Aluminum pots and pans (not anondized)- safe?

[Amila]

My dad just bought me two aluminum frying pans- they are just plain aluminum, not anondized or coated. Are these safe to use? Thanks!

[mamadelbosque]

I wouldn't use them. Aluminum is going to leach out and into your food and accumulate in your body and likely brain. Aluminum has been linked to alzheimers among other things. So, no, I wouldn't use them. I'd go get a nice set of cast iron pans.

[Abarat]

I'd say they're fine, especially if they don't have any icky coating of non-stick stuff on them.

Personally I don't use aluminum much because of these two reasons:

#1 - I can't use a stainless steel scrubbie to clean them as it scratches the heck out of them.

#2 - You won't want to cook highly acidic things in them much, such as tomatoes, etc. as it reacts with the aluminum and leeches it into the food. But I'd say if you're not doing it all the time you'll be just fine.

[allnaturalmom]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

I wouldn't use them. Aluminum is going to leach out and into your food and accumulate in your body and likely brain. Aluminum has been linked to alzheimers among other things. So, no, I wouldn't use them. I'd go get a nice set of cast iron pans.

:

[JamieCatheryn]

If you can't exchange them I'd go ahead and use them, but aluminum does build up in the body and have bad effects like increased risk of Alzheimer's and cancers. I like cast iron or stainless steel cookware.