Thread: Hot plate pros and cons for heating plastics

1 quart on each side.

If you do get the Presto pot, proof the rheostat before you try cooking plastic. Fill it with cooking oil, a cup or two is fine, then start to turn up the heat in increments of about 10 degrees. Take a temperature reading before adding more heat and compare the temp reading at each step to the temp display on the wheel of the rheostat. Make notes of the actual and marked temperatures at each adjustment. When you hit the 350 degree mark ACTUAL temp, that of the oil, mark the wheel and the housing with a sharpie so those marks can be aligned quickly when you do start with the plastic.

You do want to use cooking oil for this because it is closer to the plastic make-up than water. You can pour the oil right back in the container when it cools so you lose nothing.