Aluminu DO?

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Aluminu DO?

Postby bdosborn » Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:57 pm

Anybody use an aluminum DO? They sure are a lot lighter, do they work as good as a cast iron one?
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Postby Dean in Eureka, CA » Sun Aug 13, 2006 10:48 pm

Bruce,
My kids really like to make ice cream in them and I'm thinking about getting one just for that, so I don't have to worry about the rock salt attacking the cast iron.
I'm told that the aluminum ones don't season up and that ended any notion for me as far as cooking in one goes...
Aluminum is a great conductor of heat and cold, but I've heard a story of little aluminum balls in food from the lid starting to melt... (Story uncomfirmed)
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Postby PaulC » Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:39 am

Way back in the deep dark recesses of my brain there is this little niggling doubt about aluminum (seems funny spelling like that) pots and pans. I do know that aluminium is retained by the human body and is related to one or more complaints that afflict us as we age. Any Doctors or professors out there :lol:

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Risk of Aluminum Cookware and Utensils.

Postby Alfred » Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:55 pm

Hi Paul,

I don't know if I qualify for the moniker of "Professor", but I do teach as an adjunct instructor on the faculties of both St. Petersburg College and Asheville-Buncombe Community Technical College, so I hope I will suffice!

The US Dept. of Health and Human Services recommends that people limit their exposure to aluminum, as it has been linked to many health problems. In fact, if you read their text below, some of the possible, but unconfirmed, effects of aluminum toxicity would be a reason for concern. However, they also reasonably point out that in our present society, aluminum cannot be wholly avoided, as it is omnipresent in day-to-day life. They counter-intuitively report that there is no risk in using aluminum cookware and utensils, despite their also listing "small amounts of aluminum in food" as a risk factor.

To me, the message seems a little ambiguous. I reckon there's probably more of a risk in my driving to work everyday, than in cooking in aluminum. But that being said, I recently threw out my cruddy scratched up Teflon/aluminum pan and have switched to cast iron frying pans at home, and I am very happy with that decision!

I am posting the text of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services fact sheet regarding the risk and recommendations associated with Aluminum. Hope this helps.

Al in Asheville

Highlights

Everyone is exposed to low levels of aluminum from food, air, water, and soil. Exposure to high levels of aluminum may result in respiratory and neurological problems. Aluminum (in compounds with other elements) has been found in at least 606 of the 1,678 National Priority List (NPL) sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

What is aluminum?

Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust. It is always found combined with other elements such as oxygen, silicon, and fluorine. Aluminum as the metal is obtained from aluminum-containing minerals. Small amounts of aluminum can be found dissolved in water.

Aluminum metal is light in weight and silvery-white in appearance. Aluminum is used for beverage cans, pots and pans, airplanes, siding and roofing, and foil. Aluminum is often mixed with small amounts of other metals to form aluminum alloys, which are stronger and harder.

Aluminum compounds have many different uses, for example, as alums in water-treatment and alumina in abrasives and furnace linings. They are also found in consumer products such as antacids, astringents, buffered aspirin, food additives, and antiperspirants.

What happens to aluminum when it enters the environment?

* Aluminum cannot be destroyed in the environment, it can only change its form.
* In the air, aluminum binds to small particles, which can stay suspended for many days.
* It can dissolve in lakes, streams, and rivers depending on the quality of the water.
* It can be taken up by some plants from soil.
* Aluminum is not accumulated to a significant extent in most plants or animals.

How might I be exposed to aluminum?

* Virtually all food, water, air, and soil contain some aluminum.
* Eating small amounts of aluminum in food.
* Breathing higher levels of aluminum dust in workplace air.
* Living in areas where the air is dusty, where aluminum is mined or processed into aluminum metal, near certain hazardous waste sites, or where aluminum is naturally high.
* Eating substances containing high levels of aluminum (such as antacids) especially when eating or drinking citrus products at the same time.
* Children and adults may be exposed to small amounts of aluminum from vaccinations.
* Very little enters your body from aluminum cooking utensils.

How can aluminum affect my health?

