How to prepare a thermos for first use. Advice for thermos owners. How to act in an unusual situation

The times when a thermos was exclusively an attribute of a tourist are long gone. Today in fashion healthy eating and home-cooked meals. Preferably hot. Many people consider microwaves to be harmful or are simply disdainful of using them at work. In this regard, thermoses do not lose their relevance. You can place both the first and the second, and hot compote in them. AiF.ru tells you what models are on the market and how to use them correctly.

Material

The body of thermoses is made of plastic or metal. The first ones are lighter and suitable for daily use, the second ones will cost more, but will last longer and will withstand falls and impacts.

The main task of a thermos is to maintain temperature. The flask is responsible for this. Glass works best and is odor-resistant. However, such a flask is not suitable for an active lifestyle - it is too fragile. A flask made of stainless or regular steel is almost as good as glass in maintaining heat, and will last longer. A thermos with a plastic flask is the cheapest option; it weighs little, but actively absorbs odors and releases them when heated.

Form and purpose

Thermos for liquids designed for transporting ready-made drinks: tea, coffee, water, compote, broth. However, it is not suitable for storing soda; it is not recommended to use it for brine, dairy products and infant formula. This thermos usually has a narrow neck (25-60 mm), which also helps maintain the temperature of the liquid for a longer time. Often these thermoses are equipped with a valve that allows you to pour the drink without unscrewing the cap. The lid can be used as a glass.

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Pump thermos also used for liquids, but differs from the conventional model in the presence of a pneumatic pump and tap. You press the button on top, the drink flows from the tap. Maintains liquid temperature throughout the day. But it is large in size - at least 1.5 liters. Therefore, it is not suitable for carrying, only suitable for stationary use.

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Thermal mug. It has a compact shape (250-500 ml), which is convenient for use in the car, gym, work or study. They usually have a plastic lid with a plug that allows you to drink directly from the thermos, as well as a handle or rubberized area on the body. The main disadvantage of a thermal mug is that it is not designed for long-term storage of the contents, but maintains the temperature only while drinking the drink, a maximum of 2 hours.

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Food thermos used for storing first and second courses. It has a wide neck (65-80 mm), making it convenient to put food in and take it out. However, the large diameter of the hole reduces the storage time of products to 4-6 hours. Food thermoses have a single-level design that allows you to carry one dish, or a multi-level design, the so-called vessel thermoses. This model consists of several, usually three, independent containers fastened together. Each of them is sealed, which allows you to take several ready-made dishes to work or on the road at once.

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Universal thermos- the most popular model, which is suitable for transporting both liquids and ready-made dishes. It is distinguished by a special double cork structure. If you unscrew it completely, a wide throat will be formed, suitable for food, and if only the inner part, then a narrow hole will remain, necessary for drinks. The way you use the thermos affects how long the temperature is maintained, up to a maximum of 8 hours. Such models are usually equipped with durable handles and folding utensils.

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How to choose

We have decided on the model. But choosing a thermos requires careful consideration. In the store, be sure to shake the thermos. If there is sound and rattling, then it will hold the temperature.

Check that the plug closes tightly and fits well.

Unscrew the cap and smell. It is important to ensure that there are no foreign odors.

Fill the thermos with boiling water. You need to check if the temperature changes after a few minutes.

How to use?

When using a thermos, you should be careful and prevent it from falling or hitting, especially if the body and flask are made of fragile materials.

It is recommended to fill the thermos completely so that food and drinks stay warm longer. However, you should leave room for the flask and a little more empty space to avoid getting burned when opening.

Do not heat the flask in a microwave or oven.

You cannot leave food and drinks in a thermos for a long time, a maximum of two days.

For washing, you need to use a soap solution, not abrasives so as not to damage the surface.

To avoid smell, the thermos should be dried disassembled, and the empty thermos should be stored with the lid loosely closed.

Get rid of unpleasant odor pouring boiling water with diluted soda for half an hour will help.

If you want to extend the service life of the thermos, and also if you want to increase the time it maintains the temperature inside during operation, then using our advice in practice, you can achieve this. In this case, you don’t have to put in much effort.

How to maintain the temperature in a thermos for a longer period

As a result of the natural transfer of part of the heat from food or liquid to the flask, the temperature of the product (or drink) itself decreases. Thus, by preheating the flask, you can increase the heat retention period of the product placed in it. This can be done quite simply: boil water and pour it into. Keep the water inside the container for about 30-40 minutes, after which you can pour it out. This time is enough for the flask to warm up well and not take away thermal energy from the food or drink that will be placed in it.

