making charcloth ...

[risby]

rather inadvertently. Having had my chicken stock on for nearly four hours I strained it through a sieve and chucked away the bones and veg. I let the stock cool and then strained it through some muslin and poured it into three 1/3rd ltr containers ready to freeze. I cleared up, putting pans and ladles etc. into the dishwasher and put a small pan of water on to boil with the rinsed out muslin in it, to sterilize it.

I was being a good boy godammit but I then I had to get involved in surfing various forums didn't I. I forgot about it until, water having boiled away and muslin smouldering, the smoke alarm started going off waking up wife and kids who had been all nicely tucked up and sleeping. I don't suppose they're gonna be pleased for me that the previously white muslin is now a nice little wad of black charcloth.

 

[Toddy]

At least it wasn't the chicken! Technically it oughtn't be charcloth cos it's burnt in air, but since it sounds as though it's really just incredibly scorched, it might very well work
Go on, give it a go and if it is, we've got a new verb, To Risby

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[risby]

Technically it oughtn't be charcloth cos it's burnt in air, but since it sounds as though it's really just incredibly scorched, it might very well work

As I understand it burning is just oxidation so without air nothing would burn but reducing the amount of oxygen, as in a charcoal kiln, means the oxidation happens slowly. I guess in the small saucepan the hot air rising out of it may prevent cooler air from replacing it thus lowering the pressure (and the amount of oxygen) at least at the bottom of the pan where the muslin was.

Anyway it was glowing when I got to it rather than in flames but I wouldn't really recommend this as a production method