How to ignite hookah charcoal?

If suddenly you find yourself at a friendly party and the only thing you need for complete happiness is a delicious smoky hookah, then we will be happy to help you.

In fact, our what-if-style article will help you heat hookah charcoal in any situation. So let’s see what we can help you with.

Ways to ignite natural charcoal for hookah

Ignition of hookah charcoal from natural raw materials requires uniform and constant access to flame or heat. At home, this can be achieved with a kitchen stove. If you are in nature, it is best to use a gas burner. Of course, you can learn and do it even at the campfire.

I propose to analyze in detail each of the methods of heating charcoal. If you have your own “life hack”, you can share them with us.

Heating up on an electric stove

The professional electric stove is the gold standard in the hookah industry. With its help, it is easiest to achieve quick and uniform heating. You can also use conventional electric stoves with an open spiral.

We remind you that induction and glass hobs are completely unsuitable for heating charcoal. The first attempt will result in damage to home appliances.

What should be done:

Set the stove on a flat surface and check it for looseness. Pick up anything that could ignite easily around the work area.
Put the almond charcoal cubes between the spirals and turn on the stove.
Wait until the charcoal acquire a uniform rich bright red color. After that, you can start preparing a delicious hookah.

Heating up on a gas stove

A gas stove is the second cool way of all the walnut charcoal available for ignition..

How to do it:

Place the charcoal so that they are exposed to the flame.
Turn on the burner and wait until the surface of the cube is covered with a layer of ash.
Turn off the burner and let the charcoal simmer for another 5 minutes to spread the heat evenly throughout the cube. In addition, the smell of gas will also have time to go away.

Heating up in the oven

It is hard to imagine that the house did not have an electric or gas stove, but there was an oven. But, if there are no other options, you can try to heat the charcoal from the almond shell in the oven.

What are we doing:

Before putting the charcoal on a baking sheet, cover it with food grade aluminum foil.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and put the charcoal in there for 5-10 minutes.
If this was not enough for even heating, repeat step 2 again.

Heating cubes in the microwave

Most likely, you will not be able to achieve the desired result with this method, but you can try. Especially if other methods are not available to you.

What should be done:

Place the nut charcoal in a heat-resistant dish;
Place the container in the microwave and start it for 10 seconds. If the charcoal flare up, turn off the microwave immediately.
If this time was not enough, put on one more cycle.

Heating cubes on a gas burner

A gas burner is the most convenient and fastest way to heat charcoal outdoors. The main thing to remember is that this is still an open fire and the risk of injury is very high.

How to do it:

Clear an area with a diameter of at least 4 meters from all flammable objects.
Place the hookah charcoal in a dish made of heat-resistant material.
Connect the burner to the gas bottle. Pay close attention to the density twist carving.
When opening the cylinder valve, make sure that the burner is not turned towards people.
Ignite the burner and aim the flame at the charcoal. After they turn evenly red, turn off the burner. Let them warm up for another 5 minutes.

Safety precautions when igniting hookah charcoal

Compliance with these three simple rules ensures safety for both professional hookah employees and those who like to treat themselves to hookah at home. So, no matter how you heat the hookah charcoal, remember:

Charcoal on fire should be no more than 5-10 minutes;
Carefully transfer the charcoal to the hookah to avoid burns. Do not use improvised means for this. It is better to immediately buy special long tongs;
Ventilate the room well after warming up. Don’t forget about the dangers of carbon monoxide.

This is the first post on our blog. There will be more to come!

(No Ratings Yet)