I move to allow aluminum

[GuyFawkes]

Don't drink the Kool-Aid

After much, much research, I have yet to find any viable connections between cooking in aluminum and any health hazards. There are risks associated with it, however there are also many greater health risks cooking in copper yet that's the most used material on here (well, debatable I guess, but at least second most).

There are several links between excess aluminum consumption and phosphorous deficiency, however it seems as though cooking in aluminum is not a major cause of this. If I am missing something, please point it out to me, but it seems the greatest cause of these myths is folklore and wives' tales, something I believed myself before research.

I move officially allow aluminum on this site, especially for newbies who want to get started with the least amount of capital (aluminum pots are cheaper than stainless)

[Country Pete]

I am not trying to be argumentative and I don't know about it leaching into anything or if it is actually unhealthy to use but I do know one thing for sure. Aluminium is a reactive metal. It will react with corrosive substances (read alcohol.) When it does that It will make stuff taste bad. You know that kind of tinny metal taste you get when you stick a hunk of aluminum foil in your mouth and chew (okay I never have really done that but you get the idea.) I have made home brew beer for quite a while and this is one thing I learned early on. Don't mix alcohol and aluminum. That is why beer companies line there aluminum cans with a coating and use stainless steel kegs or glass bottles. With that said, go your own way. Far be it for me to tell anyone what they should or should not do.

[cob]

????? your agenda ? the operative word is "yet"

Don't drink the Kool-AidAfter much, much research, I have yet to find If I am missing something, please point it out to me

[maheel]

somebody just delete this thread....
how hard can it be just go buy a SS keg if your a newbie. its gotta be easily the simplest way into this hobby

if your talking about least capital possible entry next you will suggest PVC and joint cement and a plastic ball valve for a PVC boka

[astronomical]

Im gonna go out on a limb and bet my left nut that you already built an aluminum boiler and you're just looking to validate it.

Amazon has 62qt aluminum for 106 and stainless for 117... The 100qt models are 170 and 230 (other site)... Im not seeing a huge price difference. If you were frugal you'd get a damn keg for 30-60$ and thats it.

I immediately found problems with aluminum. There is a ton of different aluminum alloys and many have zinc and other questionable "ingredients".

[Odin]

Acids in mash can react with aluminium. Causes black specks in your boiler. And possibly chemicals in your likker. There used to be steampots / fruit juice extractors made from aluminium. This is now forbidden (at least over here), because the accids from the fruit cause chemicals to come over into the fruit juice. A connection to cancer was established and that is why they abandoned this material. Fruit juice extractors are now made of SS.

For me this means that I will never use an aluminium boiler.

Odin.

[Washashore]

THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED HERE HUNDREDS OF TIMES.

Regardless of whether it is in fact safe or not is unknown. Since it has not been proven to be safe, the use of aluminum in a boiler is not one of the metals that HD lists as safe.

It's guilty until proven innocent around here, not innocent until proven guilty since "proving guilty" can lead to serious illness or death.

[NcHooch]

It corrodes, and for me that's enough to not use it .
For everyone else that may think it's OK, something you may not have considered is the galvanic reaction that occurs when two dissimilar (and reactive) metals are in close proximity to each other (like copper and aluminum) . Depending on the liquid (or vapor) they're exposed to some very unwanted compounds can be created.

[Prairiepiss]

Don't drink the Kool-Aid

After much, much research, I have yet to find any viable connections between cooking in aluminum and any health hazards. There are risks associated with it, however there are also many greater health risks cooking in copper yet that's the most used material on here (well, debatable I guess, but at least second most).

There are several links between excess aluminum consumption and phosphorous deficiency, however it seems as though cooking in aluminum is not a major cause of this. If I am missing something, please point it out to me, but it seems the greatest cause of these myths is folklore and wives' tales, something I believed myself before research.

I move officially allow aluminum on this site, especially for newbies who want to get started with the least amount of capital (aluminum pots are cheaper
than stainless)

Do you have some proof or anything to bring to the table other then what you feel should happen? This argument has been played out so many times its ridiculous. And it always comes back to. The corrosion properties can render it unsafe. You know where this thread will go. So why would you start it without laying proven facts on the table?

I give it a day or two max.

[GuyFawkes]

To everyone, no I have not built an aluminum boiler. I already have several SS pots that are better anyway. Yes, aluminum does corrode and is less ideal than SS. It may also leach metallic tastes into the final product.

But like I said, don't go on about any health effects, because despite many studies being done, any conclusions that it is unsafe for use with food have led nowhere. Asking for proof something is safe is counter-intuitive and ends in circular logic, and I will add that stainless has not been proven to be safe, yet we assume it is, and it has been proven that copper is unsafe, and yet we use it.

All I'm saying is that any HEALTH effects of aluminum are unproven and unfounded. If I am not mistaken the rules are to be safe here, and I'm simply trying to point out that aluminum will not cause any health problems that the modern day world is familiar with (and don't start on the "well it hasn't been proven", because neither has stainless, for all we know stainless steel could be the cause of cancer). I will still recommend stainless, I'm just saying aluminum should be slated from "banned" to "acceptable".

This is obviously going over like a lead balloon, so this will be my last comment. No point beating a dead horse. But I would just like to say aluminum is not lead, it won't poison you, it won't give you Alzheimer's, and it is not possessed by Satan himself. It's not ideal, but in this hobby nothing is ever ideal. Okay, have a nice day, I'll just go over into my corner and shut up now

[Odin]

"Link to cancer", "no more aluminium fruit extractors allowed". Hate to repeat myself.

[Husker]

I had not wanted to release this document (just yet), but people simply will not leave bad ideas alone.

H.