Today one can often hear the claim that aluminum cookware is unhealthy. Is it really?
There is a legend that the famous Mendeleev, while studying an element of aluminum, decided to make a tableware out of it - a spoon. The invention was presented to the royal lady. Currently, this spoon is in storage at one of the museums in St. Petersburg. Later, cutlery made of aluminum began to be used by persons from high society, and silver were intended for courtiers.
Aluminum - where is it found in nature?
Obtaining aluminum in the laboratory is not a cheap pleasure, but in nature it can be found quite often in ores. How safe is aluminum cookware? The harm that it can cause to the body is not fully proven.
Impurities of aluminum are in the composition of bauxite (multi-colored clay). When elements of iron are present in it, clay acquires a red tint. It is found in white, called kaolin. Such clay is used for the production of vessels from faience and porcelain. For thousands of years, ancient people used utensils made of this material in everyday life. It is known that clay also includes aluminum, but no health problems as a result of this were noted.
What is the danger really?
What is harmful aluminum utensils that we use today? Not so long ago it was possible to meet dishes from this metal in every home. As a raw material, aluminum is inexpensive, but at the same time it is still flexible and light. Due to these properties, it is an excellent conductor of thermal energy, which makes it possible to very quickly heat products. Cereals, for example, do not “stick” to the bottom, milk does not burn, but it is impossible to leave cooked food in such dishes for storage. The aluminum pan is also not designed to store foods containing various acids. Otherwise, an oxidative reaction will certainly occur. If, during cooking, foods are burnt to the bottom, in no case should they be peeled off for eating.
It is known that aluminum impurities can enter a human body in a critically small amount.
The fact that aluminum impurities gradually accumulate in the human body cannot be ignored. In the 70s of the XX century, scientists from Canada conducted research and concluded that people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, increased the content of the 13th element in the brain cells. Is aluminum cookware really to blame? It was not possible to establish a causal relationship between the disease and the use of this utensil.
Recommendations for the use of aluminum cookware
The tips are simple and easy to remember.
- Do not clean the surface using a metal brush. With this cleaning method, there is a chance of damaging the oxide film designed to protect the surface. Such a coating tends to partially regenerate. To do this, fill the entire container with water and leave for ten minutes. Then drain the water and wipe the surface dry. Aluminum utensils tend to get dark if you use chemicals to wash them.
- It is forbidden to store prepared food in aluminum dishes; it is better to use clay, ceramic or enameled for this.
- Experts advise using aluminum cookware exclusively for cooking cereals, pasta, baking and boiling in everyday life.
Is aluminum cookware harmful to the body?
Based on information provided by the World Health Organization in 1998, natural aluminum found in food and water does not pose a threat to human health and is not able to cause the growth of cancer cells and the development of oncology.
Today, manufacturing aluminum poses the greatest threat, since the environment is mercilessly affected by its production. But why is it often said today that aluminum cookware is also unsafe? The harm that it can cause is due to its improper use.
Items made from aluminum change color, darken when exposed to chemicals. The material itself is quite durable, but lightweight. This means that when working with it, you should be careful and accurate. Various aluminum utensils often get dirty and require cleaning. Therefore, it is necessary to know and be able to properly get rid of scale and signs of use. With normal care, aluminum cookware can serve for a long time. In this case, her harm will be minimized.
Cleaning and use of aluminum items
Most housewives prefer aluminum dishes. Why? Everything is extremely simple: aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat, which means that the products in such dishes heat up instantly and do not burn. Aluminum vessels practically do not wear out, are easy to operate.
Probably, everyone has noticed more than once how bright the unused aluminum utensils in the store shine? This advantage often attracts housewives, and they immediately seek to acquire this beauty. It is a pity that after a while the aurora comes to naught, scum forms. This is not in a positive way aluminum cookware is famous. Harm from it can only be with improper care. To return to its former splendor, cooks resort to using household chemicals, but alas, the results do not live up to expectations.
