aluminum camping cookset (are they harmful)

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philipb

Forager
Feb 20, 2016
231
8
wales
With all the things that could go wrong when out & about on an adventure the risk of maybe having Alzheimer’s in old age is the least of my worries.

if it was just for me I would probably be equally blasé about the risk. But as I now increasing include my young son on more and more trips I do not wish to expose his to any unnecessary harm. For me to do that I do need to get the facts right and I need to understand what the real risks (if any) are
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
if it was just for me I would probably be equally blasé about the risk. But as I now increasing include my young son on more and more trips I do not wish to expose his to any unnecessary harm. For me to do that I do need to get the facts right and I need to understand what the real risks (if any) are

You obviously won't be reassured by anything posted here; what you need is the very latest credible scientific research and this is not the place to get that as definitively as you appear to require.
 

philipb

Forager
Feb 20, 2016
231
8
wales
You obviously won't be reassured by anything posted here; what you need is the very latest credible scientific research and this is not the place to get that as definitively as you appear to require.

that is not entirely true as the posts here have satisfied me that any risk is very low and I wont be immediately binning all my aluminium cookware. But I will be doing some more research and any future purchase of new equipment will be considered more carefully
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
The supposed link to alzheimers was tenuous at best. All they discovered was that a percentage of alzheimers patients had elevated aluminum salts. What they failed to accertain was which condition caused the other (if either)
 
Dec 6, 2013
417
5
N.E.Lincs.
It always pays to listen to the scientific experts, back in 1998 it was proven for instance by an Evaluation and Research Agency that the part of the brain which controls memory and learning was being effected, blood pressure was being increased which was proven to be effecting pregnant women, brain tumours, cancer, headaches and tiredness where all seen to be definitely occurring, and this was not just in a small sample of people, apparently it was information gathered from up to 9 million people across Britain, plus there were studies done in other countries across the world….. we were so lucky they found out just how dangerous mobile phones are/were before they caught on.......Research is good, just have to be careful whose research it is and from where you gather it.

D.B.

Oh, and just a reminder you should never stay in the same room when cooking something in a microwave oven, especially if you are male.
 

bivouac

Forager
Jan 30, 2010
234
2
Three Counties
Whilst it is true that increased levels of aluminium has been found in some Alzheimers sufferers, it is not known for certain how it gets there. Aluminium is an element that is found literally everywhere and is in tea and other common substances including stomach antacids which is a little unfortunate for me as I have consumed literally gallons of the stuff over the years. Once considered a scientific hot potato, these days there is no money available for serious research on the subject and the link between aluminium cookware and Alzheimers can neither be definitely proved or disproved. Out of six studies, three found a link and three found no link. The manufacturers state that hard-anodising aluminium makes it safe and removes any link (well, they would say that wouldn't they) but again, there is no objective proof either way, If I was 20, I might consider buying stainless steel cookware that is going to be used a lot over a long period of time, but as i'm not in my first flush of youth, having driven diesel vehicles for 40 years breathing in carcinogens and drunk gallons of antacids on a daily basis, it seems a little late for me to start worrying about what cooking pans i'm using and the last pan I bought was ha aluminium. But we have used exclusively stainless steel pans at home for a long time.
 

Quixoticgeek

Full Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,483
23
Europe
Greater risk from the smoke from the camp fire than the aluminium cooking pots.

Agreed, that and the bacon in the pan probably doesn't help...

harmful or not-- I find aluminium cookware disgusting. IMHO even the best meal tastes bad when coming out of an aluminium pot and I still have unpleasant memories of the awful messtins I was forced to use when dressed in camo and lugging an assault rifle (== acting as cannon fodder for what's not my country; not my decision I hasten to add!) many moons ago......

each to their own but I prefer stainless steel......

Some people seem to be better able to taste when something has been cooked in an ali pot than others. I have a friend who can tell, and this has been interesting in seeing with my choices of cookware. One set of HAA pots tasted stronger than another, both made in the same factory.

Personally I have mostly gone for stainless steel. Partly so said friend doesn't grumble about the taste, and partly as my MSR Stoves have a propensity for melting through ali cooksets, which is a mess I don't like clearing up...

Stainless steel pots don't have to weigh that much more than ali. I have a snow peak personal cooker 3, and while on paper the whole set weighs a lot, the smallest pot is just about right for a meal for one, and is only a few grams more than the equivalent ali pot.

J
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Frankly food fried in ANYTHING other than cast iron pretty much sux by comparison. That said, food fried in stainless steel is no better tasting than that fried in aluminum.

true- but cast iron is a wee bit heavy for backpacking....:rolleyes:

Agreed CI is heavy. However so is stainless and, to me at least, stainless isn't any improvement (taste wise) over aluminum anyway.
 
Agreed CI is heavy. However so is stainless and, to me at least, stainless isn't any improvement (taste wise) over aluminum anyway.


agreed:)..... but when I fry something while backpacking I BBQ it over coals--- IMHO opinion the tastiest way..... and weight saving, too;)

but in the kitchen I'd prefer a cast iron pan, too! (can't have a campfire in my kitchen:()
 

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