Please note that if there is a large temperature difference, the glass flask may burst due to expansion. Therefore, before pouring boiling water into a cold thermos, it is advisable to first let it warm up to room temperature. This process can be accelerated with warm water (not boiling water). Remember also that liquids or foods should not have a temperature above 100 °C. We are talking, in particular, about oil. Such products need to be kept for some time so that they cool down a little. Otherwise, either deformation or destruction of the glass bulb may occur.

If you use thermal containers to store cold foods or drinks, you should, on the contrary, cool the flask with small pieces of ice or cold water. And disruption of thermal conductivity or the appearance of cracks when a heated glass flask is exposed to cold (for example, if you rinsed it with boiling water) can also be avoided by reducing the temperature contrast, that is, by allowing the thermos to cool.

Accuracy and accuracy again!

Glass flasks are very fragile. And no matter what manufacturers say that current thermoses with such flasks are more shock-resistant than their ancestors, they still cannot compare with thermal dishes with a steel container inside. In addition to the fact that if the flask breaks, a thermos will lose its functionality, it can be a source of danger due to small fragments remaining in the sealed seal. So you shouldn't use this thermos. Although, if you manage to replace his flask, then you can give him a second life.

All-steel thermoses are several times superior to their counterparts described above in terms of strength and resistance to damage and deformation. That's why some manufacturers give them a lifetime warranty. But this does not mean that they (thermoses) cannot be damaged. Any dent changes the configuration of the internal space between the body and the steel flask, which cannot but affect the thermal insulation characteristics. A strong blow to the soldering joints can generally lead to depressurization of the thermos. And even if you try to repair this thermal cookware, it will no longer show the same heat storage performance. Therefore, remember to handle thermoses carefully and try not to drop them.

The design of the thermos is quite simple: body, flask, stopper, additional lid. But in order to provide this product with the necessary heat-saving properties, a vacuum is also used. Reducing thermal conductivity is the main goal of the creators of the thermos. If you pour hot water into a simple vessel made of glass or metal, then after some time it will equalize its temperature with the environment. But if the liquid is poured into a glass or metal thermos flask, it will remain hot for a day, or even longer. So what's the matter?

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The vacuum around the flask in a thermos reduces thermal conductivity to almost zero. This is what allows you to keep the water hot for so long. But in some cases, after boiling water is poured into the thermos, the walls of the case also heat up. Why is this happening?

Causes of the problem

It is worth noting immediately that this should not be the case. It is not acceptable for the thermos body to be hot. Indeed, in this case, thermal conductivity occurs, the hot liquid inside the flask gives up its heat to the body, and it radiates thermal energy into space. What is the reason for this state of affairs? One of the factors causing problems may be depressurization of the vacuum layer. Maybe the bulb is cracked, or maybe the body is broken? It is necessary to carefully examine the product for external and internal damage.

Sometimes manufacturers use inert gas as insulation. It is worth noting that this method is not as effective as a full vacuum. But if the gas evaporates, the housing will also heat up, as during the loss of vacuum. How to fix the situation? You can take the thermos to the workshop and entrust the care of it to the master. He will identify the problem and pump up the vacuum with a special pump. If the reason that the body of the product heats up is because the bulb is broken, then it will also have to be replaced. Such problems often arise with thermoses with glass inner vessels. Therefore, you should handle such devices very carefully: you cannot pour boiling water into them without first heating the walls of the flask, you cannot abruptly place the device on a table or other surface, you cannot use the vessel in too harsh conditions.

A few signs of a good thermos:

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Narrow neck (this criterion applies to products intended for storing drinks). This setting will allow the contents to stay hot longer.

High quality vacuum. To check this, you need to pour hot water into the thermos in the store. If the case is hot, it is better to refrain from purchasing the product.

The flask should hold well in the body. If it lags a little behind it, then the device is not of high quality.

A conscientious manufacturer will indicate all the characteristics of the device in the instructions and will certainly provide a guarantee for it. Remember that the best way to keep warm is more volumetric models thermoses.

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Stanley's thermal insulation products are unrivaled today. They have a double vacuum layer, so heating the case is out of the question. If such a problem does occur, the manufacturer provides a hundred-year guarantee for all products, so it’s worth taking advantage of it. STANLEY thermoses are made of high quality stainless steel, which is not subject to corrosion. The cork has a high level of tightness. The Stanley product line is represented by travel and food thermoses, thermal containers and thermal mugs of various sizes.

To ensure that your thermos retains its temperature better and lasts for many years, we present to your attention some tips on using thermoses.

