30 Comments

  1. Rich Smith at |

    I am 65 years old now, and have used cast iron and cast aluminum Dutch ovens in my Scout activities since I was in my twenties. Camping, Pow Wows, parking lot demonstrations and other cooking. There is som dementia in my family, (older and younger siblings), I do not show any ill effects from aluminum “poisoning” my food. I know acidic dishes like lasagna or spaghetti leaches a bit of aluminum from alum. cookware, but antacids deliver match more. In my opinion, aluminum cookware is safe for human use.
    Richard Smith, Wichita KS

    Reply
    1. Nitpicker at |

      Thank you to the folks here who have debunked this article. The Magnalite pot is a great pan and perfectly safe to use.
      The World Health Organization in 2018 found that cooking in aluminum is safe.
      According to the World Health Organization, adults can consume up to 50 milligrams of aluminum a day. Acidic foods like citrus fruits/fruit juice and tomatoes absorb the largest quantity of aluminum. That “large quantity” however, was only 0,0024 milligrams per cup based on a study that involved making tomato sauce in an aluminum pot for 2 hours then leaving the sauce in it overnight.
      Now aluminum is enameled for easier cleanup (and all the pretty colors).

      Reply
  2. David at |

    I refuse to use Magnalite or aluminum cookware, I also refuse to vaccinate my kids. They will live a long and prosperous life, at least that is what my fortune cookie said one time. I am really fortunate to live in California where everything is labeled unsafe. I am so gullible that I might already be suffering mental retardation.

    Reply
  3. Otis Surratt at |

    This has to be the dumbest article I have ever read. Evidently she does not stay up with the times Wagner produced Magnalite then was bought by Ghc who produced it up to recently i still in sidney Ohio. Now it has been being manufactured as classic Magnalite though made in china. You can buy it new off of Walmart on line. And off of Amazon and Ebay. Wagner produce the Magnalite line from the 1930s to 1970 then Ghc picked up the line til present day. But I guess 1930 to 2019 is co sided a short time. What an idiot so much for health problems. So many health problems they are still on the market. Lmfao.

    Reply
  4. Brittany Rae' at |

    Ok. Sooo you don’t use

    – coke cans
    – canned vegetables
    – aluminum foil

    Riiiggghhttt.

    Reply
    1. Barbara Chester at |

      New science folks and Brittany you are correct, the amount of aluminum leached from aluminum even when cooking highly acidic foods then storing that same pot in the fridge over night is negligible, there is 200 times more aluminum in a single anti acid tablet than what is leached from aluminum (including vintage) cookware.

      Reply
  5. Stephanie Tambeau at |

    I have a set of Magnalite cookware that I bought 43 years ago. Daughter put fry pan in dishwasher and, of course, it turned black. Need suggestions on how to clean other than tomato sauce. Thanks.

    Reply
    1. Otis Surratt at |

      Sos pad well clean all the oxidation off of the pans.

      Reply
  6. Robert Mitchell at |

    Been using magnalite for years, but I also season them first, so they have a protective coating on the inside. I rub the insides with cooking oil and bake in the oven before the first use, I never use abrasives or soap when cleaning, they get wiped out with a damp cloth, and then re oiled. Acidic foods have zero effect on the inside, and I never get a metallic taste in tomato based foods.

    Reply
  7. Peggy at |

    LOL.. finally got an explanation as to why I and my two kids are so mentally deficit!! Considering all three of us got 3.5 – 4 average in college LOL

    Reply
    1. Erik at |

      Agreed. These are anodized. They don’t leach metals.

      Reply
  8. E. Smith at |

    First of all, I wouldn’t take anything coming out of the The Globalist seriously. There has been considerable fearmongering about aluminum but little substantial evidence. I am sitting here with a can of diet Pepsi in, you guessed it, an aluminum can. There is a great deal of aluminum around us, yet why so much of the time only cookware is attached. Is anyone aware that iron leached from cast iron cookware is not good for everyone? As people age they are advised by their doctors to stop taking iron supplements. In my own case my RBC is above normal level. Could it be from the cast iron cookware I use? Perhaps.

    My mother bought her first set of cookware in 1950 — cast aluminum. Strange how not one person in our family suffers from Alzheimer’s, flatulence, heartburn, skin problems, liver disease, mental retardation, or Parkinson’s

    Reply
  9. Dr. Steve at |

    Stop all this worrying! There is very little leaching from aluminum pots, even when cooking acidic foods. And the aluminum is waaaay less than you will take in from other sources. Finally, there is no evidence that such aluminum has any adverse medical effect.

