Aluminium foil in cooking: Convenient but problematic

Hardly a barbecue does without aluminium foil or foil pans. They make it awfully easy to gently cook food on a grill, be it salmon, marinated meat or feta. Afterwards, you simply throw the foil away - you don't have to scrub anything clean.

Some people use aluminium foil and foil pans without a thought; others with a uneasy feeling, knowing that its use is sometimes seen as problematic. So what's the problem?

Contact with acidic or salty ingredients can cause aluminium ions to leach from the foil, first entering the food and then your body, says Daniele Krehl, a nutrition expert for the consumer advice centre in Bavaria, Germany. And high levels of aluminium in your body are harmful to health, she warns.

Grilling trays made of stainless steel or enamel, as well as cast-iron pans and woks, are safer and more sustainable alternatives, Krehl says. Although it takes longer to grill food in them than in aluminium foil, they're a better choice from a health perspective, and they can also be reused and thereby protect the environment.

Grilling aside, aluminium foil use in the kitchen should be kept to a minimum. According to the consumer centre, it's not suitable for covering or wrapping lemons, apple slices, tomatoes and pickles, as well as salty foods such as sausage, fish and cheese. Cling film is better in terms of health. Or you could use containers made of reusable plastic or porcelain.

"Personally, I prefer glass jars," says Krehl. "When they're in the refrigerator, I can immediately see what's in them without having to open them, and they're very easy to clean."