Temperature preservation

In order for the thermos to keep hot food or drinks longer, you should warm the flask immediately before placing food in it. Best option- pour boiling water into the flask, let it warm up, pour out the boiling water. In this case, the flask will become hot and will not take away part of the temperature from the hot food or drinks placed in it.

It should be kept in mind that if your thermos flask is made of tempered glass, then it is strictly forbidden to pour boiling water into the thermos if it was just brought in from the cold or if cold food was stored in it. Glass may crack. Therefore, you need to warm up the glass flask gradually: first pour warm water into it, let it warm up, and then pour boiling water.

It is also prohibited to place hot substances whose temperature is more than 100 degrees Celsius in a thermos with a glass flask. For example, such a substance could be very hot oil. The consequences can be cracks in the flask, its deformation and loss of temperature preservation properties.

For long-term storage of cold foods, the same tactics are used as for hot ones - before placing cold food or drinks in a thermos, the flask should be cooled. Pieces of ice or chilled water in the refrigerator may be suitable for cooling.

Careful use

In order for your thermos to serve you for many years, you should treat it with care. Even if you have a stainless steel thermos, this does not mean that it cannot be broken. If there is a strong impact or a fall onto a hard surface from a great height, a dent may form on a stainless steel thermos. As a result, the seal of the thermos may be broken and the temperature will remain much worse.

A thermos with a glass flask, unlike a thermos with a metal flask, is more fragile, but if the flask breaks, it can be repaired. For glass flasks, there are spare flasks in stock, and they can be easily replaced with new ones if necessary. For thermoses made of stainless steel, replacing the flask with a new one is impossible.

Thermoses are gaining great popularity today, becoming an indispensable attribute in almost every family.

But it happens that the lid of the thermos is tightly screwed on and it becomes almost impossible to open it. We will look at what needs to be done to solve this problem in the article.

Reasons

The reason that a thermos (thermal mug) has a tightly screwed lid is a decrease in pressure inside it. Due to this difference, it becomes very difficult to open it. To solve the problem, you need to press the valve in the lid to equalize the pressure and calmly open it.

At the moment when hot liquid is poured into the thermos, the metal thread expands and fits tightly to the base, creating a vacuum. As a result, the lid fits tightly to the thermos, and it becomes very difficult to open it.

How to open a thermos that is tightly twisted

In order to open a tightly closed thermos with hot contents, you must wait until the liquid has cooled. However, there are methods that can speed up this process and help you open a tightly screwed cap faster.

Opening methods

Safe and effective methods opening the lid involves cooling or heating it. Using a bottle opener or knife can also help solve this problem, but may damage the thermos.

Method one (under cold water)

This method is suitable for thermoses with external threads. The essence of the method is to place a thermos under cold water for cooling. This way the metal thread will begin to narrow, fitting less tightly to the flask, and it will become much easier to unscrew the lid.

Method two (under hot water)

Thermoses with a cap with an internal thread must be placed under hot water. When heated, it will expand and fit less tightly into the main part of the thermos.

We use physical force

By applying physical strength You can also open a tightly screwed cap. The best way to do this is to pull the lid up.

We use a bottle opener

If the cork is flat, you can try to pry it off with a bottle opener. This will break the vacuum that has formed inside the thermos and will make it easy to unscrew.

Important! This method should be used very carefully so as not to damage the integrity of the dishes.

Special devices

You can also make your own special device for opening threaded lids. To do this you will need the following materials:

• rubber;
• fine-grain sandpaper;
• long bolt with nut;
• two wooden planks 20-25 centimeters long.

First, you need to make through holes in the planks of such a diameter that you can easily place a bolt in it.

Next, glue strips of sandpaper onto the planks and thread the bolt into the holes, securing it with a nut. In this case, the sanding strips should remain inside the device, and the free edges of the strips should be connected to each other with an elastic band.

Using this device is quite simple: you need to adjust the size of the opener to the diameter of the lid using a nut. Place the structure on it and carefully turn it. Sandpaper provides a tight adhesion to the metal cover, which greatly facilitates the unscrewing process.

Other ways

There are several additional ways to open a thermos:

1. Wrap the lid with electrical tape and pull it firmly in the direction of the thread;
2. Use leather gloves during opening (the code fits tightly to the metal, without causing slipping);
3. Knock on the lid and walls;
4. Try to pry it with a knife, this will break the vacuum inside, and it will be easier to open the thermos.

Conclusion

There are many in various ways How to open a tightly screwed thermos lid. All of them are based on the properties of the metal (constriction during cooling and expansion when temperature rises), as well as vacuum breaking. When choosing any of the possible methods, you should act carefully so as not to damage the thermos.