Aluminum cookware

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Jun 4, 2010
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I have an aluminum pot I've been using for years and built my stove and windscreen to match its dimensions. Problem is it makes my coffee and any meals that require boiling water taste terrible. Is there anything that can be done to keep the taste from leaching out or should I just pony up for stainless or Ti?
Probably a stupid question but I had to ask...

HH
 
So it just started making stuff taste bad? Maybe you could just get a new one.
I used a pot from an aluminum set for over a decade, and switched to a stainless cup the last year or so, and have never noticed a difference.
 
Pretty sure it always did and I finally got tired of it. Always thought it was just the tannins till I made some java at home with tap water and it was every bit as lousy. GSI makes a stainless 6 cup percolator that should fit my existing windscreen/alcohol stove setup.

HH
 
Is it annodized aluminum? The reason I ask is I have no such problem out of my annodized Brunton IBC pot.
 
I used a Sigg Swiss aluminum pot for nearly 30 years with no taste issues. If that one tastes bad, I'd save it for heating dish cleaning water in a car camp and get something new with which to cook.

DancesWithKnives
 
Considering pots these days aren't very expensive may be worth it to just grab a new one for the taste alone..
 
If you scrub it down to the aluminum it will taste
If you let a film bulid up with tea then just wipe it down, you will not get the taste
 
Not sure if it's true or not but I won't use Ali cookware, when you mix food in an ali pot and scrape the sides, it tastes awful (to me). If you boil milk in an ali pot it goes grey. If the Ali cookware has a coating from old food, or anodize, and you don't disturb it by mixing/whisking, then it's proabably fine I guess

http://ezinearticles.com/?Link-Between-Aluminum-Cookware-and-Alzheimers-Disease&id=1912751


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.

For many years, people already know how aluminum salts can leach from a pan or pot and onto the food being cooked, especially if it is acidic. This is the very reason why aluminum-lined cookware is strictly prohibited in some countries like France, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Hungary, Brazil and Switzerland.

Although it is still allowed in the US, many of their aluminum cookware is now lined with non-stick coatings. Aside from this, most aluminum cookware is anodized. This means aluminum components were dipped into a type of hot acid bath, sealing it and changing its molecular structure.

Flouride is banned in lots of countries too, not sure if that's good or bad either. Still, worth considering.
 
Funny you should mention fluoride in this context. While looking around I came across references to the effect that fluoridated water further reacts with aluminum when heated. Also came across references that would indicate we ingest plenty of aluminum naturally and in things like antacids and aspirin in addition to some foods. The Alzheimer's link is a little shaky, no one knows if it triggers it or if damage to the brain allows it to accumulate (if I'm reading the research correctly). End of the day, I'm getting a new pot. Sounds like I'd be better off with anything else, even a different aluminum one should improve things, but I'll probably go w/ thin wall stainless. My alcohol set-up is pretty efficient, shouldn't be an issue (famous last words).

Thanks all
HH
 
I've used untreated aluminium cookware for decades with no taste issues, I've also used aluminium cookware which has been treated with numerous coatings and have not had any taste issues with these either.

I recently read that some materials react to treatments used by water companies and that these may affect taste, though its not something I ever encountered.
 
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