I recently got a stainless steal BBQ and it is mostly outside but last one became full of rust, I only know oxygen when touch with steel make rust, but now how do I protect it? It is 20 dollar grill.
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8That picture is not stainless steel, it's galvanised [zinc plated]. Thin rust-proof layer on cheap mild steel underneath. It will last until it doesn't. Seams & rivets are weak points. Heat won't help. Keep it out of the rain.– TetsujinCommented May 7, 2023 at 16:56
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2The reason stainless steel is called that is exactly because it doesn't rust under normal circumstances. If your previous BBQ rusted, it most likely was not stainless steel, but some other kind of steel. Which isn't surprising, because a stainless BBQ would be much more expensive than the ones you can actually buy.– The PhotonCommented May 8, 2023 at 21:58
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1 Answer
The kinetics of chemical reactions is strongly affected by temperature.
In the same way hot vinegar takes way less time than cold vinegar to clean up limestone deposits, so hot iron and oxygen take way less time than cold iron and oxygen to form rust.
I have a no brand charcoal chimney which I bought for cheap some years ago. Despite never coming in contact with water and being stored inside, after few uses it has started to rust precisely in the places where the charcoal was hotter: first it started as the coating loosing the shiny appearance, and then turned into the familiar red hue of rust.
I doubt that from a 20 $ BBQ you can expect more, as also pointed out in the comments. It is unlikely to be stainless steel, more likely just galvanized steel. Use it as long as it last.
(If you are into DIY, when I was a child a family member converted a stainless steel wash-machine drum into a BBQ, by cutting it open on the side and fastening three legs to hold it at height.)
