One antacid tablet can contain 50 milligrams of aluminum or more, and it is not unusual for a person with an upset stomach to take more than 1,000 milligrams, or 1 gram, of aluminum per day. A buffered aspirin tablet may contain about10-20 milligrams of aluminum. About 52 percent of all cookware sold in the United States is aluminum. It's popular because it spreads heat quickly and evenly. Plain, uncoated aluminum pans are subject to pitting if highly acidic or salty foods like tomato sauce are left in them for an extended period of time.
Manufacturers now have a process for treating aluminum called anodization.
The metal is subjected to a series of electrochemical baths, which thicken the oxide film that forms naturally on aluminum. This hardens the metal, makes it scratch resistant and easier to clean because food barely sticks to the hard, smooth surface. Anodized aluminum doesn' t react to acidic foods, either. So, it's a good choice for sauces made with tomato, wine and lemon juice. Anodized pans can also be found coated with perfluorocarbon resins, which first caused a sensation in the American kitchen in the 1960s.