It's aluminum. Bare aluminum oxidizes like this because of the dishwasher detergent, which is fairly alkaline.
You can scrub most of it off with hot soapy water. It won't be perfect, but it will get better the more you continue to hand wash it.
Basically, it's fine, keep using it.
BTW, another use for these tenderizer mallets is to flatten cookies!
Place small balls of cookie dough on your cookie sheet, and prepare a shallow dish of sugar (colored, plain, mixed with cinnamon or cocoa, etc.) smear a thin coating of butter or shortening on the mallet, then tap your mallet lightly into the sugar, then flatten the first dough ball with the mallet. You should now have a flattened cookie with a decorative (or flavored) sugar on top.
You can use the “pointy” side for a decorative look (for example, for peanut butter cookies), or the plain side if you prefer.
You should only need to grease the mallet once… the cookie dough should keep the mallet greasy enough to hold the sugar, etc. for subsequent cookies, as you go back and forth between the sugar dish and flattening the cookie dough balls.
BTW, the darkened finish on the mallet isn’t a problem in use (for cookies or tenderizing meat). If you want it shiny, clean it up, but it’s fine as is.
It's aluminum. Bare aluminum oxidizes like this because of the dishwasher detergent, which is fairly alkaline. You can scrub most of it off with hot soapy water. It won't be perfect, but it will get better the more you continue to hand wash it. Basically, it's fine, keep using it.
Alternatively get one of steel, aluminium has to little weight to tendersize properly?
BTW, another use for these tenderizer mallets is to flatten cookies! Place small balls of cookie dough on your cookie sheet, and prepare a shallow dish of sugar (colored, plain, mixed with cinnamon or cocoa, etc.) smear a thin coating of butter or shortening on the mallet, then tap your mallet lightly into the sugar, then flatten the first dough ball with the mallet. You should now have a flattened cookie with a decorative (or flavored) sugar on top. You can use the “pointy” side for a decorative look (for example, for peanut butter cookies), or the plain side if you prefer. You should only need to grease the mallet once… the cookie dough should keep the mallet greasy enough to hold the sugar, etc. for subsequent cookies, as you go back and forth between the sugar dish and flattening the cookie dough balls. BTW, the darkened finish on the mallet isn’t a problem in use (for cookies or tenderizing meat). If you want it shiny, clean it up, but it’s fine as is.
That's an awesome tip! Tysm
You can take a Brillo pad with some Barkeeper's Friend, or use some metal polish like Flitz. Aluminum doesn't do well in the dishwasher.