Meat Grinder - Aluminum Parts

What probably happened to the aluminium in the dishwasher that it got black because it lost it´s surface treatment due to the hot water and the (alkaline) dishwasher soap you are using. A good and affordable way of treating aluminium is anodizing it. There is a "regular" process by which you also can give some color to the parts or a "hard" anodization that is probably better suited for the intended use of your grinder. Both are electrolytic passivation methods, that increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer that makes aluminium appear as "rust-free".

Thank you, sounds plauseable, may be to small of a job; but will check. Capt.

Yes, I would say that there are (is?) a menagerie of aluminum parts that can be anodized!

Yes, anodizing might work, but could you coat the aluminum parts with cooking oil (soy bean? olive oil?) and season in the oven like a wok or cast iron frying pan? Cheaper and quicker!

I agree that hard anodizing will eminently serve the purpose. sulphuric acid is used as solution to produce hard anodizing.Coatings of moderate thickness 1.8 μm to 25 μm (0.00007" to 0.001")[8] are known as Type II in North America, as named by MIL-A-8625, while coatings thicker than 25 μm (0.001") are known as Type III, hardcoat, hard anodizing, or engineered anodizing.

In restaurants world wide, aluminum pots, grinder parts, etc. are sent through institutional quality dishwashers using strong washing liquids and having no negative effect that has warranted a discontinuation of that practice. Washing in a dishwasher at least subjects the items to hotter water than would be used if washed by hand, as long as the temp setting is high enough on the water heater providing the incoming water and the heater elements in the washer are in working order. I would prefer to use ugly but more or less sterilized food prep equipment then pretty, residual organism laden stuff.

If not affected by institutional dishwashers, the aluminium cookware you mention had got a surface treatment like anodizing, teflon or plasma coating, etc. Bare aluminium get´s heavily oxidized displaying an intense grey coloration due to the combination of hot water and alkaline soaps.

Back in the day, as a dish washer in a seafood/steak house, lots of broiling and frying, all pots and pans were hand scrubbed before running through the washer for detergent washing and sanitation with the blue fluid. Any coating, if any, would have been worn through by the wire brushes we used on difficult stains. Trust me, those aluminum pots and pans did not have a coating otherwise wear-through spots would have developed and the restaurant would be required to throw them out by code. Visit a restaurant supply house and look at those items. They are either spun, stamped or cast with no coating. Some grocery stores carry cast aluminum casseroles used for preparing Spanish dishes. Take a look at those.

Hi jaguar, I will not argue with you about the experience you had with aluminum cookware, I haven´t even seen! As you probably know better than I, there are nearly hundred different aluminium alloys, and some may resist perfectly well the "abuse" they are submitted to in a restaurants kitchen. The cheap one will probably not! Beside this, many pots and pans will last for ever, as they have been made out of the finest aluminium coming from scraped airplanes. Without knowing it, you may have had parts of a Flying Fortress or even a Comet 4 in your kitchen!

I caution using any aluminum products where food is involved. The body has no need of aluminum, and there is always some in the food when aluminum products are used for cooking, including cutting, grinding, etc. It has been suggested that cooking with aluminum may lead to Alzheimer's. Do we want to take the chance? Get a grinder that is made of steel: it is less likely to deteriorate, and some iron will leach off and add to the food. Plus, it will last longer. Using aluminum has the additional odious habit of turning food grey as it imparts aluminum into the food.

J-Rod, I just gave you a + vote for this reply! I agree 200% with you :-)

I am looking a meat mincer which i can buy in Auckland Newzealand. Anyone here who give me suggestion about meat mincer or meat grinder. If you know then share with us some examples. Your suggestions required.