> I don't understand why in the world anyone needs a thermometer on a boil kettle.
I do infusion mashes in beverage coolers, so I use the thermometer to tell when my mash water is the right temp before transfer.
> And we see the effects of not properly caring for an aluminum pot. To my knowledge, there is no need to sanitize a kettle and there is no need to remove anything more than the trub with a scrubby. Sorry for your loss.
If it was Star San I left in there (could've been PBW for multiple days, I can't remember now), it was only temporary storage in-between cleaning tasks. Purely ignorance on my part. I wanted a bigger kettle with a ball valve anyway, so it gave me the opportunity to upgrade.