Just don't put them in the dishwasher. They get pitted.

Edit: but its a beauty

I am from SE Louisiana. We wash that by hand. I JUST recently moved to a home with a dishwasher. It’s life changing.

mais dat's a pretty pot. :)

C’est un mignon petit gumbo pot deer cher!

Is this made of aluminum? It's beautiful! Please be careful about putting acidic foods in aluminum as it leaches into the food.

I’ve got my grandma’s. There’s not another pot that comes close when making a gravy or roux.

My mom had a set of magnalite. Best cookware ever.

We got one of these too. Different style though.

Nice! Fellow Louisiana native here. Care to share your go-to gumbo recipe

"Magnalite roasters were cast of an alloy of 94.2% aluminum, 2.5% copper, 0.5% zinc, 1.3 manganese, and 1.5% nickel"

Yeah I would not use these for cooking. Aluminum is not food safe according to modern standards.

It is an aluminum alloy. Not safe for cooking unfortunately.

It depends on how it’s made; this isn’t a universally true statement.

So, just curious…what makes this better than, say, an enameled cast iron Dutch Oven? Particularly for Cajun/Creole, it seems?

You get extra neurotoxins with your food for free

Does anyone here have any experience with fixing pitting on these?

The whole "aluminum is bad for cooking" thing is completely false.

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S.E. Louisiana native here. My favorite go-to gumbo recipe is The Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sausage Gumbo recipe on WWOZ.org website.

I bet you wont find modern aluminum cookware without some surface coating. It is for a reason that it is not used anymore.

Yes there are surface coatings that prevent exposure to the aluminum.

Did your grandma get dementia when getting old? Apparently aluminum accumulates in kidneys, brain, lungs, liver and thyroid so when it leeches to your daily food, it can cause varying health issues after decades of use.

A few coats of toxic Teflon coatings can make aluminium safer and nonstick :)

I would check to assure that it does not leech aluminum which has known to cause dementia. The same goes for the Guardian Service cookware that was so popular.

There are a number of coating alternatives to choose from.

Eh. My grandmother’s been using the same aluminum saucepan since time immemorial. She’s almost 95 and lives independently. We still hang out. We’re going to get our flu shots together tomorrow. If we’re going the anecdotal route, she’s doing great.

To be fair, it might be the same reason you don’t find themerisol in vaccines anymore. It wasn’t associated with autism, but they took it out in an attempt to reassure people into taking the vaccines again. Not that it worked. There are still people griping about mercury in vaccines.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cooking-with-aluminum-foil-puts-you-at-risk-for-alzheimers/

Last I heard the aluminium built up because of the dementia, not caused it.

Delicious

Thanks for the link. This was an interesting take from it:

"The available data do not suggest that aluminum is a causative agent of Alzheimer’s disease; however, it is possible that it may play a role in the disease development."

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/risk-factors-and-prevention/metals-and-dementia

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/risk-factors-and-prevention/metals-and-dementia

It does take time for science to fix the incorrect beliefs, that is true. I do not want to be testing aluminun on myself and I just wanted to share my (partially outdated) knowledge of aluminum and its health concerns.

There was a snoops link in this threat that said:

"The available data do not suggest that aluminum is a causative agent of Alzheimer’s disease; however, it is possible that it may play a role in the disease development."

You can read that as you like. I like to try to avoid chemical exposure when it is easy to do and avoiding aluminum in cookware is one case. Apparently the obvious toxic levels are well above what you would ingest from daily cooking.

With all the possible interactions between the thousands of safe chemicals in our daily life, I feel like it is just much safer to avoid exposure when it is convenient.

You are really cherry picking from that article. It makes me wonder if you actually read the whole thing.

Cast iron is probably much heavier. This probably gives a bit of an metallic taste especially to acidic food.

You need to get quite a lot of aluminum to reach toxic levels:

"For aluminum welders and workers in the aluminum industry, declining performance in neuropsychological tests (attention, learning, memory) has been found only with aluminum concentrations exceeding 100 µg/g creatinine in the urine"

"Creatinine Levels in Urine According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the normal range of creatinine in a 24-hour urine sample is 500 to 2,000 mg a day."

