Did You Know – Aluminum Cookware
I love cooking a huge pot of tomato based vegetable soup in my large aluminum pot. We always love the way the acid from the tomatoes turns the pot spot clean and back to the original silver color. After doing some research, I found out that this is not a good thing.
- Did you know that cooking in uncoated aluminum can cause the metal to leach into your food?
- Cooking wet, acidic foods in uncoated aluminum should be avoided, as it causes more of the metal to leach into the food than dry, non-acidic items do.
- Lightweight aluminum is an excellent heat conductor, but it’s also highly reactive with acidic foods such as tomatoes, vinegar, and citrus juice. Such items can cause aluminum to leach into food, causing a metallic taste and leaving the cookware with a pitted surface.
- Simmering tomato sauce in an aluminum pot is a recipe for leaching aluminum, not only because it’s acidic, but also because it is salty (salt corrodes aluminum) and liquidy, and because it spends a long time in the vessel, all of which increase the reaction between the aluminum pot and the food.
- Baking cookies on an aluminum baking sheet, in comparison, extracts less aluminum because the food is drier, less acidic, less salty, makes less physical contact with the metal, and spends less time cooking.
Aluminum cookware that has been anodized (hardened through a process that renders it nonreactive) or clad in a nonreactive material, such as stainless steel or a nonstick coating, does not leach into or react with foods.
So the bottom line is that cooking in uncoated aluminum will cause the metal to leach into food —how much depends on the food and how long it spends in the pan. If you are concerned, you may wish to cook in aluminum that’s been anodized or clad in a nonreactive material.
Image from http://www.Unsplash.com
Source of material from http://www.AmericasTestKitchen.com
http://www.InDianesKitchen.com
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Categories: Aluminum Cooking, Did You Know
Thanks for the information!
You’re very welcome!
I like making yogurt and aluminum or any metal for that fact kills bacteria. And in this case your yogurt culture would be affected. I also eat any cultured food with a plastic or wooden spoon – metal and even silver plate utensils will kill the good bacteria in these foods when eating them.
Thank you Randy!
Quite a few years back we replaced all of our aluminum pots with stainless steel and cast-iron pots — also after reading that aluminum pots are not the healthiest option.
Smart Corna, cast iron outside and stainless inside? I have a lot of cast iron pots and pans but I am starting to have trouble lifting them. Luckily we have plenty of stainless too. My dad has too much iron in his blood so he can’t use cast iron. His doctor told him to donate blood monthly to keep his iron levels down.
Good to know
Thank you
Very useful information supporting our decision to accept our friends’ collection years ago when the scare was rife.
Thank you Derrick!
I’ve still got my mums old aluminum pot as well. I do the same thing to clean it. It’s a great size pot for making soup.
I’ve used mine for years. I wonder what happens if aluminum get’s into our body. Hmmm now I will have to look that one up!
I read somewhere that they think aluminium pans can cause Alzheimer’s…
You are the second person that mentioned that, I had no idea!
Wow! No wonder my hubby (he’s a scientist) tossed all of my aluminum pots and pans when we got married.
Smart man indeed, you picked a good one!
This is good to know! Aluminum leaching into food doesn’t sound too appealing to me so I will look into the alternatives you suggested! Thanks Diane. 🙂
I always saw aluminum clad pans and never knew they were the safe ones! I only have one large aluminum pot but I need to search for a safe one. You’re welcome Ab!
Thank you, Diane, for this information.
You are very welcome Betty.
Great information Diana! I’ve been making a lot of soup which is so cozy! ❤️
Soup is the best! Congratulations on your award Cindy!
I did know this Diane, my mom wouldn’t let aluminum foil touch our food without a parchment barrier. Thanks for repeating this caution!
You’re welcome Dorothy!
I read something about this but not all the details. Thanks for sharing Diane! I am pretty sure we don’t have any left in our kitchen but I’m going to check
Keep in mind if it is clad aluminum it is OK. You’re welcome!
Thank you 😊
Thank you for writing about this. It is good to know. 🤍🌷
You’re welcome!
Best to stick with good ole stainless or cast iron.
Did you know that cooking with cast iron can help with an iron deficiency?
It works about the same as the aluminum leaching.
Also, rubbing a lemon on aluminum will give it a nice shine.
I did know that about cast iron. My dad has too much iron in his blood, no cooking with cast iron. The doctor has him donate blood every month and it reduces the iron in his blood without taking any other steps. I didn’t know that about the lemon, however, did you know soaking copper in vinegar shines it up?
No! I never heard that. Sounds like a good old fashioned method. One of those thongs that actually works.
Good information. I used to use aluminum foil to cover leftover lasagna, etc. I can attest to aluminum’s reacting to acidic tomato sauce! Thanks, Diane.
OMG I never thought about foil! Now I have to check that out too! 🤦🏽♀️
Also, aluminum cookware has been linked to dementia.
scary!
Wow I had no idea what aluminum actually does to our body. Thank you for the heads up Bernadette!
I didn’t know that Diane – these are helpful posts and I always learn something. I know tomato is hard on your stomach though, like the old penny test in a glass of Coke – completely cleans it up!
I read about aluminum soda cans too. There was a film of plastic between the can and soda, who knew!
I’ll bet there is a lot we can learn, especially about plastics used for our food.
That’s for sure, probably things we don’t really wish to know.
This is true.