Using aluminum pots to cook mash

[cndnstillinman]

Hey guys just would like to say how much I like this forum and how helpful it has been. My question is can you use food grade aluminum cookware to prepare your mashes? Found some good deals on a couple of 10 gallon ones that would really come in handy. I know once it comes time to still only stainless or copper should be used, but if it is food grade why cant it be used to still also? I know this is probably a silly question so please excuse my noobness. LOL Thanks

[HolyBear]

Yea, I do for.cooking the mash, but we.really.shouldnt... There have been.studies done.on.how.it leads to. Oldtimers disease...

I cook.mashes in a..bop that is aluminimum, but I guess I really.shouldnt...

[BrooklynTech]

Lots a beer guys cook their wort (mash) in aluminum so I don't see any problem. Just don't distill in it. But I do admit I don't us Al for mash or wort. LOL

[Azure]

I've read that the patina on aluminium will be a protective layer once it develops and not to scrub it off.

[carnica]

"Despite its natural abundance, aluminium has no known function in biology. It is remarkably nontoxic, aluminium sulfate having an LD50 of 6207 mg/kg (oral, mouse), which corresponds to 500 grams for a 80 kg person. The extremely low acute toxicity notwithstanding, the health effects of aluminium are of interest in view of the widespread occurrence of the element in the environment and in commerce. Some toxicity can be traced to deposition in bone and the central nervous system, which is particularly increased in patients with reduced renal function. Because aluminium competes with calcium for absorption, increased amounts of dietary aluminium may contribute to the reduced skeletal mineralization (osteopenia) observed in preterm infants and infants with growth retardation. In very high doses, aluminium can cause neurotoxicity, and is associated with altered function of the blood–brain barrier. A small percentage of people are allergic to aluminium and experience contact dermatitis, digestive disorders, vomiting or other symptoms upon contact or ingestion of products containing aluminium, such as deodorants or antacids. In those without allergies, aluminium is not as toxic as heavy metals, but there is evidence of some toxicity if it is consumed in excessive amounts. Although the use of aluminium cookware has not been shown to lead to aluminium toxicity in general, excessive consumption of antacids containing aluminium compounds and excessive use of aluminium-containing antiperspirants provide more significant exposure levels. Studies have shown that consumption of acidic foods or liquids with aluminium significantly increases aluminium absorption, and maltol has been shown to increase the accumulation of aluminium in nervous and osseus tissue. Furthermore, aluminium increases estrogen-related gene expression in human breast cancer cells cultured in the laboratory. The estrogen-like effects of these salts have led to their classification as a metalloestrogen. The effects of aluminium in antiperspirants has been examined over the course of decades with little evidence of skin irritation. Nonetheless, its occurrence in antiperspirants, dyes (such as aluminium lake), and food additives is controversial in some quarters. Although there is little evidence that normal exposure to aluminium presents a risk to healthy adults, some studies point to risks associated with increased exposure to the metal. Aluminium in food may be absorbed more than aluminium from water. Some researchers have expressed concerns that the aluminium in antiperspirants may increase the risk of breast cancer, and aluminium has controversially been implicated as a factor in Alzheimer's disease. The Camelford water pollution incident involved a number of people consuming aluminium sulfate. Investigations of the long-term health effects are still ongoing, but elevated brain aluminium concentrations have been found in post-mortem examinations of victims, and further research to determine if there is a link with cerebral amyloid angiopathy has been commissioned.
According to the Alzheimer's Society, the medical and scientific opinion is that studies have not convincingly demonstrated a causal relationship between aluminium and Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, some studies, such as those on the PAQUID cohort, cite aluminium exposure as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Some brain plaques have been found to contain increased levels of the metal. Research in this area has been inconclusive; aluminium accumulation may be a consequence of the disease rather than a causal agent. In any event, if there is any toxicity of aluminium, it must be via a very specific mechanism, since total human exposure to the element in the form of naturally occurring clay in soil and dust is enormously large over a lifetime. Scientific consensus does not yet exist about whether aluminium exposure could directly increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease."

From Wikipedia

[edwatters]

I use 30 gallon aluminium pots to do crab and cioppinno among other large quantities of food for parties, so I don't see a problem with cooking mash in them

[jholmz]

eventually the alcohol will pit and corrode the aluminum, you can use it to mash in but i move to a fermenter after that and i never let it sit in the aluminum more than i have to

[seabass]

Its fine for mashing or boiling wort, but not for fermentation because of the pH. The oxide layer becomes unstable in the low 4's. Fermentation will drop around that low and eat away at the aluminum.

[Prairiepiss]

Yea, I do for.cooking the mash, but we.really.shouldnt... There have been.studies done.on.how.it leads to. Oldtimers disease...

I cook.mashes in a..bop that is aluminimum, but I guess I really.shouldnt...

With research you will find these studies were not done proper. And samples were tainted. Making them unfounded. It was an old scare that many never let go of. Old wives tail.

If you look I have a thread about another reason not to use aluminium. I used a aluminum pot for my first attempts at mashing. Only later to find it pitted my pot so bad. It sprung leaks in about 4 places. Durability is the biggest concern with aluminum. And not all aluminum pots are the same. Some are really cheap and others not so cheap. You get what you pay for. I have a commercial sauce pan. That is very heavy duty. And have had it for a long time. And it was used when I got it. It shows very little wear and tear. And its been abused.

