Is Magnalite Cookware Good or Bad?

I am sure that everyone is familiar with shiny silver cookware in the kitchen, but did you know that some of these silver pans and pots are also under the category ‘Magnalite cookware’. It is indeed a material that you know better as aluminum. Today, we would like to present information about this kind of cookware to help you understand both pros and cons of Magnalite pots, pans, and other cauldrons in your kitchen.

History of Magnalite Cookware

Magnalite cookware has been used in kitchens around the world for almost a century because of its durability, appearance, and ability to heat pretty fast. This type of cookware was created in 1919 and called ‘WagnerWare’, which was developed by a company of the same name in cooperation with Aluminum Specialty company. After being sold to World Kitchen Inc. for 230 million dollars in 2007, the product became one of the world’s most popular cookware with the ‘Magnalite’ stamp ever since.

As Iron had become a popular material for cooking, the Magnalite team intended to offer similar characteristics with their products. As a result, Magnesium, and Aluminum were cast on the products’ surfaces to make them shinier, and more luxurious. However, their heat conduction rate was pretty much the same. Through different designs, shapes, and prices, Magnalite products gradually caught people’s interest.

What makes Magnalite special?

Similar to ordinary cast iron cookware, Magnalite cooking products offer a good distribution of heat, while sporting a more modern appearance. Therefore, many chefs around the world feel confident to use this type of cookware as their main kitchen weapons. Furthermore, the material cast on the iron of the products can prevent the deterioration of iron over time.

Nevertheless, there have been concerns about the side effects and consequences of aluminum on human health in recent years. Aluminum has been used as a raw material in almost all cookware products for more than 200 years. That said, it is reported by several scientific research studies that it could be toxic to the human body if the daily ingested doses are significant enough.

Facts About Aluminium

The FDS and European Food Safety Authority confirm that “the dose makes the poison”. Anything can produce toxic side effects if you ingest too much of it in a short period of time. They found that if a large amount of aluminum enters the body, it could potentially disturb the function of many organs, including the liver and kidneys. Moreover, it could even affect your respiratory system and increase the risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

All that being said, don’t be afraid! Our body can manage small amounts of aluminum in our everyday meals, which you can find in spinach, tea, mushrooms, or turnips. Furthermore, you can find aluminum in Aspirin and some anti-acid pills as well. However, the amount of aluminum that can be excreted within your urine is quite limited, so other organs can be damaged if the level of aluminum in your body is too high.

Facts About Magnesium

Magnesium is another substance that is used to cast iron during the production of Magnalite cooking ware. Unlike Aluminum, this mineral presents less danger when it is taken in a large amount because the human body is normally familiar with it. There is an abundant amount of different aliments containing magnesium, namely almonds, peanuts, or soy milk. If your daily meals contain too much magnesium, it could possibly cause you to have health problems. The common health conditions affected by high quantities of magnesium in the bloodstream are, for example, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle weakness, and heart attack.

How can those substances be found in foods?

One of the main causes that influence the absorption of aluminum and magnesium in the food you cook is the heat process itself. When aluminum is exposed to an extremely high temperature during cooking, microparticles can easily be absorbed by the meat, the vegetables, the sauce, etc. Moreover, some ingredients also enhance the aluminum absorption in food during cooking, such as acid and salt.

How to cook safely and healthily?

Even though there are some risks with high daily doses of aluminum while using Magnalite cookware, you shouldn’t have any problem if you use your tools wisely. Let’s see how we can avoid such problems:

  1. Avoid using Magnalite cookware at the highest temperature
  2. Do not put Magnalite cookware in the oven

The key concept is to not let your cookware get too hot while cooking since extreme heat conduction is the main cause of aluminum/magnesium absorption. If you can control the heat when using this type of cookware, you won’t have to worry about any of this.

These were our best tips about Magnalite cookware that we wanted to bring to your attention for your health safety. There is nothing wrong with using Magnalite cookware, as long as you are being careful with your favorite pan or silver shiny pot! On that note, we hope you enjoy your home cooking with no worries.

Lynda I.

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