From Hot Pot to Hot Science: Turn Your Electric Grill Pan into a Laboratory’s Constant Temperature Bath
I’m Kuwako Ken, your Science Trainer. Every Day is an Experiment.
It’s an ethereal sight, almost like snow falling inside a test tube. Have you already tried the “Ammonium Chloride Recrystallization” experiment that I introduced previously?
The way the sparkling crystals dance and fall is so beautiful you can lose yourself watching it. This experiment is highly recommended for home enjoyment, as it doesn’t use dangerous chemicals and the materials are easy to get. Check out this article for the details:
Lowering the Experiment Hurdle: The Smart Heat Source Solution
In chemistry experiments, we frequently encounter steps like “heating a substance to dissolve it,” as with this recrystallization, or heating to observe a change of state. Textbooks typically use gas burners or alcohol lamps, but using an open flame in your living room is a bit challenging, right? Concerns like “difficulty controlling the heat” or “danger of tipping it over” might cause people to hesitate before trying the experiment.
The revolutionary item that solves this problem, taught to me by science education specialist Mr. Eiji Komori, was none other than an “Electric Jar (Rice Cooker)”.
The idea is to fill an old rice cooker with hot water, set it to the “keep-warm” mode, and place your test tube inside to heat it. Essentially, you use it as a safe “water bath (Bain-Marie)” apparatus. This way, you can maintain a constant temperature without using an open flame.
The “Ultimate Lab Tool” Discovered by a Science Teacher
The electric rice cooker is certainly a convenient, fantastic idea—lower burn risk and easier to implement than a gas burner. However, I didn’t have a spare one at home, and few students I asked owned one either. While searching for a substitute, my eyes fell upon an appliance collecting dust in the back of my own shelf. “This is it!” I thought. It was an Electric Pot (Grill Pan).
An electric pot allows for fine temperature control, from warming to heating, and has a wide, user-friendly opening. Convinced, I immediately donated one to the school science lab and introduced it.
I use the Zojirushi Electric Pot.
An Excellent Stand-In for a Laboratory’s “Constant Temperature Bath”
In practice, it became a huge hit even in the science lab. In scientific experiments, the apparatus used to maintain a substance at a fixed temperature is called a constant temperature bath; the electric pot functions perfectly as a simple version of this.
Three Reasons Why the Electric Pot is Ideal for Experiments:
Easy Temperature Control: It can be preheated or kept at a steady warmth, making it easy to standardize conditions for experiments like solubility studies.
High Safety: Originally designed for tabletop cooking like hot pot or yakiniku, it has a sturdy guard around the edges and a structure that keeps the exterior from getting too hot.
Excellent Stability: Its flat shape means you don’t have to worry about it tipping over, unlike a gas burner or alcohol lamp.
As shown in the photo, you can fill the electric pot with water to create a hot water bath and place test tubes in a beaker inside it for heating. Direct heating can risk sudden boiling (bumping) or even cracking the glass, but this “water bath method” heats the substance gently, making observation easier and the process much safer.
Conclusion: Enjoy Science with What You Have in Your Kitchen
When conducting experiments at home, be sure to utilize this “Electric Pot.” Since it uses no open flame, you can focus on the experiment safely, reducing the worry of burns even when working with small children. While it’s certainly handy as a piece of lab equipment, it’s also a star at home parties for hot pot or yakiniku (^^) Why not start by enjoying a delicious meal cooked in the pot, and then follow up by having the whole family enjoy a “White Christmas” with the ammonium chloride recrystallization experiment?
Science isn’t just something that happens in special places. Finding creative ways to use everyday tools is a crucial part of scientific thinking!
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