[bellybuster]

I mashed in aluminum for years probably 10 before getting kegs. Still have 2 of those pots, the are still just fine.

[Black Eye]

Make sure it's a good quality Pot. I had some cheap ones that I used on a Turkey Fryer and they would all end up pitting and spinging small pin hole leaks.

[Theo]

One of the effects of too much aluminum is that it can increase your chances of having Alzheimer's.

[seabass]

One of the effects of too much aluminum is that it can increase your chances of having Alzheimer's.

[latigo]

And yet the vast majority of us here still swipe an antiperspirant into our arm pits everyday!!!! Active ingredients in most contain aluminum in some form. My mom cooked in aluminum pots (Wearever Brand) for her entire adult life and she is just fine. My 102 YO aunt has been using aluminum pots for longer than I have been on this planet and she might be sharper than me mentally ( but she dont drink homemade hootch.. LOL )

[Black Eye]

...And yet the vast majority of us here still swipe an antiperspirant into our arm pits everyday!!!! Active ingredients in most contain aluminum in some form.

I tried not swiping on the Antipersperant once... It didn't go over well at work and I wasn't allowed to sit down to dinner

[Prairiepiss]

One of the effects of too much aluminum is that it can increase your chances of having Alzheimer's.

You obviously didn't read my post?
Please don't post unfounded misinformation. That has been discussed at length within these forums. Over and over.

At this point and time there are no founded health risks in using aluminum. For this hobby the biggest concern is durability.

[TOAD]

I have used aluminum pots for cooking, brewing, even as a worm bucket for my still. And i hate em. Cant find a single redeeming feature about em. Its difficult to describe just how much i disslike them. They have ruined my chillie by chemically reacting with the tomatoes. Bulging bottoms causing them to not sit right or wobble. The smell on your hands after washing them. The difficulty of cleaning when compaired to SS. Items scorch easily in aluminum. Even when using one as a bucket to set my worm in there was a chemical reaction between the copper and aluminum. The only thing i use an aluminum pan for now is a drip pan when working on the ol truck.

[Truckinbutch]

I have used aluminum pots for cooking, brewing, even as a worm bucket for my still. And i hate em. Cant find a single redeeming feature about em. Its difficult to describe just how much i disslike them. They have ruined my chillie by chemically reacting with the tomatoes. Bulging bottoms causing them to not sit right or wobble. The smell on your hands after washing them. The difficulty of cleaning when compaired to SS. Items scorch easily in aluminum. Even when using one as a bucket to set my worm in there was a chemical reaction between the copper and aluminum. The only thing i use an aluminum pan for now is a drip pan when working on the ol truck.

I'm with you most of the way I find aluminum useful to contain my beer until it is consumed . Never hangs around long enough to deteriorate in this single use application

[bellybuster]

Commercial grade aluminum pots are a joy to use. I have 2, 15 gallon ones that were part of my brewery for many years.

Tomatoes should never be cooked or stored in aluminum

[TOAD]

Commercial grade, forgot about that part. My bad aluminum pot experience was with "sub-standard junk when you cant find anything else" pots. Commercial grade pots and pans are awsome.

[TOAD]

I find aluminum useful to contain my beer until it is consumed . Never hangs around long enough to deteriorate in this single use application

Like the aluminum Budweiser bottles? They have a coating on the inside, like aluminum cans. Always wanted to try those.

[myles]

Commercial aluminium is a different beast entirely, and many of these are anodised also. There are different grades of aluminium and some of the commercial pots are surprisingly expensive.

I use a big old aluminium pot as the outer boiler in my glycol still, so even if you don't cook mash in one, they still do have viable uses in this hobby. You just need to be careful which one you pick.

[bellybuster]

big thing with aluminum pots is to boil water for a good long time before initial use. A blackish oxide layer will build up and its tough as nails against almost anything

[Prairiepiss]

If you can afford a good commercial aluminum pot. You can afford a half way dissent stainless one too. So why bother for this hobby?

[rad14701]

If you can afford a good commercial aluminum pot. You can afford a half way dissent stainless one too. So why bother for this hobby?

+1

[Gaztops]

I make my washes and (hopefully sometime soon) all grain mashes in the same SS stockpot as I do my distilling with.

[jmashspirits14]

I like this discussion, can someone tell me where I can get a suitable 10gal aluminum pot or a reasonably priced stainless one? I cant spend $150 on a pot, well its not that I cant but I wont. I could get plenty of good crack for that money! Just kidding, lol. I still refuse to spend that on a pot that ill use once in a while. My still pot is stainless but its only 5 gal and that's just not big enough to produce 5gal of AG mash. Not enough room for 8-10 pounds of grain and 6.5gal of water.

[bellybuster]

any beer brewing supply, restaurant supply, surplus store, walmart, home depot, bayou classic......

edited to add Ebay, Amazon, Sears, Lowes

[Drunk-N-Smurf]

For what it's worth, I've had comments from a few people saying they could taste a slight aluminum taste in my drink. The only aluminum I used in my process was a turkey fryer pot I used to heat my washes.

It may have just been a substandard aluminum, but I haven't used aluminum since.

Get another cheap keg, cut the top off, and there's your pot.

[rad14701]

Scale your batches down and do more of them if you're too cheap to buy a BOP... Or you could continue running to the liquor store and paying far too much money, repetitively, for inferior spirits... A good BOP only needs to be purchased once in a lifetime if you buy a good one...