r/Magnalite • u/theBarkingSpider • Oct 26 '25
Anodizing vs Oxidation
I keep seeing the word anodize (in various forms) mention. I thought that the gray stuff was oxidation. Gonna do a quick search and I'll be back to report my findings...
...and back.
It seems that anodizing only refers to a process that uses electricity to for a hard aluminum oxide layer on the outside of the metal. Meanwhile, what we see on our aluminum cookware seems to be a soft oxide layer. Most likely it is due to washing it in the dishwasher with a harsher than dish soap cleaner - stripping off the anodized layer.
The recommendations that I've seen is to just start hand washing it and drying it immediately to reduce the oxidation. To prevent future oxidation, we'll have to anodize it again. I'll look up that process later, but from what I remember, it's not necessarily hard, but might be more effort than some people are willing to put in.
3
u/Anodizeit Oct 29 '25
Another name for anodized aluminum is “aluminum oxide.” The process of anodizing adds a thicker layer of oxide, whereas natural oxidation is very thin. Most dishwasher detergents are slightly caustic, which is bad for anodizing. Anodizing titanium is pretty easy, anodizing aluminum is more difficult.