How to Save Money by Making Your Aluminum Cookware Last as Long as Possible
Save money by making your aluminum cookware last as long as possible. Why not? After all, it’s not like you have money to toss away, right? And aluminum cookware should last a fairly long time if kept well maintained. These tips and hints for preserving the integrity of the aluminum pots and pans you use in the kitchen are not difficult at all to put into regular practice and a bonus is that food cooked in them will taste better than food cooked in aluminum allowed to go to pot. Or pan.
Tomatoes and Applesauce
Two of the most effective ways to rid your aluminum cookware of ugly discolored areas involve tomatoes and applesauce. Just put your aluminum pot or pan on a burner and add some sliced tomatoes or applesauce. Start cooking over a low heat and allow the acid in these foods to start a chemical reaction that ends with the discolored areas on aluminum being replaced by the shiny metal of the rest of the surface.
Wash by Hand
Never put your aluminum cookware in the dishwashing machine. Even if the food has burnt onto the surface and seems impossible to remove by hand. The machine may well succeed in removing some of the burnt food, but the dishwasher will likely be even more successful in causing the discoloration mentioned above. You may get lucky by ignoring this advice once or twice, but even washing aluminum cookware in a machine just once a month is a recipe for losing the sheen and dulling the finish.
Dark Stain Removal
Very dark stains that build up on aluminum cookware can be attacked with one of the most reliable and versatile products ever made that is rarely found in most kitchens anymore. When aluminum cookware first came on the market, cream of tartar was pretty much a kitchen staple. If you don’t have any right now, pick some up on the next visit to the grocery store. Then fill up the pot or pan with the dark stain with water and add about a tablespoon of cream of tartar. Bring to a boil and the stain should disappear. If it doesn’t, try the same thing again using vinegar instead of cream of tartar.
Keep a Lid Off It
When you store your aluminum pots after use, store the lids separately. When you store aluminum pots with the lid on it, you have the chance of retaining moisture inside for prolonged periods. That accumulation of moisture can lead to discoloration.
Remove Food
Remove all food from your aluminum cookware before allowing it to cool down. Food left to dry runs the risk of causing pits in the surface. Depending on the food you cook, it could also lead to discoloration.
Baking Soda Paste
You were probably wondering when baking soda would show up. This all-purpose cleaner can definitely be of use in cleaning aluminum cookware. The most effective means of using baking soda is to give your aluminum pots and pans a thorough rinse and then shake it dry rather than patting it dry with a cloth. Add enough baking soda to create paste and then use heavy duty paper towels to scour the aluminum clean.