So if you have a normal level of 1g of creatinine in your urine, you would need to ingest 0.1mg of aluminum daily. Your pot would dissolve 36.5mg per year or 365mg in 10 years.

EDIT: Since not all of the aluminum gets absorbed, the actual numbers are probably atleast 10x higher.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say completely false. The studies linking it with neuro-degenerative diseases have been inconclusive to the best of my knowledge. Aluminium is still pretty unsafe to ingest in any form though.

I did read it. Anyone interested should definitely read it too. I think that that line just put it nicely. Alzheimer’s is not caused by aluminum. There is a possibility that it might have some role in it.

>The Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sausage Gumbo

THIS IS a great recipe, for sure. It's everything.

Only thing equal or better is that famous spiral bound cookbook I got when I lived down there, I forgot the name of it but it's like every good cook I knew had a copy . Oh wait, just found it.
Talk About Good Cookbook (Spiral-bound) by Louisiana Lafayette Junior League

This is one of the most authentic S Louisiana cookbooks I ever used.

Highlights from the 2015 meta study linked to the snoops:

• This meta-analysis included 8 cohort and case control studies, with a total of 10567 individuals.

• Two main types of chronic Al exposure are reported: Al in drinking water and occupational exposure.

• This meta-analysis shows that chronic Al exposure is associated with 71% increased risk of AD.

In science, it is far easier to prove a positive than it is a negative.

In otherwords: do not worry about occational exposure to aluminum for example when using aluminum foil. Chronic exposure might slightly (71%) increase you chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

This seems to be incorrect. According to the 2015 meta study, risk of Alzheimer’s increases 71% for people who have had a long exposure to Aluminum during their life:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304394015302512

I don’t have a current Galileo password, so I can’t access to read the full paper you’re referencing. I doubt you can either. Maybe I’m wrong. However, you’re glossing over what constitutes significant chronic exposure. Like I said, zeroing on cookware doesn’t make any sense. Do you still drink tea? Take over the counter medications? Drink unfiltered water from your tap? Those all have higher exposures.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304394015302512

Highlights:

• This meta-analysis included 8 cohort and case control studies, with a total of 10567 individuals.

• Two main types of chronic Al exposure are reported: Al in drinking water and occupational exposure.

• This meta-analysis shows that chronic Al exposure is associated with 71% increased risk of AD.

"For aluminum welders and workers in the aluminum industry, declining performance in neuropsychological tests (attention, learning, memory) has been found only with aluminum concentrations exceeding 100 µg/g creatinine in the urine"

"Creatinine Levels in Urine According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the normal range of creatinine in a 24-hour urine sample is 500 to 2,000 mg a day."

So if you have a normal level of 1g of creatinine in your urine, you would need to ingest 0.1mg of aluminum daily. Your pot would dissolve 36.5mg per year or 365mg in 10 years.

Since not all of the aluminum gets absorbed the actual numbers are probably 10x larger.

I'm a med student so I have access through my uni.

I've pitted one. You are correct. You can sorta repair it by seasoning it if you pitted one.

For one meal, not harmful. For a whole life? I'd like to disagree. My grandmother had some early dementia from using aluminum and copper cookware.

You can easily and correctly find things saying “we don’t know if aluminum causes dementia” but this is because there’s a high burden of proof regarding “how?” in order to declare something a causal link.

What is definitely true: there is a strong and obvious link between aluminum and dementia, though how it is caused to exist is uncertain.

If you believe the simple solution is often the correct one here’s the simple answer: cooking and eating with aluminum leads to dementia. Is this proven? No. Is it likely to be at least a part of the truth, whenever that is known for sure? Yes

Also check out the meta study linked higher up in the post, comment here

Leached aluminum can also impart a flavor. So regardless of the health debate, that is another reason to consider cooking tomato or acidic based things in a different type of cookware.

…now I’m gonna need your favorite gumbo recipe as well!

