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I just bought a new cheap pot. Put some water in it, boiled it and noticed the pot up to its water level turned dark. I was thinking maybe the metal coating was peeling off and leaking into the water.

Boiled a second pot of water then poured it into a glass and the water looks clear as you can see in picture.

What happened to the pot and if I continue cooking with it will the water become contaminated? The upper part of the pot is still clear silver if the water level goes higher might it cause something to leech in?

Not using the pot now but hope I can.

Thanks.

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Best guess without knowing your water supply composition; it's not the pan contaminating the water, it's the water contaminating the pan.
Iif you live in an area with certified potable water, it's really mainly visual, it won't hurt.

After comments
Yup, London water - safe, potable… but ugly.

You can either

  1. scrub after every use, or
  2. ignore until it annoys you enough to do a full descale
  3. Buy a Brita jug & never boil unfiltered water.

It is completely harmless, just unsightly.

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  • Sorry, I’m not sure I understood you. This is typical London tap water. I don’t think it’s certified portable but is safe for drinking. In any case can I continue to use this pot with said tap water wothout fear? Thanks.
    – James Wilson
    Sep 27, 2020 at 16:08
  • London water is potable. All EU water is potable, London's just happens to be also hard enough to nail to the wall in sheets ;) It's 'safe' just ugly. Every time you descale your kettle, pour it into the pan for a rinse too. .. or it will scrub off, or you can ignore it until it builds enough to warrant its own descale cycle. London water will even do this to high-end non-stick pans, though they clean off easier.
    – Tetsujin
    Sep 27, 2020 at 16:13

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