Why should aluminium not be used in a dishwasher?
Why should Aluminium not be used in a dishwasher and for cooking in general? Let’s take a look.
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To understand why Aluminium should not be used - let’s start with the basics.
IS ALUMINIUM, NON-STICK SAFE?
Most Indian households use aluminium - mostly for kadai’s or boiling milk. The biggest benefits of aluminium are that it heats really fast, has non sticking properties and compared to cast iron, they are lightweight and reasonably cheap.
Typically - when using metals like Aluminium or cast iron - a certain amount of the metal is leached or transferred into the food. While in the case of Iron - such a transfer is good for the body, in the case of aluminium - it can accumulate in the body and cause toxicity. This toxicity can reflect in the form of hyper-acidity, peptic ulcers, indigestion, flatulence, skin problems like pigmentation, eczema, dandruff and chronic inflammation of the intestine.
Ofcouse the amount of aluminium we would get through such transfer is minimal (less than 5mg) compared to our daily needs of aluminium - which is about 50 mg - but inspite of that - it is non-essential and should be avoided.
In addition, the longer the food is cooked or kept in the aluminium vessel - the higher the transfer! The more acidic the food (like tomato puree or vinegar or lime or even tea and coffee), more aluminium is transferred to your food. If you have to cook using aluminium, make sure you do not store the food in aluminium to minimize this transfer.
Now - this transfer of aluminium to food significantly increases if the aluminium is damaged / corroded in any way. How can you detect if your aluminium vessel is corroded - look for small holes in your aluminium vessel. If this is the case - immediately stop using aluminium cookware.
WHY NOT TO USE ALUMINIUM IN DISHWASHER?
What does all this have to do with the dishwasher? The dishwasher causes corrosion or pitting in aluminium because of the use of the chemicals in the dishwasher detergent. Most dishwasher detergents are alkaline and are known to corrode and discolor aluminum. Earlier detergents used to have phosphates - which used to protect the surface of vessels from damage and discoloration. However, due to the harmful effects of those phosphates, detergent manufacturers were asked to stop using phosphates in the detergents. As a result, aluminium surfaces do not get the protection from phosphates any more and hence can be discolored when put in the dishwasher. And when damaged - the ill effects of aluminium are significantly higher as discussed earlier.
What about anodized and non stick cookware? Most non stick and anodized cookware are made from aluminium or its alloys covered with a coating to prevent aluminium from being transferred to the food. Over time - if you are using metal spoons / ladles to cook or washing with a rough brush - this coating gets scratched and the aluminium is able to come into contact with the food and dissolves into your food. In addition, adding these to the dishwasher affects this coating and exposes the aluminium beneath it - leading to the issues we have already spoken about.
So to be on the safer side - better not to use aluminium in the dishwasher. To be even safer - better not to use aluminium, non stick and anodized utensils in your kitchen. Rather move to stainless steel or cast iron for cooking and stainless steel or glass for storage.
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