Pardon my ignorance, but this doesn’t include aluminum foil right?

Aluminum foil is considered safe when used normally. Excess amounts might be problematic. Leeching happens mostly in high temperatures when in contact with acidic food.

I have one of my grandmas too, she used it when they ran a restaurant. They had like 10 or so.

Now-a-days she uses hers once a year to make sour pork and dumplings, and I use mine once a year to make turkey or ham.

I'm not worried about aluminum exposure at those rates. We are most certainly exposed to more dangerous airborne materials just driving down the road everyday to work. YOLO right?

Not at all. Both sides of grandparents used Wagner ware aluminum pots Magnalite pots are a staple in most of the homes around here.

I use mine for almost everything. I’ve hear about the aluminum issue for years now. I still prefer them over and non-stick bs out there today. The inside of my aluminum pot doesn’t peel and crack, I’m good with that.

Le gens qui parle cajun sont t’ils capable de comprendre le français entièrement ou juste quelque mots?

Thank you! I have a cake stand lid I've never used from a friend. I had no idea what it was made of and probably would have stuck it in the dishwasher mindlessly.

There are other options besides aluminum and nonstick. I avoid aluminum cookware out of an abundance of caution and I avoid nonstick because it doesn't last. I have lots of great stainless steel, cast iron, enameled cast iron, and tinned copper cookware.

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Wish I could read those articles.

Is it aluminum or stainless steel?

https://www.drhigashi.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/342-1.pdf

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Yes commercial side does not have the incentive to avoid health issue causing practices until there is government regulations for it. Companies choose the cheapest products where it does not matter.

I have said to one restaurant that they should not serve food in aluminum dishes. They changed their practices almost immediately.

The discussion section is definitely worth reading. Apparently aluminum is ok as long as the levels stay below the limits of your kidneys ability get rid of it.

This is around 0.1mg per day of aluminum getting into your blood stream. The bioavailability from different sources is a bit complicated to figure out. Main sources are probably deodorants, vaccines, cookware, processed food, drink water, drugs, sun lotions and exposure in some occupations.

As a curious, gumbo-loving Northerner, what makes a gumbo pot unique? Shape, heat distribution, material? It looks a bit like a caldero to me.

It’s strictly an oral language, with no real orthographic model. Having said that, older Cajuns who actually speak the language have little trouble conversing with native speakers of traditional French.

Aluminum. It’s a Wagner ware Magnalite pot. These pots are no longer made but, the heat distribution is amazing.

My old boss is Black Mold. He plays on Friday nights. Great guy!

Honest question, why are you only making 5 quarts of gumbo? It takes almost 2 days if you make everything from scratch and doesn’t seem worth the trouble in that quantity.

I literally don’t even know a recipe that’s under 3 gallons.

I have my grandmother's old one and use it often.

Weight is the only thing I would consider to be a benefit. Acidic foods can mess with aluminum ware over time

I’m not sure. I try to limit how much I use it in cooking. I’d assume it’s generally fine for food storage though.

As the only person I've ever heard of who is violently allergic to thimerosal itself, those ninnies were a huge blessing to me.

Been making gumbo my whole life. It's never taken me 2 days. Do you butcher the pig yourself?

??? To make the chicken stock and let it simmer overnight ???

You boil whole chickens then debone the meat and set it aside a couple hours in then simmer the bones over night. That’s the traditional method. If you make the sausage from scratch yeah you could butcher the pig yourself I guess.

Should take at absolute minimum 6 hours and that’s cutting corners left and right.

What is it made of? (I hope it doesn’t contain Aluminum)

Has no one written Cajun language novels or the like?

I want your recipe

Careful, may be aluminum, carcinogen potential. If not, enjoy!

Lol, you do not need to kill yourself (and 2 whole chickens!) on the stock. A good chicken stock could be made with the discards of a chicken, some veggie throwins, and a few hours of simmering.

All that work for chicken stock? Ruining 2 whole chickens!? Why not do a seafood stock, at least. That way, after sweating all day you at least create a unique flavor profile for your gumbo.

