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ted_yosem
Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

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Can you safely cook or store food in galvanized trash cans?





Boiling corn in garbage cans

Q. I have a concern with the way our company cooks corn at our parties. They are using galvanized trash cans with water in them bringing the water to a boil over heat and cooking corn in them do you think this is wise. Please give me your thoughts or information

Thanks,

Raymond G Backers
dealership - Macomb, Michigan
2005



2005
Galvanized Trash Can

on Amazon

(affil links)

A. It's usually not a good idea to use things for purposes they weren't designed for. One reason is that the designer had no intention for you to cook corn in the device which he tried to optimize for another purpose. Another reason is that medical studies are almost never conducted on such things, and even if they were, the garbage can designer might change his specifications and manufacturing methods at any time. So nobody can actually offer you a methodical answer, only a guess.

Garbage cans aren't designed to have food boiled in them. The boiling water might leach out whatever it reaches, and deposit onto the corn. The coating might or might not be only zinc; it may also include hexavalent chromates, and there may be weld or seam areas that can leach out additional contaminants. Plus, if they were used for garbage at any time, who knows what else might leach out? I am NOT saying that I think it is a likely safety issue or that people have actually been harmed by it; rather I think it is unlikely to have done anyone any harm. But I don't think the practice should be continued.

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey




"Trashcan turkey" and BBQ meats

Q. Have anyone ever tried to BBQ in galvanize trash can, then tested the meats for hazardous chemicals?

Where can I find the chemical testing kits?

I greatly appreciate any answers.

Thanks,

Henry Dinh
student - San Jose, California
December 30, 2009




A. Hi Henry. I haven't heard of anyone doing it. I suppose it's theoretically possible to check for zinc and chrome and lead, but how would you check for everything else in the world that might possibly be there, especially in a used trash can? And are you going to test each trash can every time?

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey



Q. Have you seen the Trashcan Turkey posting? Do you think they are a good idea? If yes, do you think the trash can should be pre-fired? Thanks in advance. Tom

Tom Klahr
- Wellington, Colorado, USA
November 21, 2012



A. Hi, Tom. The fact is, nobody knows or will soon know. Because when we use items in food preparation that were not intended for food preparation, we don't acquire any history, any real data ... at best we acquire an anecdote or two.

It would not surprise me if these trash cans had a tiny amount of hexavalent chromate on them, and such surfaces really shouldn't be used in food preparation. Only an opinion.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 21, 2012




Storing bagged food in galvanized cans

Q. Is it chemically safe to store food that is wrapped in other material, such as a bag of sugar or flour, in a new galvanized trash can?

Ann Meade
hobbyist - Midlothian, Texas
May 17, 2010


A. Hi, Ann. As you see, we appended your inquiry to another thread. I personally doubt that there is any safety issue involved here, but that is an opinion that isn't really based on science.

I think you'll find few studies on such matters; but sometimes organizations like WHO do sponsor research into common 3rd-world practices of using everyday items in such ways, so maybe if you search hard you actually will find a report. Also, you might look into whether "bear-safe" food storage containers in parks, etc., are galvanized (I'll bet they are). Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 18, 2010




Storing dried foods directly in trash cans

Q. For years I have stored dried beans, split peas, legumes, sugar and wheat in galvanized trash cans. Now I'm being told to throw everything out because of possible lead and zinc contamination. I'm looking at hundreds of pounds of food and thousands of dollars in losses.

THANK YOU

MARIE CHRISTENSEN
HOME OWNER - ANNABELLA, UTAH USA
November 9, 2010



November 11, 2010
Galvanized feeder

on Amazon

(affil links)

A. Hi, Marie. If you are selling this food, I agree. But if it's for personal use, who is asking you to do that?

I don't think it's a great idea to plan on storing food in galvanized garbage cans because there are certain acidy foods like tomatoes that probably shouldn't be stored in metal. And, because garbage cans are not designed for the purpose, nobody is accumulating and tabulating information about it. But I wouldn't think that it would condemn the food for personal use, especially since you've been doing the same for years. Edible plants are grown in galvanized pots; livestock of all sorts eat and drink directly out of galvanized troughs every day; rural peoples gather rainwater from galvanized roofs for drinking. For many years galvanized piping was used for water service. So who told you to throw all your food away?

