Help For My Aluminum Pot

13 years ago

You all had such helpful ideas for getting the stains out of the white coffee cups, I thought I'd give this a try. I have an ancient hammered aluminum cooking pot that my mother was using in my earliest memories. Recently I used it to cook corn on the cob and somehow that has turned the inside very dark. I've scrubbed with a nylon pad and have tried steel wool, but neither have helped. Any ideas for restoring my mother's pot to something resembling its former self?

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Comments (18)

Fun2BHere
13 years ago
I found this on the Internet. I don't know if it will work or not.

Discolored Aluminum: Heat a solution of 1 tbs. vinegar per qt of water or 2 tsp. cream of tartar per qt of water in each pan until discoloration disappears.
kris_zone6
13 years ago
When I read this, cream of tartar came to mind. I can't tell you how much, but I used to clean the bottle sterilizer with it many moons ago. Seems I added it to water and either boiled it or let it stand, I really can't remember.
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gadgets
13 years ago
I use cream of tartar on my old aluminum pan. I put about 1 or 2 tsp in the pan, pour in the water, bring to a boil for a minute or two, leave water sit for a while. That usually does the trick.

Shirley
AnnaKay
Original Author
13 years ago
Many thanks for your suggestions! I'll buy cream of tartar the next time I go shopping and give it a shot. I hate to expose my vast ignorance of such things, but what else is cream of tartar used for? I know my mother had it for some reason, maybe to make meringue?
lisa_fla
13 years ago
I'm sending the thread to my Mom. She put her old aluminum cake pan lid in the dishwasher and it came out looking awful!
Marilyn Sue
13 years ago
Cream of tarter is used when you make a meringue for your pie, or for Snickerdoodles, :)

Sue
kayjones
13 years ago
Elbow grease and this green pot scrubber will work:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/green-scrub-pads.html

A couple of weeks ago I bought a $30 stainless steel pan, such as used by Waffle House restaurant. I was soaking it in a sink of hot soapy water and when I took it out, it was discolored. I took it back to the restaurant supply store and asked for my money back. He said 'no need for that - I'll shine it back up for you'... he did so with a green scrub pad - it's as good as new.
nanny98
13 years ago
How Odd. STAINLESS Steel, should be that...stainless.
arkansas girl
13 years ago
I agree, stainless shouldn't discolor. Aluminum does but stainless shouldn't. Stainless is what the pans are they use at Waffle House I do believe. I wonder why it would have discolored kayjones?
Fun2BHere
13 years ago
Adding cream of tartar to egg whites before whipping them helps to stabilize them.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years ago
AnnaKay, funny you should post this. I've been using my grandmother's pretty aluminum sauce pan lately. It brings back such memories.
susanjf_gw
13 years ago
and my mother had sugar cookie recipe that had cream of t...
cheetolover
13 years ago
If you have Bar Keeper's friend, that might work. I had discoloration on my sauce pan and it shined it up.
Georgysmom
13 years ago
I use cream of tartar on my aluminum pot all the time. Works like a charm and no scrubbing. I loaned a big aluminum pot to a friend one time and she and her husband spent hours scouring it to remove the black before returning it. I felt so bad but told her all she had to do was shake some c of t in the pot full of water and bring to a boil. Voila........just like new. It's magic.
AnnaKay
Original Author
13 years ago
Many thanks to all of you for your cream of tartar solution for my mother's aluminum pot. I bought the cream of tartar Thursday and worked up the nerve to try it out today. I can't believe how gorgeous it looks, certainly not like a pot that's been in pretty continuous use for maybe 70 years! My mother would be so pleased!
Georgysmom
13 years ago
It's just like magic isn't it. Now you have to make some snicker doodles. You won't regret it.
AnnaKay
Original Author
13 years ago
georgysmom, when I referred to my "vast ignorance of such things" asking what else one might do with cream of tartar, that should have clued you in to the fact that I'm no baker! The shameful truth is that I don't believe I've ever eaten a snickerdoodle and if I had a recipe I'd never know if I got it anywhere near right because I don't know what it should taste like. This is a hard confession for a southern woman to make, but there it is LOL

At least you know that I can boil water and, thanks to you and others here, I sure can shine up a cooking pot! :^)
iowagirl2006
13 years ago
Cream of Tartar is a by-product of wine making!

It is great for stabilizing egg whites. In cookies it keeps the sugar from crystalings (creamier cookie) - that is why a Snickerdoodle has just a little different texture than some cookies.

Cream of Tartar + Baking Soda = Baking powder!