Dark Metal Residue on KitchenAid Whisk Comes Off on Hands

[SNPiccolo5]

Hi all,

I made key lime pie yesterday and made whipped cream in my KitchenAid to top the pie today.

All went well, but when I removed the bowl from the stand and whisked it by hand (to finish it and not over-beat it), a dark metal residue came off on my hands. It mostly washed away (there's still a little bit there), but I'm not sure why it was there to begin with. I rubbed my hand against a darker part of the whisk (a section that attaches to the stand mixer) and the darkness rubbed off onto my hand, leaving the whisk lighter than it was before. I do wash this part in the dishwasher.

This has also happened to me when I washed an aluminum cake pan in the dishwasher. It was of high quality (Chicago Metallic) and said you could wash it in the dishwasher.

Is this "metallic residue" a bad thing? How do I avoid it? Wash by hand? Does anyone else get this? All help will be appreciated!

Cheers,
Tim

 

[Andy M.]

The aluminum where the whisk attaches to the mixer was discolored by your dishwasher detergent. That's what rubbed off on your hand. I don't think it's a problem other than a cosmetic one.

There is a component in DW soaps that cause discoloring of unprotected aluminum. That's why I never put unprotected aluminum in the DW.

 

[SNPiccolo5]

Thanks, Andy. Do you know what comes off the whisk, then? If it comes off on my hand, would it get into my food?

I'm guessing I shouldn't put aluminum cake pans in the dishwasher either, right?

Tim

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks, Andy. Do you know what comes off the whisk, then? If it comes off on my hand, would it get into my food?

I'm guessing I shouldn't put aluminum cake pans in the dishwasher either, right?

Tim

The discoloration that came off on your hands is from the darker top part of the whisk, not the stainless steel part that touches the food. It's aluminum in some form that rubs off on you. The dark metal top of the whisk does not come in contact with the food. You're OK.

As I said, no unprotected aluminum in the DW. Cake pans included.

Use a scrubber sponge and some Barkeepers Friend to clean the effected alum. parts and hand wash from now on. The problem wont recur.

My KA mixer has a dough hook and regular mixer paddle that are uncoated alum. They all get hand washed. My whisk has alum. at the top where it connects to the mixer. That gets hand washed too.

 

[KaraL]

When I was reading about how to choose stainless steel cookware set, I noticed it talked about reactive metals like copper and aluminum. Acidic foods don't mix well with copper and aluminum.

I wonder if the ingredients mixed for the Key Lime Pie(lime and lemon) came in contact with the aluminum on the handle. The stainless steel should not have been a problem.

Something to think about though. Acidic food when prepared with copper or aluminum could take on a metallic taste and ruin the dish your preparing.