Hazards of cooking in a aluminium vessel

[sanchita]

As aluminium utensils are lightweight, cheap, rust-free and easily available, their use has increased a lot in our kitchen. All most every utensil in our kitchen like sausepan, frypan, pressure cooker, karahi, dekchi etc is made up of aluminium. Cooking in a aluminium vessel is not a wise idea, since aluminium readily reacts with oxygen present in the atmosphere and produces aluminium oxide.The aluminium oxide forms layers on the utensil’s surface. When we eat the food made in aluminium utensils, the aluminium enters and gets accumulated inside our body.
Aluminium oxide can seriously affect the brain, affect neurons and cause dementia. It can also result in kidney and renal failure. Aluminium also neutralises the vitamins and minerals present in the food. The longer food is cooked or stored in aluminum, the greater the amount that gets into food. Food materials like salt, tea, leafy vegetables, soda, lemon, tamarind and tomato should not be cooked or kept in aluminium vessels.

[Rasorr]

But there is no other metal like Aluminum which we can use in our kitchen.
Other metals have greater disadvantages than Aluminum hence are not in used.
If stop using the Aluminum vessels then around 90% peoples will use the plastics vessels which cause pollution.
So it is better to use Aluminum vessels though it has some disadvantages.
but the disadvantages are very least before their advantages.

[karan]

If we not used aluminum any other metal we can use or replace it with it.
For those who know the answer,please post your answer so other get info about it.

[jayashree s kumar]

Sanchita, it is very true that while using aluminum vessels for cooking, negative effects take place on us in the long run. It is good to avoid them as far as possible.

In olden days, vessels made of clay were used for cooking. Even today some of us make use of mud pots in summer to keep our drinking water cool. These things are really healthy and non toxic but we have only abandoned their usage for various reasons, like time saving, etc. We prefer cold water from our fridge which is in fact not so good as the cool water from a mud pot.

We can use steel vessels for cooking. Even the Teflon coated ones are debatable as we are yet to know about the effects they may cause to us in the next few years. And that goes to micro wave cooking too.

In many of our houses, especially in the South, we use lead vessel for making rasam (tamarind soup) as the taste is very nice when we cook in it. Even this some say is unhealthy.

When we are doubtful that certain things are unhealthy, it is best to avoid them or at least lessen the usage of such items...

[sanchita]

Yes Jayshree, our forefathers were really wise as they use to cook food in clay pot or earthenware. Food cooked in an earthenware is not only healthy but also delicious.

Again some stainless steel cookware are also safe. There are two main types of stainless steel, magnetic and nonmagnetic. The nonmagnetic form has a very high nickel content, and nickel is allergenic and carcinogenic. It is much more toxic than iron or aluminum. You can use a magnet to test your pans. The magnet will stick firmly to the safer type of pan.

Non-stick utensils or Teflon coated cookware are not harmful if used with caution. One should never leave an empty non-stick pan or utensil on the stove for more than five minutes, because after it reaches an extreme temperature, the Teflon melts and leaches into the food in small quantities. “Teflon leaching in the food can be carcinogenic. One should not use metal spoons to stir the food in non-stick vessels, scratching the coating can cause it to come off and get mixed in the food.

[jyothi_pv1]

Cooking salty foods or keeping acidic foods in aluminium would surely cause aluminium or copper vessels corrode, which would make the food toxic.
Its not possible to completely avoid aluminium vessels, though nowadays every kitchen use more of stainless steel vessels to cook food.

I tried making dal in clay pot, it tastes very good though its time consuming.

[wandardcking]

Im learning more and more that cooking foods a certain way can destroy the nutritional value tremendously or possibly even bring out the value.

[atish]

sanchita ....cooking with aluminum is not healthy ....then why do we use aluminum foil .....it is used more than aluminum vessels in our kitchens........

[keertana222]

Aluminum however is not necessary substance for our bodies and too much is harmful. People who are exposed to high levels of aluminum in air may have respiratory problems including asthma from dust. Aluminum can cause delays in skeletal and neurologic development.

A recent study brought dread and concern to millions of people using aluminum cookware. It is theorized that using aluminum cookware can trigger Alzheimer's disease. Take note that we are talking about high contents of aluminum to have a significant effect on the body. As an overview, Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative type of illness, and usually terminal. A person infected with it experiences dementia. He forgets the names of his loved ones and other important memories. It is caused by a lot of interacting factors like drug side effects. But more recently, it is also linked with the intake of high amounts of aluminum. And they point to aluminum cookware as the culprit.