However, there is a mass of quite easy and accessible methods for everyone, with the help of which aluminum utensils will be cleaned and gain their former novelty. Before you start cleaning aluminum vessels, you should read some recommendations:
- In no case do not start washing hot dishes. A cold aluminum pan will lose its shape upon contact with water.
- If particles of food adhere to the bottom of the dishes, you just need to pour medium-temperature water into a container and drip a detergent. Leave for an hour, allowing burnt foods to lag behind the bottom.
- Manual washing of aluminum is always a priority, as the water temperature in the dishwasher is not always suitable, which can lead to deformation.
- Do not get involved in cleaning kitchen utensils using products that contain alkali and acid. This method will certainly manifest itself in the form of dark spots on the walls and eliminates shine.
- The walls of the aluminum container often become “painted”, since a metal brush is used when washing. This method of cleaning should be completely ruled out, as as a result the dishes will look worse. To clean, for example, a frying pan made of aluminum, it is best to purchase household cleaning products intended for this purpose or take advantage of the popular advice of our grandmothers.
Aluminum cookware. Folk Care
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most popular ways through which dishes will be cleaned of grease, dirt, plaque and scale.
- Often dark traces appear at the bottom of the pan. You can get rid of them by pouring kefir, brine or sour milk.
Any of these three products needs to be poured to the bottom and rinsed after 24 hours.
- Traces of carbon deposits will disappear after you resort to the help of sour apples. To do this, grate the inner surface with a small piece of fruit.
The acid in the pulp will clean the dishes. For a similar purpose, it is allowed to apply lemon juice.
- The only, perhaps, minus of aluminum is its vulnerability to oxidation. To get rid of traces of the oxidation process, it is recommended to use this method: dilute the salt with water in a ratio of one to one. Apply the resulting composition to the areas where the reaction occurred, and wipe with a rag. When preparing the mixture, you need to remember that the consistency of the home remedy should be approximately like thick sour cream. Thus, dark marks inside an aluminum thermos can be easily cleaned.
A mixture of glue and baking soda will help get rid of carbon deposits.
Do not be upset that the pan has lost its appearance over time, and it is impossible to get rid of the old soot. To do this, you need:
- a large bowl;
- baking soda - 100 grams;
- hot water - 10 l;
- stationery glue - 100 grams.
So that there is no trace of carbon deposits, you need to pour water into a bowl, dissolve all the components in it. Dip the vessel into the resulting solution and leave for three hours. After rinse and wipe dry with a rag.
Vinegar 9% against plaque and stains
Dark traces from the surface of aluminum are removed using table or apple vinegar. It is applied to a dry cloth, which wipes the desired area on the surface.
Using any vinegar or food acid, you can get rid of traces of scale in the following way:
200 g of vinegar are diluted in a liter of water, and this solution is poured into the container that you want to clean. Next, boil the liquid over a fire. After cooling, you can start cleaning.
Composition of soap to clean anodized aluminum
Many who keep things from anodized aluminum in everyday life , for example, moldings. These products have a yellowish tint. Qualified care is needed here.
It is possible to wash products from this type of aluminum using a special soap composition, which is prepared by diluting the powder in water. This removes dirt, but it will not give shine to the metal. To achieve brilliance, you should take 15 grams of borax and mix with 5 grams of ammonia. The resulting composition is applied to the surface. In this case, it is worth working with gloves. After processing the item, be sure to rinse the composition with water.
Soda helps get rid of scale
To clean the dishes from scale, housewives resort to the old method, doing this with baking soda. To get the slurry, the right amount of water is diluted with soda to the required consistency. The resulting composition is smeared with scum, and then washed off with water with the addition of ammonia. This is a very simple and effective way to achieve the purity and radiance of your dishes.
Proper care of such utensils is the key to its durability and safety. And the harm of aluminum utensils is a myth, so far not confirmed by anything.