around---washable fabric would be nice---we could call it a pad-for-hot, maybe. |
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Some time ago a mate and I discovered, while beachcombing a very remote part of the northern Australian coastline, what appeared to be a vacuum insulated noodle bowl, with Chineese markings on it. |
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Further research revealed the markings to be Chinese military (PLA), we now presume this item to be issued kit. |
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Thing is, the bowl was maybe 750ml capacity, total thickness was say 8 or 10mm, and it was much lighter than an equivalent ceramic bowl - in fact a similar capacity enamelled steel bowl I had on hand was about the same weight. It had survived however long floating around the ocean and then being washed up ashore, etc - it seemed pretty robust to me. Hot soup stays that way in this bowl for a very long time. It's great, and I want one for myself. |
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Sadly, it was my mate who spotted it first (and risked his skin tromping through crocodile infested mangroves to fetch it) and so it's his, and I don't have it now. I have looked and looked for something like this on the internet and so far bubkis. |
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Claims by others that this would be heavy, large, expensive or fragile are uninformed. |
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// 2 layers of steel would likely not weigh less than one
layer of ceramic // |
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Actually, they can be made to weigh considerably less and
be far more durable. That's one of the remarkable things
about steel, you see: it's very strong for its weight. |
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The strength of an engineered (i.e. shaped) steel structure
comes not from mass so much as surface area. A double-
layered structure has a lot of surface area. If you consider
a steel pipe and a steel bar of the same material mass, the
pipe will be stronger (in this case meaning more rigid).
Steel, being more ductile than ceramic, has the advantage
in resilience as well. |
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Lots of microwave misconceptions up there ^.
There are 3 broad categories of materials: |
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1) Good insulators, such as glass and plastic. These
are highly transparent to microwaves, and are not
heated. |
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2) Intermediate conductors and polar substances,
such as water and very fine wire. These absob
microwaves, and are heated. |
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3) Excellent conductors, such as large, smooth
metal objects. These reflect microwaves (for
exactly the same reason that they reflect visible
light) and are not heated. They are microwave
safe, unless they surround the food (like a Faraday
cage) and prevent the food from absorbing the
microwaves or create sparks by contacting other
metal objects; even then, the result is more
interesting than dangerous. |
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Honestly, those who insist that metal objects are
not microwave safe have clearly never really
understood how microwaves work. (Hint: what is a
microwave oven made of?) |
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[Custardguts] It seems more likely that the bowl is
gas- rather than vacuum-filled. Nonetheless, I
understand why you would covet such a precious. I
want gas/vacuum insulated stainless steel
*everything*. |
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//I want gas/vacuum insulated stainless steel
*everything*.// |
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it would make a durable, efficient and cripplingly
expensive roof |
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[Spider] - you may be right, (I may be crazy.. doo de doo), but I don't want to beleive that. Either way, the bowl is excellently insulated. |
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