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Tomato sauce and aluminum kettle


thdad

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I have to cook lunch for my church this Sunday and I was thinking about cooking a large batch of bolognese sauce to feed about 300 people. Our church has a gas-fired aluminum kettle that will easily cook and hold that amount of sauce.

Problem is that it is aluminum and I've read warnings that any acid will react with aluminum. How much of a problem would this pose if I simmered the sauce for just one hour?

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Aluminum does react with acid and whatnot. I mean, I wouldn't buy a large un-lined aluminum pan if I was always going to make tomato sauce in it. But you are cooking a large batch that cannot be easily accomodated by any other cooking vessel. I would use it and not worry about it. The reactivity of aluminum is not in the same league as un-lined cast iron. I have used many an old aluminum pot for cooking all sorts of things and although I cannot speak for the healthfulness of the technique I can say the food tasted just fine.

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I am not positive, but I believe the cooking wear is a way different grade than the can aluminum that would react so such acid from fruit.

From About.com:

• Do not use an aluminum pot, pan or utensil when cooking tomatoes. The acid in the tomato reacts unfavorably with the aluminum. Using aluminum makes the cooked tomatoes more bitter and fades the color. The dish will also absorb some of the aluminum and the acid in the tomatoes can pit and discolor the aluminum cookware.

So not sure...try a small batch in a aluminum pot and one in a non-aluminum and do a blind test. I would simmer them both for a while first though, since a big batch will take a long cook time and have more chance for it to soak up the flavor of the aluminum. If it does.

Edited by Ross.ucf (log)
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  • 1 month later...

Thanks everyone for replying to my inquiry. I ended up cooking the church pasta lunch for about 300 people.

I made a basic bolognese sauce in a gas fired kettle made of aluminum and let the sauce simmer for about an hour. I transferred the contents to two large stock pots, also made of aluminum, and let the sauce cool down for the Sunday lunch. The sauce was reheated in the stock pots after about 20 hours.

Thankfully (or luckily) the sauce did not change color or acquire a metallic taste, contrary to my worries. However, in the future I would feel more comfortable cooking acidic foods in non-reactive containers -- if they are available.

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