    Reply
  10. Marianne Lyons at |

    I have had the original Magnalite pots for years and have had no problems. However, recently a pot got badly burned and I used bleach to get it out. I let the bleach sit for probably a day. Now the pot has kind of a residue that I can’t get rid of. Do you think its safe to use or should I just toss it.

    Reply
    1. Vlad Tepes at |

      facepalm! Did you Not just read the original post? Burnt residue or not, unless possible retardation is an acceptable garnish for your next culinary masterpiece then NO. LoL

      Reply
  11. stephanie givens at |

    This cook ware is an alloy of aluminum and magnesium. Does anyone have info on that combo? My mom has had hers since 1950. It is BIG, and I have a small family, so only use it occassionally, but have cooked spaghetti and it is not pitted, it has dulled on the inside, but perhaps it looked like that in 1950. I can’t recall, I was only one.

    Reply
    1. Karen at |

      Hi, the acid in your spaghetti sauce may cause aluminum leaching into your food.

      Reply
  12. Christine at |

    I am a traditional food junkie. Think sally fallon, weston price. I do alot of stocks and grass fed natural meat. Ive been using the magnalite duck pan for about a year now for roasting and also natural stock. Just a fee days ago, it was mentioned in a fb post group that its extremely dangerous. I am very confused. I dont know if i should use it anymore and this afternoon was ready to toss the pot an any remaining provisions cooked in it. Please give me some advice!! ( i bought this crock second hand for $40 and have another baking tray bought second hand. I llllllove the way they cook and really dont want to get rid of them unless necessary

    Reply
  13. Karen at |

    I do not agree with your statement. Wagner Magnalite is a fine piece of cookware. There are no proven lab test that aluminum causes any type of disease like Alzheimer’s or any or the problems you are mentioning. If fact I am buying my first vintage Wagner Magnalite tomorrow. The roast and cook like nothing else. I am an avid cats iron cookware user and I am just getting into Magnalite as well. You can get more poisoning from storing foods in plastic containers and heating them in the microwave and also from lead present in paint of some ethnic clay pots. It seems to be over reacting. Just enjoy what you have Jane.

    Reply
    1. Christian at |

      I totally agree! ^^
      I’ve done research and they are completely safe! God Bless!

      Reply
  14. Joseph Gray at |

    I’ve used my Magnalite Dutch Oven for years to cook mostly meats.

    Magnalite did not go out of business as suggested in previous posts. You can go on Amazon and buy Magnalite today.

    Reply
    1. Cynthia L Murphy at |

      Mom and I bought our Magnalite back in the day at a local factory in Sidney, Ohio. I’d say that factory did not close because people were scared to cook in it, lol. Rather, Teflon came into being. I still use my Magnalite and have no fears. Looks like China is where Magnalite is manufactored now, and at an ungodly price.

      Reply
  15. Heath at |

    Here’s another take on the cooking in aluminum question:
    http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/15/aluminum-pans-wont-give-you-alzheimers

    “According to an account in Cook’s Illustrated (January 2012), lab tests run on tomato sauce cooked in aluminum for two hours, then stored in the same pot overnight, showed that the sauce contained only .0024 milligrams per cup. In contrast, a single antacid tablet may contain more than 200 milligrams. “

    Reply
  16. Mary at |

    From what studies did you get your information that cooking in aluminum cookware can cause liver disease, mental retardation and Parkinson’s?

    Reply
    1. Patricia at |

      Great question Mary,did you ever get an answer? Would like to know where her research came from.

      Reply
      1. Mary at |

        Hi Mary, no I have not received an answer, but I will keep checking to see if she does. Most likely I won’t hear from her.

        Reply
  17. Vladimir at |

    Aluminum is a rather unique metal in that it forms an extremely tough film of oxide on its surface, and that film prevents leaching of the metal into our food. This film becomes apparent when the freshly polished aluminum item looses its luster and the surface becomes dull.

    Unfortunately, this film can be dissolved by acidic foods (lemons, tomatoes, vinegar), and some alkaline household items (baking soda, TSP, some baking powders), and then aluminum and other components of the alloy can enter the food that is being cooked in the container. You could observe, for example, that after cooking tomato dishes the inside becomes more shiny.

    Aluminum pots would be perfectly safe for boiling plain water, and cooking some dishes that do not have a clearly acidic flavor, like stewing potatoes (which have very low acidity) and meats (no acidic marinade). But the moment you add some tomato to the stew you begin to leach some metal in your food.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

By posting a comment, you consent to have your personally identifiable information collected and used in accordance with our privacy policy.