Anyways, even your method isn't two whole days.

Made gumbo today. Cooked from 9am to 2pm. That includes the time it took to prep a seafood stock from scratch. And was slowed down from teaching my kids. It's not like you have to do everything sequentially. Make the roux while the stock is simmering, etc.

You use the chicken for the gumbo. You just also make the necessary stock as well, whole chickens are cheap. And the recipe feeds 14+

“The discards of a chicken” yeah that’s why you boil the chicken remove the meat then boil the bones. You get bone broth. That’s also how I make chicken noodle soup.

It doesn’t take 48 hours to make, you just make it the day before you actually want to eat it.

Seafood gumbo isn’t the same thing, and the roux for that is much harder and infinitely more complex to get the cooking times of all the ingredients correct. otherwise it ends up with a “fishy” taste.

The base is made the day or more before cooking down seafood, and then fresh seafood is added and cooked for a very short time in the soup base.

Also seafood gumbo is almost always disgusting because most restaurants don’t bother cooking it right and the ones that do charge out the nose for it. It also makes your house reek if you cook it at home.

Seafood gumbo is a derivative of a bouillabaisse, and yeah that takes at least 2 days to be considered authentic.

No. We have plenty of songs, but as far as I know, the lyrics weren’t really written down until academics and preservationists transcribed them.

Is that aluminum?

That’s a shame.

It’s a starter pot for my daughter. I have a MUCH larger one myself and gumbo taking 2 days? I have never heard of that.

When novels were written, they tried to write them in more “proper” French. To them, their French was just like a dialect.

Gotcha. Similar situation in Quebec prior to the 1960’s, no one wrote the language as it was actually spoken (vocabulary/grammar). I’d imagine that while Cajun speakers can understand French speakers the reverse is not true if ppl go full dialect on them?

What’s sour pork and dumplings?

I’d imagine aluminium would have been a great improvement over the original cast iron that was used due to being lighter and not rusting, doesn’t have to be cleaned and dried and seasoned after every use. It doesn’t conduct or hold heat as well as cast iron so it’s not better to cook in (neurotoxicity aside).

Enamelled cast iron is good for some things (long simmered stews) as it holds and diffuses heat evenly but because it’s coated in enamel it doesn’t react with the food like cast iron would (mostly concerns around acidity). But it’s fragile in that if you bring it to high heat repeatedly you’ll wreck the enamel or if you drop it or chip it you can bugger it up too.

I was struggling with it. From what I've learned, it's is a mixture of standard French, and ...something?I have an atrocious American accent with French. But I've always found Cajun very interesting.

Yes, but it takes ages, and could potentially alter the structural integrity of the pot, depending on how bad the pitting is.

I wet sand the area with varying grits to level the surface , then polish. Give it a good scub with hot water and soap and it's good to go. If it's deeply pitted, i.e. more that 1/8th the total thickness of the parent metal, then unfortunately it can't be polished out.

My 5qt Magnalite took me about 6-7 hours using a mix of hand sanding and a drill with sanding disks. Looks fantastic now. 👌

It's not very pitted like that. Looks almost surface only. I'll get a picture at some point

How can you season it?? Thank you 😊

If you've got one like this that has metal handles or if you have one that has bakelite handles that are designed for high temperature, and you have to be absolutely sure and don't blame me if you're wrong, then you can season it just like you would season any other piece of cast iron. You put your fat of choice all over the surface of the pan, he didn't until it smokes and pour off the excess. You have to make sure you heat it evenly so that the whole thing is at the same temperature because you want the oil to bond to the surface of the metal and evenly heating it makes sure that it bonds everywhere.

At this point I've given up on my aluminum cookware though and I stick to cookware that I can eat without getting sick. To elaborate on that, aluminum cookware is probably not bad for most people as long as you don't use it for your whole life but it does put aluminum in your food and I'm less able to process heavy metals than others.

https://www.qwant.com/?q=how+to+season+aluminum+cookware

You'll find guides online.

Good luck, and have fun!

Thank you very much! Really appreciate the link and your detailed answer !