Exposure to aluminum is usually not harmful, but exposure to high levels can be. Workers who breathe large amounts of aluminum dusts can have lung problems, such as coughing or abnormal chest X-rays. Some workers who breathe aluminum dusts or aluminum fumes have decreased performance in some tests that measure functions of the nervous system.

Some people with kidney disease store a lot of aluminum in their bodies and sometimes develop bone or brain diseases which may be caused by the excess aluminum. Some studies show that people exposed to high levels of aluminum may develop Alzheimer’s disease, but other studies have not found this to be true. We do not know for certain whether aluminum causes Alzheimer’s disease. People may get skin rashes from the aluminum compounds in some underarm antiperspirants.

We do not know if aluminum will affect reproduction in people. Aluminum does not appear to affect fertility in animals.

How likely is aluminum to cause cancer?

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the EPA have not evaluated the carcinogenic potential of aluminum in humans. Aluminum has not been shown to cause cancer in animals.

How can aluminum affect children?

Children with kidney problems who were given aluminum in their medical treatments developed bone diseases. We do not know if aluminum will cause birth defects in people. Birth defects have not been seen in animals. Large amounts of aluminum have been shown to be harmful to unborn and developing animals because it can cause delays in skeletal and neurological development. It does not appear that children are more sensitive to aluminum than adults.

There does not appear to be any difference between children and adults in terms of how much aluminum will enter the body, where aluminum can be found in the body, and how fast aluminum will leave the body. Aluminum from the mother can enter her unborn baby through the placenta. Aluminum is found in breast milk, but only a small amount of this aluminum will enter the infant’s body through breastfeeding.
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How can families reduce the risks of exposure to aluminum?

* Since aluminum is so common and widespread in the environment, families cannot avoid exposure to aluminum.
* Avoid taking large quantities of aluminum-containing antacids and buffered aspirin and take these medications as directed.
* Make sure all medications have child-proof caps so children will not accidentally eat them.

Is there a medical test to determine whether I’ve been exposed to aluminum?

All people have small amounts of aluminum in their bodies. Aluminum can be measured in blood, bones, feces, or urine. Urine and blood aluminum measurements can tell you whether you have been exposed to larger-than-normal amounts of aluminum. Measuring bone aluminum can also indicate exposure to high levels, but this requires a bone biopsy. Tests to measure aluminum levels in the body are not usually available at a doctor’s office because they require special equipment.

Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health?

The EPA has recommended a Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) of 0.05–0.2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for aluminum in drinking water. The SMCL is not based on levels that will affect humans or animals. It is based on taste, smell, or color.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has determined that the amount of aluminum in dusts that workers breathe should not be more than 15 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) of air.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that aluminum cooking utensils, aluminum foil, antiperspirants, antacids, and other aluminum products are generally safe.

References

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 2006. Toxicological Profile for Aluminum (Draft for Public Comment). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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Where can I get more information?

ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize, evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. You can also contact your community or state health or environmental quality department if you have any more questions or concerns.

For more information, contact:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737)
FAX: (770)-488-4178
Email: [email protected]
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Re: Aluminu DO?

Postby Joanne » Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:16 pm

bdosborn wrote:Anybody use an aluminum DO? They sure are a lot lighter, do they work as good as a cast iron one?
Bruce


Bruce,

You heretic!!! I just can't believe you used the "A word" in the cast iron forum. That's almost as bad as the "F word" (foil). :lol: :lol:

I have not purchased an aluminum DO....yet. It's going to be one of my next camp cooking purchases. The folks I know who have cooked with them all seem to like them. Of course they heat up and cool down faster than the CI so you have to adjust your technique a bit.

GSI makes some nice hard anodized aluminum dutch ovens that look well made. They don't season the way cast iron does, but the folks who use them say that they still don't stick too much. The only thing I don't like about the GSI 10" oven is that it doesn't have legs. (I think they did that so the 10" would pack nicely into the 12") Still, that's not a big deal since I can use a lid holder to set it on and slide coals under it that way. I already to that to heat water for coffee or dishwashing.

