# Why does stuffing dissolve aluminum foil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466 "2002-11-29T06:32:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/1 "2002-11-29T06:32:26Z")
After Thanksgiving dinner, I used to cover my leftover stuffing with aluminum foil. But if it touches the aluminum foil, the foil dissolves (little pin-head sized holes) and leaves foily stuff on the stuffing. I searched the archives and found Cecil’s column on this happening with meatloaf (catsup=acid), but it doubt my stuffing has any acid: Bread cubes (out of a store-bought stuffing box) Butter Saute’ed celery and onion Giblet broth That’s it. Can anyone explain this? Thanks, Another Primate ---
**Author:** ![alex\_arg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@alex\_arg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alex_arg)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/2 "2002-11-29T07:23:02Z")
From my experience, onions aren’t basic or balanced, or it could be something in the broth. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Mahma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Joe\_Mahma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Mahma)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/3 "2002-11-29T10:39:39Z")
Interesting. I have never heard of this (although I always keep my stuffing in a plastic container with a plastic lid). ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/4 "2002-11-30T02:06:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alex\_arg \* > \*\*From my experience, onions aren’t basic or balanced, or it could be something in the broth. \*\* I can’t see anything in the broth: Just giblets and the neck boiled for a while. ---
**Author:** ![andy\_fl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@andy\_fl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andy_fl)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/5 "2002-11-30T09:08:24Z")
Any baking soda there ?? ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/6 "2002-11-30T11:32:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andy\_fl \* > \*\*Any baking soda there ?? \*\* Nope. I think I didn’t mention salt and pepper and thyme. But I don’t think they would affect the aluminum foil. ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/7 "2002-11-30T20:14:16Z")
**Just use a glass baking dish!** Cecil is wrong. [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_121a.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_121a.html) The effect is well known among physics and chemistry teachers. It’s actually electrical (well, electrochemical): it’s a “battery” created by putting salty food in a steel pan and then covering it with aluminum foil. The food is the battery electrolyte. The two metals act as the battery plates. If the metals touch together, you’ve got a “shorted out” battery. Search google for keywords “lasagna cell.” Also: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=143211](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=143211) To stop the effect, use a glass dish covered with aluminum foil. Or use a metal pan, but put plastic wrap between the foil and the food. Or use an aluminum pan covered with alumium foil. Once I tried adding a switch to my lasagna battery. I lined just the edge of my steel pan with plastic wrap to interrupt the circuit (the foil still touched the top of the lasagna directly). Then I used alligator-leads from Radio Shack to connect the foil and the pan to a switch. I left the lasagna in the fridge for a few days with the switch off. No little holes in the aluminum. Then I turned the switch on. It took about half a day for the holes to appear. A meter measured a few hundred microamps (depending on how much lasagna touched the foil) running at under half a volt. And yes, the term “lasagna cell” is more accurate than “lasagna battery” since a true “battery” would need several lasagnas connected in series. ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/8 "2002-12-03T15:53:33Z")
Thanks for this explanation, bbeaty! ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/9 "2002-12-04T03:37:37Z")
Not being married lets you do all KINDS of things in your kitchen. 🙂 I once grew some mold which was black, shiny, and about 3" tall (looked like human hair.) And I think I invented a new food after watching a mushroom cause a wave of “brown” to slowly pass across an old eggplant over several days (smelled like mushroom inside afterwards.) And don’t even get me started about Unwise Microwave Experiments. ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/10 "2002-12-05T10:28:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bbeaty \* > \*\*Not being married lets you do all KINDS of things in your kitchen. > > 🙂 > > I once grew some mold which was black, shiny, and about 3" tall (looked like human hair.) And I think I invented a new food after watching a mushroom cause a wave of “brown” to slowly pass across an old eggplant over several days (smelled like mushroom inside afterwards.) And don’t even get me started about Unwise Microwave Experiments. \*\* Will you marry me? That’s exactly the kind of husband I want. -Another Primate (female) ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/11 "2002-12-06T20:02:38Z")
Will you marry me? That’s exactly the kind of husband I want. -Another Primate (female) Hey. You’re supposed to buy me dinner first! 🙂 Here’s me: [William J. Beaty](http://amasci.com/billb.html) Here’s the inside of my mind: [forward](http://amasci.com/brain/) ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-stuffing-dissolve-aluminum-foil/139466/12 "2002-12-08T01:58:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bbeaty \* > \*\*Will you marry me? That’s exactly the kind of husband I want. > -Another Primate (female) > > Hey. You’re supposed to buy me dinner first! 🙂 > > \*\* Ahh, darn, you’re too young for me. -Another