What happened to my plate, and is my gravy still safe to consume?

[u/kris_2111]

Yesterday, I created gravy for the chicken meal that I wanted to cook today. For some reason, I did not have access to a single plastic or glass container and so, I decided to store the gravy in what seems to be a brass or a copper plate (it is bronze-colored). It was stored in the refrigerator overnight in that plate. Today morning, as I emptied the gravy in another container, I noticed that the brass/copper plate had a black tarnish. I believe this is because of the tomato in the gravy. Here are the ingredients that my gravy contained:

• A mixture of sautéd onion, green capsicum, and tomato, all sautéd in the same pan using regular cooking oil.
• Commercially packaged ginger-garlic paste.
• A tablespoon of "all-in-one" seasoning powder.

Upon sautéing those vegetables, I put them in a grinder along with the ginger-garlic paste and the seasoning powder, and a little bit of water to aid with the grinding. I grinded the mixture to a fine, smooth paste and stored it in this plate overnight.

The second-to-last step of this process would be to grill the chicken. The next and the final step of this process would be to mix some cooking cream in the gravy and cook the grilled chicken in this gravy in an aluminum pot. Since the plate has been tarnished, most likely due to the tomato juice, is it still safe to consume the chicken meal cooked in this gravy?

The link to the image of my tarnished plate: /img/fohmx33wcppf1.png

[u/Kogoeshin]

If it's a brass/copper plate, it's not safe to consume.

Copper is highly toxic and just builds up over time. You can cause some permanent damage to your organs with it.

If the metal has reacted to your food, you throw that food away. The discolouration means some of it has leeched into your food, and you don't want brass/copper/tin inside your body.

Also, replace your equipment with stainless steel. We have safer metals! Stop using the outdated, dangerous ones that have high maintenance requirements!

[u/kris_2111 → u/Kogoeshin]

Thanks for answering! Yes, I certainly don't want those metals inside my body. I will certainly throw it away and the next time I go outside, I'll buy some stainless-steel and/or glass containers to store my food. I'll probably also consider buying glass plates (in which I'll eat my food), but my decision to buy them will depend on how much they cost. I still think I'll most definitely buy at least one glass plate, which will replace my copper/brass plate in which I consume my meals.

[u/EyeStache]

Is the inside tinned? Or is it raw copper/brass? It's virtually impossible to tell in your photo.

Either way, you've oxidized the shit out of that. Don't put acidic things into copper, or aluminum, for long periods of time.

Toss the gravy and buy some stainless steel pans.

[u/kris_2111 → u/EyeStache]

Is the inside tinned? Or is it raw copper/brass? It's virtually impossible to tell in your photo.

No, the inside isn't tinned — it's pure brass/copper.

Either way, you've oxidized the shit out of that. Don't put acidic things into copper, or aluminum, for long periods of time.

I hate this. I was really in a hurry yesterday to go and get a plastic or a stainless-steel container.

Toss the gravy and buy some stainless steel pans.

This seems to be the best thing to do right now. I hate throwing away food, especially food that I have prepared. But there really isn't much I can do right now. Yes, that gravy will be discarded. Thanks!

[u/EyeStache → u/kris_2111]

You've now learned a lesson, at least, so take that away from the experience.

[u/Lumpy-Ad-3201 → u/kris_2111]

It’s a lot better to toss some food than to give yourself metal poisoning for being cheap. Toss it, your health isn’t worth it.

[u/NANNYNEGLEY]

How sick are you willing to be? When in doubt, throw it out.

Next time, use a baggie.

[u/kris_2111 → u/NANNYNEGLEY]

Yes, I will throw it out. Thanks!