I just got a new stainless steel kettle. Can anyone give me some advice on the the best way to clean it before it’s first use. When I wipe it down with a clean cloth I am getting some dark residue and that is after already washing it with one step.
My first use, I washed mine with regular dish detergent and a dish sponge, then hand dried with a clean towel. Same process I use every time I brew. No need for special detergents or sanitizers on your kettle as long as you rinse and dry carefully.
Thanks, I will give that a shot. There seems to be either a layer of dark oil or oxidation, when I sprayed it down with an acid sanitizer it really started showing on a white towel.
Thanks, if the soap and a bath in PBW does not solve the problem I will give that a shot. I just don’t want some crazy industrial lubricant or metal powder in my beer!
There should be no need to sanitize your brew kettle. There was another thread on here a while back about someone who would get the same thing when they used starsan and PBW on their kettle. Go grab yourself a green scratchy pad and some barkeepers friend and that’s all you need to use to clean your kettle.
most stainless products (not just brewing) do have a residue that typically needs to be taken care of prior to first use. That was my reasoning for cleaning mine and then just boiling some water to dump, prior to actual use. More or less its a seasoning that takes place so that the oil/residue does not find its way into your beer.