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Secret Tip For Rusty Cutlery: This is How The Aluminum Foil Trick Works in The Dishwasher

Annoying and unsightly: Your cutlery comes out of the dishwasher dull and rusty. Even the stainless steel knife seems to be rusting. The aluminum foil trick can help.

This is how the aluminum foil trick works

You can use the aluminum foil trick to prevent rust film. You take a piece of aluminum foil, crumple it into a ball and put it in the cutlery basket of the dishwasher. Then you do the dishes as usual. After washing, your cutlery will shine like new.

Why this works: The rust film settles on the aluminum foil, which oxidizes more easily than stainless steel. It attracts the rust film, so to speak, and your cutlery is spared.

Of course, aluminum foil can’t work wonders for older, scratched cutlery on which the rust has already really set in. But you will certainly see a certain shine effect. You can also use rust magnets as an alternative to aluminum foil

Alternatively: What to do against rust film?

You can do this to prevent rust film: If you want to avoid rust film, you must not put anything in the dishwasher that can rust. Unfortunately, this is only partially possible. Even the smallest parts, such as rivets on the handle of a stainless steel pan, are enough to cause rust.

Incidentally, the dishwasher itself can also rust on crockery baskets or if the covers are damaged. It is therefore best not to leave your dishes damp in the dishwasher for long. Moisture accelerates the setting of the rust film. If you can, always unload the machine immediately after rinsing. Or at least leave the door of the machine open so the dishes dry and the steam can escape.

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Cooking Tips

Grilling Without Aluminum Foil

Grilling is also possible without aluminum foil. You save not only money but also raw materials and minimize the health risk. We introduce you to recipes for feta, vegetables and fish.

Grilling without aluminum foil – why?

Aluminum foil is often used as a matter of course when grilling. It promises that vegetables or fish, for example, are cooked gently and can develop their flavor. Then it ends up in the trash.

Aluminum is a problematic raw material: it is mined in opencast mines, usually at the expense of the rainforest, which requires a great deal of energy. The toxic waste product red mud is produced during production. The finished aluminum can only be used after an electrolysis process. Even in the recycling process, aluminum foil is hardly ever used again. More information: How harmful is aluminum to the environment and health?.

According to a report by the NDR, foods with salt or acid in particular dissolve the aluminum, which can then be deposited. There are good alternatives to aluminum products for many products.

Alternatives to aluminum foil: grill basket, grill boards and vegetable leaves

The easiest way is to place the food to be grilled directly on a well-cleaned grid. You can easily remove soot with a grill brush (you can find e.g. at **Memolife) or a steel sponge. You can also disinfect the grid by heating it up in the embers before loading it.

There is also a large variety of different accessories:

Grill basket: You can use it to prepare vegetables and potatoes well. You can place the grill basket on the grill grate.
Cast-iron pan: You place the pan on the grid. In it, however, vegetables or fish need a little longer.
Grill grids: You can clamp vegetables or fish in grill grids and simply turn them. For fish, there are fish-shaped grilling grids on the market.
Grill boards: You have to soak these in water for one to three hours. Then you can place them directly on the grate and place the food on top. Depending on the type of wood the boards are made of, their steam gives off a tasty aroma to the food to be grilled.
Barbecue skewers: You can place barbecue skewers over the edge of the grill. They are suitable, for example, for vegetable skewers.
Vegetable leaves are a good, organic alternative, especially for fish and cheese. Cabbage, chard, grape, banana or corn leaves are suitable. You fill these and fix them with thread, toothpicks or roulade skewers. They become less sensitive to heat if you also coat them with oil.

Grill feta without aluminum foil

Above all, feta or aromatic mountain cheese from organic dairies enrich the grill menu. To avoid aluminum foil, you can simply wrap the cheese in large vegetable leaves such as kohlrabi, rhubarb or banana leaves.

Grilled Feta (for four servings)

200 grams of feta
1 tomato
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
salt, pepper, herbs of your choice (e.g. basil)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 large kohlrabi leaves and olive oil
Instructions:

Cut the feta and the tomato into pieces about one centimeter in size. Chop the onion and garlic.
Mix the chopped ingredients together, seasoning with salt, pepper and herbs to taste. Mix in 1 tablespoon of oil.
Now divide the cheese mass into four equal parts and place them evenly in the middle of the four cabbage leaves.
Make a small package out of them and fix the packages with small skewers.
Brush the packets with oil and place them on the grill grate. Protected by the cabbage leaf, the cheese mass can simmer in it without burning. When the cheese is nice and soft, you can unwrap it and serve. You can dispose of the cabbage leaf in organic waste without a guilty conscience.

Peppers stuffed with cheese (for four servings)

2 peppers
200 grams of spicy cheese (e.g. mountain cheese or vegan cheese)
Herbs of your choice (e.g. a Provence mixture)
Instructions:

Halve the peppers and remove the core. This should not result in a hole in the pepper, especially on the stalk side.
Now fill the halves with 50 grams of diced cheese. Scatter herbs over the halves, if desired.
Place them on the grill grate. It’s best to lay them out so that you can place a lid (such as a metal serving platter or non-plastic pot lid) on top of them. This will trap the heat from the grill and help the peppers cook better. The peppers are ready when they are a little soft and the cheese is runny. Don’t worry: you can easily peel off the burnt skin on the underside of the peppers. There is no burnt taste, but a delicious mix of cheese and peppers.

