# Aluminum pans and tin foil dangers



## Red (Feb 6, 2002)

Summer is comeing and with it BBQing. Lots of folks wrap their veggie sin foil and whip them on the grill, right?

Do you have a great old aluminum pan in the kitchen? Often those BIG pasta pans passed down from your mother.

Have you ever noticed that you could get that pan all shiny on the inside by cooking up some pasta sauce in it? You can! I did for years. Really shiny. And all that aluminum went into my sauce.

Did you ever cover overan acidic dish, like lasagna with foil and find it with tiny holes in teh foil after a few days? Yep, that sauce ate through the aluminum.

And WHY would you care?

Got Crone's disease or IBS? Do you get horrible stomache aches after eating dinner, maybe not every night, but randomly? Do you have intestinal distress, gas, cramps, etc?

Aluminum actaully gets into the food, even less acidic ones. It can cause symptoms of the above conditions. I was told I had IBS. I gave up onions(?) and got new pans a few years later. Suddenly all my symptoms left. Then I worked for a woman who was always offering me dinner. SHe had a great set of pans, had had tehm for years. She'd also go ut, and have to hurry back, to sick to continue. SHe had RX to take but would be in agony.

I didn't want to insult those pans, but finally told her and she was perfectly willing to try avaoiding cooking in them. The next week, she told me she was cured! Not a single attack.

I ate out of those pans from aluminum pans from childhood. It's a cumulative effect and doesn't bother everyone. It destroyed my gall bladder and if I eat anything that got cooke din aluminum now, I have an immediate na dsevere gall bladder attack.

So, be warned. Aluminum is bad. Gril those taters right in the ashes. Just brush 'em off, you won't believe how incredibly crisp the skins get! Skewer those veggies, get a grill basket for the fish. Plastic ain't great, but it's better than aluminum for storage. Better yet, store in glass bowls with a plate over them!


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## Kirsten (Mar 19, 2002)

Hi Red,

Thanks for the info. I have some questions. Are you talking about metal (not the nonstick) pots and pans - or metal cake pans/cookie sheets - or the tossaway "metal" pans - or all of the above?

I have heard that you shouldn't use metal pans with tomato products - I use nonstick pots and glass (Pyrex) baking dishes. Is this only a problem with acidic foods that "eat" away at the aluminum?

And a dumb question...







: Are all metal pans made with aluminum? If not, how can you tell which ones are?

What type/brand of pots, pans, baking dishes do you suggest instead?


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## punkprincessmama (Jan 2, 2004)

I'm curious too. thanks for the info Red.


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## mamaliss (Sep 25, 2003)

I have been looking all over for plain stainless steel half sheet pans.


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## flowers (Apr 8, 2004)

Yes, I have of this and it caused me to buy all enamel cooking pots...which we love. However we have a hard time finding baking sheets etc. We do use an iron pan instead of the scary no stick teflon.


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## Montana Mom (Jun 24, 2004)

Thanks for the info.


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## Red (Feb 6, 2002)

Not all metal pans are aluminum. Some aare stainless steel, which I use, and there's always cast iron, which put some useable iron into your diet!

All those disposable pans are aluminum.

I have NEVER used a non-stick pan. Do you knowif you have birds (pet ones) that the fumes from slightly burning the pan will kill them. THey aren't good for us, either.

If you already own pans and want ot know if they are aluminum, put some spagetti saucein and cook it for 1/2 hour. wash the pot. Is the area the sauce touched shiny clean? YUCK. Throw out that pan! Many pans have aluminum covered with stainless or non-stick. As ong as the aluminum is covered, it's going to conduct hte heat evenly and cook well and not get into uyou!

I have baking sheets. I got them at walmart (only store we have), I dont' remember what the are, stainless? ANyway, they're insulated and work great.

Acidic foods will pick up MORE aluminum, but any food will pick up some.

I love my cast iron. I was anemic all my life until I got them. I took iron pills and it never helped. Enamel is great, glass is best, I think, but sometimes you NEED metal, like for frying.

BTW, if you put that spagetti sauce in an iron pot, you get loads of iron in your sauce! At least it's something your body can use.

Mostly old pans are the problem. They seem to have stopped selling plain aluminum pots, except really cheap ones, and those mess kits the boyscouts carry. (poor kids) Aluminum, on old pans, has a certain look, duller than stainless. Thinkk about those tall pots your schools cooked pasta in...dull, metal handles, eacy to clean...aluminum.


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## Mylie (Mar 15, 2004)

:


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## Montana Mom (Jun 24, 2004)

So, what are those pots that are metal with a paintlike covering on them? Are those enamel?

I have one thing I am sure is aluminum. The first time I cooked soup in it I could taste the metal 'tang' in the soup. It was awful.


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## Wabi Sabi (Dec 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Montana Mom*
So, what are those pots that are metal with a paintlike covering on them? Are those enamel?

Enameled cast iron.


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## carriedaway (Mar 25, 2005)

My DH used to sell Saladmaster cookware, and at their presentations they would put a tablespoon of baking soda and about 1/2 cup of water to fill a copper bottom pan (stainless steel interior), a teflon pan, a stainless steel pan with 18/10 steel, and a Saladmaster pan (316 steel, higher grade than normal 18/10). Each pan would be boiled for about 6 minutes, and then they'd give each person a spoonful of the water from each pan and touch their tongue to it.

It was really quite revealing - the water from copper bottom pan actually tasted a little like a penny (stainless steel and copper don't bond to each other so there is copper inside the steel even if you can't see it), the lower grade of stainless steel tasted metallic, the teflon tasted absolutely horrible (probably don't need to explain why, most people on this board understand what's in it!), and a Saladmaster pan would just taste like baking soda.

(The baking soda was put in to simulate the natural acidity/salt in the things we normally cook with - not that people normally boil baking soda and water in their pans!!!







)

What was REALLY interesting is when you would do the same thing to an aluminum pan... the water of course tasted metallic, but after the pan set for a few mins, the water would turn grey and THICK. It was utterly nasty, and if you aren't convince aluminum comes off in your food try that test.

Anyway, just goes to prove some of the PP's points... It's a great science experiment for kids!!!









carrie
-all above content was not a plug for Saladmaster cookware... just wanted to clarify that i'm not trying to sell anything!!!


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## nitareality (Oct 23, 2004)

I've been trying to reduce the amount of these pans (the throw away kind) that we use over the years, especially around holidays and BBQ times. This is incentive to quit cold turkey...my goodness!

Thanks for the info.


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## midstreammama (Feb 8, 2005)

Why on earth do companies even sell aluminum foil then?! I know money but really!!! I will never get it. Thanks for the info! I'm off to banish my aluminum foil now.


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## lollie2357 (Feb 18, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Wabi Sabi* 
Enameled cast iron.










there's also some enameled aluminum - Club Aluminum, for example. I got one pan that was a pretty blue, and then later learned it was aluminum.


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## SMC_to_be (Dec 28, 2006)

Aluminum is also notoriously (sp?) bad for your brain. High levels of aluminum have been found in the brains of Alzheimers patients.

If you have to use aluminum foil, try placing a layer of wax paper between the food and the foil--just don't let the foil touch the food.


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## mmmummy (Mar 12, 2005)

..Aluminum seems to be in everything (reading food labels is just disheartning..)


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