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Letter 8962
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+ Theoretically, anodized aluminum cookware is coated with oxide of aluminum so the bare metal is not in contact with the food. The coating hardness is second only to that of the diamond. dado macapagal
++++++ So is it safe to cook on? I am also fearful of aluminum and was thinking of getting rid of my Calphalon Pans (infused anodized aluminum). Debra A
I personally believe that anodized aluminum is perfectly safe, Debra. The internet is great for a lot of things, but when it comes to safety issues the internet is a supercharged "Chicken Little" rumor mill rather than an authoritative source. If you are seriously concerned about this, despite the assurances from Calphalon (one of the world's most reputable cookware manufacturers), I think you need to review respected scientific journals rather than the internet or the TV news. As has been said a million times, the news media profits scandalously from teasers like "Toxic timebomb in your kitchen? News at 11", which they base on the scantest, most untrustworthy, and subsequently refuted, studies. But there is absolutely nothing in it for the News Business to say "Cookware is safe after all" -- no one will stay up to hear that story -- so they never run stories like that, and if you judge scientific truth by the internet and sensationalist TV News, you will be misinformed. Good luck!
I found a website for commercial aluminum anodizing. It
looks like it is safe for cookware. (which is what brought
me to this site in the first place, as I have the same
concerns) pam ouellette |
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April 16, 2008 Hi, Pam. Anodized aluminum is indeed a very hard material, but the claim that it is the second hardest material is probably dated. Jim Treglio, earlier in this thread, names some harder materials. Regards,
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Okay, I'm sold on the safety of anodized aluminum cookware. However, Calphalon is now promoting a line of "infused" anodized cookware, which contains a "polymer" that the company claims is stick resistant? Is this as safe as regular hard anodized cookware, or would it carry some of the health risks of non-stick cookware?
David Gugino
- Chicago, Illinois
Hi, David. I don't know what that polymer is for sure, but can't imagine it being anything but teflon-like. Those who are concerned about the safety of Teflon in cookware should probably avoid it. The "regular" hard anodized cookware is very stick resistant anyway; not as slick as Teflon I guess, but quite unsticky. I fry eggs in ours all the time and make great eggs while not finding cleanup to be a chore at all.
Regards,
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 Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
Update 11/29/08: Sorry, but Calphalon has just advised me that: "Currently all cookware with an anodized surface we produce is Infused Anodized. This type of cooking surfaces is in fact sealed with a polymer, but is not considered to be nonstick. All of our original hard anodized (Professional and Commercial) are no longer being produced." Idiots. Although I am not personally concerned about polymer, some people are. Time for them to hit eBay for the old stuff or switch to a different brand
Well MR. Ted Mooney, P.E.
I would like to speak out against your remark of the internet being a
"supercharged "Chicken Little" rumor mill".
Seriously you feel that all these people out there have no other work
in life. What i am angry about people like you is that you have such
a narrow mind and absolutely no respect for someone who takes the
time to warn others (through the internet) about something that is
dangerous to your health.
If you choose not listen to "anything" from the internet please do
so, but don't you go around posting comments like this.
Your only reasoning why hard anodised cookware is safe is that "(one
of the world's most reputable cookware manufacturers)" You call that
logic and reasoning.
What do you have to say about the reputation of Dupont. Well if you
did a little google or (since you don't believe in the internet) go
down to you local library and search newspaper archives for the
news>>>>>DuPont had concealed the harmful health
effects of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used to produce
Teflon.
They paid a huge fine with a very hush-hush settlement with EPA.
Still this reputable company nor any govt agency is ready to ban
Teflon.
I think these very "Chicken little" rumor mills you speak so
condescendingly about will have raise their voices for something to
happen. These poor people have not only to raise their voices to
fight against there "reputable" companies but also fight against
people like you who have no other work in life, the only thing you
can do is drag such fighters down.
You should be ashamed of yourself MR. Ted Mooney.