Grill vegetables and potatoes without aluminum foil

Vegetables can also be easily grilled without aluminum foil. Choosing organic vegetables is even more sustainable. Here the farmers pay attention to soil-friendly, sustainable cultivation. In order to preserve biodiversity, as few pesticides as possible are used, especially no synthetic ones.

The easiest way is to slice vegetables and place them directly on the grid. Or you string pieces of vegetables on skewers. Dips for vegetables and herb butter (tip: make your own herb butter) refine the vegetables.

Vegetable shish kebab (for four servings)

4 mushrooms
1/2 zucchini
1 onion
1/2 peppers
for the marinade: salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, herbs de Provence, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp olive oil
metal or wooden skewers
Instructions:

Dice the washed vegetables (except the mushrooms) into cubes about 2 cm in size.
Load the skewers.
Mix the ingredients for the marinade.
Place the skewers in the marinade for about an hour. Make sure it’s well distributed.
Place the skewers directly on the rack.

Grilled potatoes (serves four)

8 medium potatoes
for the marinade: salt, pepper, rapeseed oil, sage and rosemary
Instructions:

Pre-cook the potatoes with the skin on. They shouldn’t be soft yet, but firm to the bite.
Drain and cut in half with the peel.
Mix together the ingredients for the marinade and soak the potatoes in it for about 30 minutes.
Then place them cut-side down on the grill.

Grilling fish without aluminum foil

If you want to grill fish without aluminum foil, cedar wood grilling boards are particularly suitable. After soaking, place the grill board directly on the grid and place the fish on top.

When buying fish, you should make sure that it comes from certified fishing. There are differences in the seals. Some are considered “dolphin safe” but don’t take into account the overfishing of the oceans. The organic associations Naturland and Bioland have the strictest guidelines. In conventional fishing, large amounts of bycatch such as dolphins, rays, sharks and seabirds get caught in the nets. The fish stocks in the sea are getting smaller and smaller. Just as in factory farming, large quantities of antibiotics and other medicines must also be used in aquaculture. The wastewater from aquaculture pollutes the environment.

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Cooking Tips

How Bad is Aluminum Foil Really?

Again and again one hears that aluminum foil is said to be harmful to health. We explain where you should avoid aluminum foil and which alternatives you can use when grilling.

Aluminum in everyday life

Aluminum is a light metal that occurs naturally on the one hand on earth, on the other hand, z. B. is released into the environment by industrial processes. Humans absorb aluminum mainly through food (as a natural component or as part of additives) and drinking water, but also cosmetics, antiperspirants, toothpaste, or medicines containing aluminum.

Aluminum & food

If food packaging containing aluminum, aluminum foil, or crockery made of uncoated aluminum comes into contact with salt or acid, aluminum ions can be released from the packaging or from the crockery and transferred to the food. For this reason, salty or acidic foods such as sliced ​​fruit or vegetables, feta, sausage, marinated meat or fish, etc. should not be stored or prepared in aluminum foil. Aluminum cooking pots that are not coated should not come into contact with salty or acidic foods. Caution should also be exercised with ready meals made from aluminum trays because according to a study by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), these too can have high aluminum contents. Aluminum ions can be transferred to food, especially when keeping uncoated meal trays warm, as they are often used in community catering (kindergartens, schools, nursing homes, and canteens).

Beverage cans, yogurt cup lids, or coffee capsules, on the other hand, are harmless. These are coated on the inside so that no aluminum ions are transferred to the food.

Health Effects

When considering the hazard potential of aluminum, the focus is on the effects on the nervous system, fertility, unborn life, and bone development. In healthy people, aluminum is excreted via the kidneys, but over the years it can accumulate, especially in the lungs and skeletal system. However, people with kidney failure are particularly at risk. Due to the inability to excrete aluminum, it accumulates in the body.

A connection between aluminum intake and the development of Alzheimer’s or breast cancer has not yet been scientifically confirmed.

Limit

The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has set the tolerable weekly aluminum intake level for consumers at 1 mg/kg body weight, i.e. the amount that can be taken weekly for a lifetime without having to expect any undesirable health effects oral intake derived from food.

Since the intake of aluminum cannot be avoided in all areas (environment, medicines, …), it is worth avoiding it where there are alternatives.

Grilling

Since carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed when fat drips into the embers when grilling, many people still use aluminum foil or aluminum cups. The bad news: Harmful substances are also released from the aluminum cups when they come into contact with acid or salt (e.g. marinated food). The good news: There are alternatives that make barbecuing a safe pleasure.

Grilling without aluminum foil

As a natural alternative to aluminum foil, e.g. B. cabbage, chard, or vine leaves, in which the food can be wrapped. Blanch hard leaves beforehand, so they become softer and easier to fold. Potatoes, fish, or vegetables can also be wrapped in baking paper. It is best to oil the paper a little and make sure that the temperature is not too high.

Aluminum grill trays can be replaced with grill trays made of stainless steel or enamel, which also offer the advantage that they can be reused. Teflon-coated silicone grill mats are now also on the market.

If you want to give your food a subtle smoky aroma, you can use wooden grill paper to wrap it or place meat, fish, vegetables, etc. on grill boards or planks made of wood (usually cedar or beech). The boards can be used several times, just soak them in water before grilling. This creates a light smoke and the boards do not burn.

Grill woks made of coated steel are suitable for the gentle preparation of fresh vegetables.

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