The river rafting crowd and some of the horse camping folks like them for their light weight and no rust. The reports have been positive. Although I'll probably get kicked out of the cast iron club, I'd say go for it. I'd be interested in hearing how you like it.

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Postby pgwilli » Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:24 pm

Yikes!
I can't even begin to finish reading Alfred's post, but I use a 12" Al DO for baking bread. I usually line it with parchment paper and go.
Guess I'll add a disclaimer next Gathering...
What do you think it should say? "Don't eat the pan"?
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Probably worth the risk!

Postby Alfred » Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:44 pm

pgwilli wrote:Yikes!
Guess I'll add a disclaimer next Gathering...
What do you think it should say? "Don't eat the pan"?
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Yeah, I think the folks in the white lab coats would discourage eating the pan! (Grin)!

Sorry if I overdid it in my enthusiasm to provide an excruciatingly thorough and complete answer on the topic of aluminum and cooking! I get caught up in the moment sometimes!

That is some good looking bread in your picture, I think I would probably risk it!

:thumbsup: AL.
Last edited by Alfred on Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:25 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Postby apratt » Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:50 pm

I have a 10" aluminum D.O. I have only used it once so far, I made cornbread and it came out good. I am just not use to how light it is. Really I think they work great, I still like my cast iron for things that I want to keep warm after I am done cooking, but for other things that don't need to stay warm or going to ate up real quick then the aluminum is fine.
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Postby caseydog » Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:02 am

Aluminum cookware, unless coated, is a "reactive" cookware. Acids and Aluminum cookware are a no-no. Tomato sauces, citris, and other high acid foods should not go into them, ever.

I personally won't use any Aluminum that is not coated, or laminated with stainless. "Try-Ply" cookware, such as All Clad, has an aluminum core, with stainless on the outside and inside surfaces.

Aluminum cookware with a non-stick surface inside is okay, but only as long as the coating remains intact. As they get old and scratched, I would toss them.

I can't imagine myself buying an aluminum DO for several reasons. Some reasons mentioned by others here, and because I wouldn't want my food cooking in direct contact with aluminum.
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Hand me the butter knife...

Postby daveleb55 » Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:24 am

Damn' the Aluminum!! Full speed ahead!!!
Life is too short to not eat fresh bread right out of the oven (aluminum or otherwise) when offered! I also believe the use of parchment prevents aluminum "contaminants" from rubbing off onto the bread.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

Dave & Kathleen



pgwilli wrote:Yikes!
I can't even begin to finish reading Alfred's post, but I use a 12" Al DO for baking bread. I usually line it with parchment paper and go.
Guess I'll add a disclaimer next Gathering...
What do you think it should say? "Don't eat the pan"?
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Re: Probably worth the risk!

Postby Eunice » Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:30 am

That is some good looking bread in your picture, I think I would probably risk it!

:thumbsup: AL.[/quote]
Paul that is great looking bread. I'm impressed.

My brother is slowly switching over to aluminum. He likes it. I ALMOST made a score but he decided to keep his cast iron.
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Postby pgwilli » Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:54 am

Didn't you get any at Mendo Eunice? Thats where the picture was taken.

I call them 'Bachelor biscuits’ since I first made them at the DAM this year when Norma couldn’t come along:
Line the DO with parchment and open 3 cans of Sara Lee Jumbo Buttermilk Biscuits and arrange them on edge in the DO. Bake for around 25 minutes rotating the oven when you remember to.

I think it’s a Boy Scout standard, but it gets you in the door to potlucks where the good stuff is. :twisted:

I started carrying the Al DO as an extra because it’s just so darn light.
It’s a hard anodized GSI like Joanne mentioned and works good for this recipe. I haven’t done anything else with it.
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mendo

Postby Eunice » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:02 am

No Paul I didnt get any. There was sooooo much food to choose from. I will try it though.
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aluminum

Postby Eunice » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:12 am

Does anyone know of a "fix" for aluminum pots that get "pitted" after a lot of use. My dutch oven that I have had since the 70's is very pitted so I dont like to use it. Can you sand it down on the inside?
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Postby caseydog » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:27 pm

The parchement paper should work to keep the bread from the food.
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