Why not use foil to pack food to cook?

One thing that has become quite popular is that people will use food wrapped aluminum foil when making grilled meat or fish. However, what few people realize is that metals can leak into food, potentially harming their health.

Professor Ghada Bassioni, Dean of the Department of Chemistry at Ain Shams University (Egypt), and colleagues conducted a study on the use of aluminum in cooking and preparing dishes.

Aluminum is not only rolled for use (usually "foil" ), but also kitchen utensils such as pots, pans, spoons, . are most popular in developing countries. . Copper has been used for these roles, but over time, people have replaced it with aluminum because the advantages are cheaper and easier to clean.

Although it is acceptable to cook food in pots or pans, it is advisable to use food wrappers and put them in the oven again , especially for spicy and sour foods. Processing at high temperature.

Using food wrappers and putting them in an oven is something everyone should avoid.

According to researcher Bassioni, the human body can effectively excrete small amounts of aluminum. This means that exposure to aluminum at a minimum level does not cause any problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the amount of aluminum safely absorbed by humans is no more than 40mg per kilogram of weight per day. That means, a 60kg person with safe aluminum intake is 2,400mg / day.

However, most people who are exposed and absorbing aluminum are much larger than the recommended level. Aluminum exists in corn, yellow cheese, salt, herbs, spices and tea. It is being used to make kitchen utensils as mentioned above, as well as in pharmaceuticals such as stomach acid reducing drugs and anti-sweating agents. Aluminum sulfate is also being used as an anti-scale agent during drinking water purification.

Scientists have been investigating whether overexposure to aluminum could threaten human health. They found high concentrations of aluminum in brain tissue of Alzheimer's patients. The team concluded that Alzheimer's is a modern disease, developed from changing living conditions associated with industrialization. Illnesses such as Alzheimer's may be related to large amounts of aluminum absorbed in everyday life.

Aluminum also creates other health hazards. Studies have shown that uptake of large amounts of aluminum can be harmful in some patients with bone disease or kidney failure. It also reduces the growth rate of human brain cells.

Large intake of aluminum can be harmful in some patients with bone disease or kidney failure.

Therefore, it is important to determine the concentration of aluminum when cooking . Pots and other kitchen appliances tend to be oxidized, creating an inert layer of aluminum that penetrates into food. The problem is, when you scrub the pot after cooking, the inert layer is worn out and aluminum can penetrate your food. However, this is easy to prevent: when you buy new aluminum saucepans, use them to cook boiling water several times until the bottom of the pot becomes thanks to natural oxidation. This thanks to this makes your pans look bright, but prevents aluminum penetration into food, better for your health.

However, using food wrap before cooking is another story. Banknotes are disposable items and you will not be able to create an inert layer before using it. Research by Professor Bassioni discovered that the amount of aluminum ingressing into food during the cooking of food wrapped in foil exceeded the WHO limit.

Mr. Bassioni recommended not to use foil for cooking. Instead, people are advised to use glass and porcelain containers to prepare baked goods. According to Bassioni, the cold food package in foil is safe, but it should not be for a long time because limited food and aluminum in foil will start leaking into food, depending on the ingredients. of them, such as spices.