Aluminum

[Praties]

There was some scary stuff a few years ago about a possible link between Alzheimer's and aluminum cookware and (I believe) that was disproved. What about aluminum foil? Say you cook a roast with a tomato or other acidic component and the foil discolors where it's touched the food--is that introducing aluminum into the dish or.....?

Edited to add: And why do some acidic components discolor the foil and others do not? I can use lemon juice on fish, for example, and no problems, but tomatoes and some wines result in the discoloration (and so I use a parchment paper "barrier" between the food and the foil).

Edited to add: I saw in one of your responses that you have a website! Thank you!!!

Praties

[Harold McGee]

I wrote a long chapter about the supposed aluminum-Alzheimer’s link in 1990 in The Curious Cook. It still looks as though aluminum is not a causative factor—people who for various reasons have a high aluminum intake (from antacids, drinking water) don’t have higher rates of the disease. Still, it’s true that acidic foods dissolve aluminum from both cookware and foil, and aluminum is not an essential nutrient, so I think it’s prudent to avoid that kind of corrosion. The speed and extent of corrosion depend not just on the acid, but on what else is in the food (eg other metals), the kind of storage container (steel or other metals will make the equivalent of a battery!), and other factors.

Harold

[Praties]

Thank you very much! I'll continue barricading acidic things with parchment.

Praties