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey


Q. The Utah Extension Service recommended I dispose of all food being stored in galvanized cans.
Marie

Marie Christensen
- Annabella, Utah USA
November 13, 2010


A. Hi, again.

Well, you can throw it away, or you can ask for their justification for this recommendation. Whether you get one or not, you apparently are free to decide what you want to do about it. Good luck with it. Personally, I wouldn't throw it out, but I'd line the cans with plastic bags next year. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 13, 2010




Composting in galvanized cans

Q. We are starting a compost pile for a home garden. My mother read we could collect compost in a garbage can and simply roll the can to turn it over every week. But, we're working very hard to remove as much of the poisonous plastics from our lives and do not wish to add plastic to the compost we will be using for gardening. Do you believe a galvanized steel trash can is safe for this purpose? Are there poisons in a galvanized steel trash can that can leech into the compost, and then our food?

Michele King
- New Port Richey, Florida, USA
February 23, 2013



A. Hi Michele. Everything is a matter of degree. I personally don't think it's a good idea to cook or store food directly in galvanized cans, but I think it's absolutely fine to make/store compost in it.

Galvanizing is a coating of zinc, and zinc is an essential nutrient, but not a food-safe material because of possible overdose. The galvanizing sometimes has a very very dilute coating of chromate on it, which again is not food-safe but surely can't be significant in compost. Good luck.

I am just the website administrator, and I certainly don't claim to be a world expert in the safety of galvanized containers :-)
... readers are welcome to chime in, but so far it's not happening on this particular topic.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 25, 2013




Making charcoal in trash cans

Q. Concerning the Galvanized Garbage Can. I want to make my own lump charcoal for cooking/smoking/BBQ. I will need to fill the can with hardwood and burn. Not sure if the fire will be too hot for galvanized. Can I safely do this in a store bought can, rather than a non-galvanized 55 gallon drum with unknown previous contents.

Tom Britton
- Toledo, Ohio USA
June 28, 2013


A. Hi Tom. Again, zinc is an essential nutrient, not a toxin, and the only potential problem is overdose.

Considering the highly poisonous carbon monoxide that is inherently produced in making charcoal, it seems to me that if you deal with the poison prudently, it will be nearly impossible to have any realistic worries regarding the essential nutrient.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
June 2013




Can a galvanized pot be safely used to cook (boil) foods

Q. I want to use a galvanized pot to boil food in. is it safe to do so?

Alfred hope
- London
May 29, 2014


A. Hi Alfred. In my opinion, no.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
June 2014




Using EMT Conduit as Steam Piping

Q. Is it safe to use galvanized EMT conduit to pipe steam through a house as a heat source? I tried running some steam through it and noticed a strange odor coming from the conduit. From everything I've read it seems like temperatures of 212-220 °F should be fine. Is it possible that there is a coating inside the conduit causing this?

Zack S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Hanover, Pennsylvania, USA
November 29, 2014


A. Hi Zack. No it's not safe, and yes it's possible that the EMT conduit (which is designed to facilitate snaking wires through), has an interior coating that is incompatible with steam. I can't believe any building inspector would let you pump steam through a system designed only to prevent wires from mechanical damage.

The primary danger doesn't seem to be contaminants, but running scalding pressurized steam through tubing never intended for that purpose. For steam I think you need Schedule 40 B.I. pipe -- please check the building codes. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 2014




Storing a bag of potatoes in a galvanized bucket

Q. Just wondering about putting a bag of store bought potatoes in a galvanized bucket inside the house for 'storage'. This is not a long term storage for any of the potatoes, possible two weeks maximum for a bag depending on the size.
What is your opinion of this?

Debbie Kelley
- Hughes Springs, Texas USA
July 3, 2015


A. Hi Debbie. I think there's a very good chance they were sitting in a galvanized silo before they got to you :-)

Regards,

ted_yosem
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 2015


A. Trash can cooking in a galvanized cans have been going on for years in Kansas City Bar-B-Q joints for years. Even uses the lids to serve from. Take a breath. Its's OK!

