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What is bluing?

post #1 of 7
5/18/07 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
So I used my all-clad saute pan last night for the first time. After washing it,a few spots on the pan turned a shade of greenish blue. Is this bluing? I heard the turn but never knew what it meant. Is it a bad thing?
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post #2 of 7
5/18/07 at 1:19pm
Do you mean the finish?Bluing is a metal treatment for metals..Mainly used in firearms..Someone please correct me if I'm wrong...
When in doubt..Throw it out!
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post #3 of 7
5/18/07 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 
I only referred to bluing because i read it from this site when i was reading up on how to clean the pans.

Care For Your All-Clad Cookware

I could totally be wrong.

I'm just worried because a some little spots on the inside of the pan turned a metallic greenish blue. I tried to wash it off but it wouldn't come off.

Anyone have any idea what this is? All I cooked was chicken.
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post #4 of 7
5/18/07 at 1:45pm
The discoloration in most cases is an artifact of the heat and wash chemicals. It doesn't harm the pan but is cosmetic. You can also cause color stains from overheating the pan.

Bluing as applied to guns is a controlled form of rusting that prevents the more common damaging form of rusting.
more than taste fine
me eat it all the time
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post #5 of 7
5/18/07 at 1:57pm
The "bluing" on your pans comes from excessive heat. Stainless cookware requires lower heat than other materials. So, for starters, lower the heat. And pre-heat the pan as well.

Meanwhile, Bar Keeper's Friend will polish out those blue spots.

Bluing as a metal treatment, however, is not the same thing. To achieve it, the metal is bathed in specific caustic salts to create a controlled rusting effect that protects the metal on a molecular level. It's most often used, as others have stated, for gun barrels. Browning is a similar process, that has been superceeded by bluing---which, nowadays, has been in turn superceded by other processes.
They have taken the oath of the brother in blood, in leavened bread and salt. Rudyard Kipling
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post #6 of 7
5/18/07 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys... So these spots are actually bad for the pan, right?

I ordered some bar keeper's friend yesterday :)
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post #7 of 7
5/18/07 at 2:11pm
The spots resulting from the dishwasher or other washing have no effect on the pan.

The spots from overheating don't hurt the pan itself, rather they're indicative of the harm you already did to your pan.
more than taste fine
me eat it all the time
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