I have seen other people who come up with industry driven propaganda
as arguments, but you are pathetic, you only argument is
"reputability" of the company.
Yes I do agree that the internet is full of CTs and Holocaust
deniers, why do you and many other like you count these very brave,
compassionate (who care about humanity as a whole) who take the time
to tell other about harmful chemicals in food and other things with
such lunatics.
This is what the "reputed" companies PR mills have tried to do.
If you look back in history almost every "rumor" about food and
chemical safety has been proved right. From DDT to agent orange, to
PCBS, MSG, you name it,
And you still call these "rumor Mills".
One sincere request at least don't make it hard for people who
sincerely want to warn others. These people are not some crazy
lunatics who want to scaremonger people (even though these "reputed
companies" will brainwash you to believe this).
For crying out loud what is their motive, but your reputed companies
all have motive.
So please stop.
Qwan Raj
- Mangalore, Karnataka, India
June 24, 2008
Hi, Qwan. We don't censor anyone, so you can promote whatever theory you wish . . . but you would forbid me from expressing on my own site my opinion that aluminum is safe :-)
There are thousands of postings on this site about the safety and dangers of various materials, including numerous threads about aluminum pots and pans. My belief in the safety of aluminum is based on many things, and you are welcome to search the threads where those reasons are brought forth again and again and again.
But, as one example, people continually submit postings here like "Everybody needs to know that aluminum causes Alzeimer's disease! Please, use your site to spread the word!". But here's what the Alzeimer's Association actually says:
"The vast majority of mainstream scientists now believe that if aluminum plays any role at all in Alzheimer's, that role is small."
". . . most mainstream health professionals believe, based on current knowledge, that exposure to aluminum is not a significant risk factor. Public health bodies sharing this conviction include the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Health Canada."
"Further, it is unlikely that people can significantly reduce their exposure to aluminum through such measures as avoiding aluminum-containing cookware, foil, beverage cans, medications and other products. "
I do not unempathetically dismiss people who are frightened! To the contrary, this issue concerns me deeply and very personally because Alzeimer's is rampant on both sides of my family; two aunts and an uncle are already dead from it, my mother is in a nursing home with no idea who I am, and odds are pretty good that I'll contract it myself. Meanwhile, though, I will continue to cook my eggs in my Calphalon hard anodized frying pan because I happen to like it and personally believe it to be perfectly safe -- not only because Calphalon says so but for a hundred reasons including the fact that the Alzheimer's Association, WHO, NIH, EPA, Health Canada and countless other scientific bodies say so.
Now please quote me one single respected medical organization or journal article that claims that aluminum cookware is dangerous.
Regards,
Ted Mooney
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
October 12, 2008
Ted,
My hats off to you for handling all aspects of this issue. I have
been researching this issue in depth as we are launching an anodized
grill product. I wanted to have the facts to present them and
finishing.com has more info and more sides of the story than anyone.
So much disinformation is mostly competitive stirred up by companies
with new products that bash the old. People take this stuff as
gospel. For example, the thermolon coating on a lot of new pans is
attacking Teflon to a ridiculous degree. Coming from the coatings
industry I will weigh in on that too. Teflon cookware is absolutely
safe under 450F. DuPont fought an unseemly competitor for years that
was determined to kill Teflon. I'm from Delaware and know DuPont
well. They finally gave in and not from consumer standpoint. Actually
most of the issue is with PFOA a by product of Teflon. It was used
for carpets and other items. Teflon stents and IV's have been used in
people for years too. Finally I believe you will be able to avoid
Alzheimers through diet (lots of fish) exercise and even regular
sauna (its aerobics for your arteries). My daughter is attending a
naturopathic med school and one of her missions is to keep her
parents from being drug addicted seniors and cognitive. So far so
good. Keep up the great work Ted!
