Acidic Foods That Absorb Metal Coating

When you cook in a metal pot, some of the metal can get into the food you're eating. While our ancestors might have appreciated the extra iron from their cast iron pans, this absorption of metal is not always good.

Foods

• The foods that absorb the most metal are acidic, such as tomatoes, citrus or dishes that have been seasoned with lemon juice or with vinegar.

Suggested Cookware

• Not all types of metal leech into the food at the same rate. Health Canada recommends cooking with anodized aluminum, stainless steel, iron, enamel, ceramic or silicone cookware.

Metal to Avoid

• Copper and stainless steel are metals most affected by acidic foods. Copper is treated with a protective coating, but over time this coating wears off, leaching some copper into the dish.

Taste

• While you may be able to taste a metallic tinge to some dishes that have absorbed metal coating, you won't always taste a flavor.

Tip

• Do not store acidic foods in a metal container and avoid using aluminum cookware to cook acidic products. If your pots and pans are scratched and dinged, trade them in for new pots and pans with no scratches in the coating.

Risks

• Consuming too much nickel, iron or aluminum can lead to health risks over the long term. The average daily diet provides only low doses of these metals, but cooking with poor quality cookware over a period of time could up the amount consumed.