D. Cash
- Belleville, Illinois
July 23, 2016




Q. Our senior center wants to make garbage can stew in a galvanized can. Is there danger in using this system of open fire cooking?
Barbara gordon

Barbara Gordon
- Florida USA
July 19, 2019


A. Hi Barbara. It's unlikely that anybody will get directly sick from it, and seniors have lived through much more dangerous times, but no, it's not considered acceptable here in 2019. Galvanizing (zinc) is generally not considered a safe food contact surface because excessive zinc can dissolve in either acid or alkali conditions, and most galvanized surfaces receive a dip in the hexavalent chrome made famous by Erin Brockovich.

Regards,

ted_yosem
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 2019




November 25, 2020

Q. Greetings Sir! So I got a galvanized trash can, cut the bottom out, and buried it. My intent was to pressure cook my thanksgiving turkey in this pit over a bed of coals (that had been burning for 8 hours) . I then cover the pit with lid, cover with dirt, and then start a fire on top of ground directly over the trash can.

trashcan turkey 37601-1a   trashcan turkey 37601-1b

I have had this prepared for a month.
Only to be told early this morning (the DAY BEFORE thanksgiving) that the galvanized metal may be toxic. To be clear- the turkey would be wrapped SEVERAL times with aluminum foil, and will at no time ever come in contact with the galvanized metal. I'm s just worried that the heat will somehow make the trash can poison my turkey. PLEASE HELP!
Respectfully, J

Jay woods
- Austin Texas


A. Hi Jay. I'm just the curator of this metal finishing website. Because I owe posters the common courtesy of responding if others readers don't, my name is on this page repeatedly -- but I'm certainly not a zinc epidemiologist able to quote statistics; actually I doubt that there is one anywhere :-)

As I've said repeatedly on this page and a half dozen like it, in my personal opinion I see no actual danger in what you are doing, but I do not like the general idea of using things for food service that were not intended for food service. If Chinese vendors put cadmium in children's jewelry when they can get away with it, how can I possibly assure you that they are careful to insure that there is no cadmium in garbage cans?

But I think the danger of Covid-19 is where your attention should be focused, not on whether fumes from a galvanized can that has already been burning for 8 hours will contaminate a turkey through multiple layers of aluminum foil. Happy Thanksgiving!

Luck & Regards,

ted_yosem
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 2020


thumbs up sign Exactly tho- I don't want to make anybody sick for any reason ever. Covid or zinc oxide or otherwise. I'm just cooking for my little 4 person household and taking all precautions. But-- I have read every.single.thread about zinc on several pages. The only thing that sets my situation apart from ALL the OTHERS- is that my cooking takes place under ground. Sealed. With layers of dirt. There's no place for steam or smoke or [potentially zinc oxide] to escape to. I'm not a chemist. But I was worried about 'condensation'? Or something of the sort, seeping past layers of foil thereby poisoning the turkey. Haha Perhaps it seems ridiculous, but I'm trying to keep me & mine
I sincerely appreciate you & your efforts to keep this informative.

Jay woods [returning]
- Austin Texas
November 25, 2020


A. Hi. I think:
1. the idea of burning coals in the can or under the can for a while first is always a prudent idea to remove whatever portion of anything is itching to be removed;
2. zinc being an essential micronutrient, not a poison anyway; and
3. the foil being for practical purposes vaporproof
... means you have triple protection and no need for concern at all :-)

Luck & Regards,

ted_yosem
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 2020


thumbs up sign Yep, so long as the turkey doesn't mind.

Mark Lees
- A covid-free rock in the Irish sea
November 26, 2020


A. Burning off a new smoker/grill made from anything is good practice always.

And theoretically, inside the foil is positive pressure from the moisture in the turkey itself, as steam expands and escapes through the seams. So net vapor movement is outwards.

Just don't go cooking chili directly in a trash can or something like that!

rachel_mackintosh
Rachel Mackintosh
lab rat - Greenfield, Vermont
November 30, 2020




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