Bellegallica: I hoard plastic pots, and friends hoard them for me -- not only the black ones, but the dark green ones, brown ones and the maroonish ones. They're cheap (as in free, usually), easy to store, durable (some more so than others) and almost infinitely re-useable. Who DOESN'T love 'em? However, I don't agree that plastic is superior in all ways to clay. When I've potted-up multiples of a single variety -- some in clay, some in plastic -- I've found that the ones in clay generally develop more quickly, both above and below the soil. Try a test of your own to see if you observe the same difference. If, during the course of a summer day, one were to go to the trouble of monitoring interior soil temperatures in the two types of pots, my strong hunch is that the soil in clay would consistently be cooler than the soil in a plastic pot of comparable size. Plants in clay do dry out faster -- not only because of heat, but due to the porosity of the clay and the attendant higher rate of transpiration. The more moist the soil, the more heat it will retain under summer conditions. IMO, the fact that plants in clay dry out faster is a good thing. Clay makes for better aeration of the soil which, in turn, promotes good root growth. Throughout the summer months I have to water everything in my pot ghetto frequently anyway, so the fact that the plants in clay get thirsty more quickly makes very little difference, time-wise or water-wise. There are a couple of independent specialist nurseries near here that whitewash the exteriors of black plastic pots to reflect heat. I've considered attempting that, but haven't (and probably won't). You're probably correct that black plastic will absorb more heat from winter sun than clay. How long that heat is retained, though, likely depends on the gauge of plastic used in fabricating the pot.

My experience has been completely the opposite..... I hated canning outside! and there is no amount of money that could intice me to do it again. Maybe it was my burner, maybe it was the location or maybe it was just me, but it was awful. First I tried putting everything together in the kitchen and then just bringing a filled canner outside. Besides the safety risks of transporting a heavy hot pot, I had to sit outside and watch it like a hawk. It took forever for the water to boil (like 45 min) and the wind(I guess) made regulating the pressure a nightmare. I was regulating the flame every 2 min. even after moving to an enclosed area (3 walls and a roof). Never could get any reading done. After fighting with the gauge for 2+ hours then coming back inside, all the pots and pans still needed to be cleaned up. So then I tried moving the whole canning operation outside. What a pain. I only had the one burner and a regular gas grill. So there was a lack of heat sources. Then, it was hard to keep everything clean, bugs and leaves would fall into a pot of jelly (no trees in my back yard!) No water source, lugging all the supplies back and forth. Couldn't keep the pots from getting sooty and eventhough I soaped them first, I always managed to get soot all over me before it was through. I canned this way for an entire year. It was the same year we had 47 days in a row of 100+ temps (that's not heat index). It is my only bad memory of living in TX. My mom on the other hand will do large batches outside on old coleman camp stoves setup on picnic tables. Never had a problem, has even had 7 canners going at once. Maybe canning outside is something I am just not meant to do. Tanya

I know this thread is 11 years old, but I would like to add that the culprit could be the toilet seat. I recently replaced our toilets, and they came with soft closing lids. We first notice the "soot" like residue on the seats. I believe that a small amount of grease is released as a fine dust. Several months later we noticed it on surfaces that emit air, such as our dish washer vent, and heat pump. We have used candles for years, but it was not until we replaced our toilets that the residue appeared. So it would be interesting to know how many find the residue on their toilet lids and of those how many are new installs and are they soft closing. Thanks

You can fry chicken on a 8K burner. My grandmother made the best fried chicken on a smaller gas burner. I have posted this link before about cooking myths but #2 relates to fat absorption. The Food Lab's Top 6 Food Myths It is based on this article. The best way you can compare simmers is the same way you compare maximum heat. It is by knowing the BTU rating on the low end. Any other way incorporates additional variables that muddy the water. deeageaux makes the point very well comparing a large chile vat to a 2 qt sauce pan. Temperature ratings are irrelevant. It is the power(BTUs). There are some simmer burners that will not require a double boiler for delicate sauces. There are many different amounts of heat that manufacturers call "simmer". Know the number so you can make a meaningful comparison. I used to work in a food lab and have cooked for many years on all kinds of ranges, gas and electric and there are work arounds for every situation. I would choose based on what you use the most. In my case I use the low end of burners all the time and when I need heat, I pull out the cast iron and my 15K BTU burners will produce a 500 degree surface with a little preheating. If you do a lot of large stir fries requiring high BTUs, and need simmer you can pull out a simmer mat or copper simmer plate. One consideration with a gas oven is that in general they will put more heat into your kitchen due to the ventilation required for combustion of the gas. This is compounded if the oven is poorly insulated. I would definitely look at how manufacturers treat their customers. Any appliance can have problems, but it is how you and your concerns are treated that make the difference.