Uh Oh... Is there a Food Chemist in the House?!

[Windini]

Why the H3!! is my cornbread EATING HOLES IN TINFOIL?!

I did everything like I usually do, same recipe, same cast iron, etc. Stored it on pan overnight with foil. This AM, there were shiny spots on the cornbread & holes in the foil; I figured it was just still hot & the foil stuck to the top. So I scraped off the few bits of foil, ate some, and put new foil on it.

Come dinnertime -- the holes were back!

Keep this under your hats for now, please, until we get some answers. We don't want it getting out that cornbread can pierce our tinfoil privacy veils.

 

[REELDOC]

Lava Poop GIF

 

[Frack N Cylons]

You’ve made a battery and the aluminum has become the sacrificial anode

 

[Frack N Cylons]

see “lasagna cell” below

Galvanic corrosion - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ProfMagoo(ret)]

Were you trying to send back soup in a deli? The skillet was angry that day, my friend.

 

[Windini]

You’ve made a battery and the aluminum has become the sacrificial anode

Lasagna cellEdit​

A "lasagna cell" is accidentally produced when salty moist food such as lasagna is stored in a steel baking pan and is covered with aluminium foil. After a few hours the foil develops small holes where it touches the lasagna, and the food surface becomes covered with small spots composed of corroded aluminium.[14] In this example, the salty food (lasagna) is the electrolyte, the aluminium foil is the anode, and the steel pan is the cathode. If the aluminium foil touches the electrolyte only in small areas, the galvanic corrosion is concentrated, and corrosion can occur fairly rapidly. If the aluminium foil was not used with a dissimilar metal container, the reaction was probably a chemical one. It is possible for heavy concentrations of salt, vinegar or some other acidic compounds to cause the foil to disintegrate. The product of either of these reactions is an aluminium salt. It does not harm the food, but any deposit may impart an undesired flavor and color.[15]

I'm brilliant!! Accidentally, of course.

I learned something here today.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I was gonna post galvanic corrosion, but was beaten to it.

Essentially, you made a battery. Two dissimilar metals (iron and aluminum) and a dielectric (moist corn bread).

Why didn't it happen before?

Probably had something to do with how well your iron skillet was seasoned. If it was well seasoned, to the point of no exposed iron, then you likely wouldn't have this occur. Likewise, if the iron and aluminum were in good electrical contact with each other, it likely wouldn't occur either.

 

[Windini]

Probably had something to do with how well your iron skillet was seasoned

I wrapped it around; probably contacted less- or no seasoned iron on the outside.

 

[wvsig]

 

[Windini]

Fuggid. I moan eat it anyhow!

 

[DC Bigdaddy]

is that cornbread or cornbread cake??

 

[Amps 13]

Any food that has some sort of acid in it will eat through aluminum foil.

 

[Get Off My Lawn]

Eating metals is bad juju. I don’t like Al foil in contact with my food, almost all our Al pans are gone.

 

[pinkbunny]

Eating metals is bad juju. I don’t like Al foil in contact with my food, almost all our Al pans are gone.

Awww, he's basically just taking a Tum's tablet with his food. What's the problem?

 

[foopid stucker]

I am under the impression that people with alzheimers tend to have high levels of aluminum in their brain/bodies. likely caused by having sweet tea with lemon (long story)