Brad
Brad Barrett
- Cartersville, Georgia
October 14, 2008
Now I'm really confused. I love to cook and do a great deal of entertaining. I've used anodized pots for years but the finish is starting to wear on some of them and the aluminum is starting to show, particularly on the bottom of the pot. Rings around the inside edge of the pot are also beginning to appear. My husband is pushing for a new set of stainless steel pots but I've heard that metal,-- nickel, chromium and molybdenum (sp?) leaks from these pots into the food. Are the anodized pots now dangerous when the finish wears and the aluminum starts to show? Should I replace those pots with stainless steel or should I replace them with other anodized aluminum pots? Any information or direction you can give me on this topic will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!!
Lois Diehl
Hobbyist - Mahwah, New Jersey
October 14, 2008
Hi, Lois. My personal opinion is that both stainless and aluminum are harmless. But bare aluminum is "dirty" (black smut can rub off) and it can corrode. My preference would be new hard anodized cookware, not because I think it's safer than stainless steel, but because I like it better, think it cooks better, and it it doesn't scratch from metal implements while being rather slick like non-stick cookware. Others will surely have different opinions. There is no way around opinion, which unfortunately means there might be no way around "confusion" :-)
Regards,
Ted Mooney
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
October 26, 2008
Thanks for the informative web site. Based on extensive research,
I am really interested in purchasing an anodized aluminum stock pot
but cannot find any source that isn't lined with some sort of polymer
(non-stick or the new infused polymer from Calphalon). Can you
recommend a manufacturer of anodized aluminum that doesn't use a
polymer on the interior?
Thanks!
Amy Dahl
- Seattle, Washington
Hi, Amy. I have some Calphalon that is hard anodized, and some that has a non-stick polymer. It can be hard to tell one from the other if you're not familiar with hard coat anodizing because, just like the polymer, it is dark gray to black and it is very smooth and somewhat slippery and reasonably non-stick -- but water "beads" on the polymer whereas it tends to "wet" the hardcoat.
It looks to me like the Calphalon in the Amazon banner ad
to the right is hard anodized and free of polymer. Same with the Ebay
ad today -- but Ebay ads change frequently (Disclosure: finishing.com
may receive an affiliate marketing commission if you buy via
click-through). (see update below)
I received my first piece of hard anodized Calphalon as a cherished gift (that may explain my orneriness in defending it). I can't claim that it's better than other brands of hard anodized cookware because it's the only brand I've tried.
Regards,
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Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
Update 11/29/08: Sorry, but Calphalon has just advised me that: "Currently all cookware with an anodized surface we produce is Infused Anodized. This type of cooking surfaces is in fact sealed with a polymer, but is not considered to be nonstick. All of our original hard anodized (Professional and Commercial) are no longer being produced."
We don't like to promote particular brands on this technical information website, but if any manufacturer advises us that they offer polymer-free hard anodized cookware, we will share the news.
November 30, 2008
Hi Ted,
First, thanks for the information on Aluminum Pans. My mother-in-law
has forbade me to use my aluminum pans for cooking. I appreciated
your information. One question though. Does it matter how old the
pans are? I have one of my grandfathers old pans and some pans given
to me by a friend of mine also older. Are they still safe?
Thanks,
Shawn Borgert
- Maple Lake, Minnesota
Hi, Shawn. In my personal estimation aluminum is safe regardless of its age; this is largely based on the quotes above from the Alzeimer's Association. However, aluminum which, because it is very old and worn, or for any reason no longer has an anodized surface, is likely to be smutty. That means you can rub off a gray to black smut from the surface, which is probably a tiny amount of very finely divided aluminum dust. Although not harmful, it's fairly unesthetic. After washing and drying your pans, rub the inside with a clean white paper towel and see what you see.
Regards,
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Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
December 21, 2008
I recently bought a new set of cookware which has an aluminum
bottom. It has a layer of cooper between the bottom and the stainless
steel surface of the pan. While shopping I found many, if not most,
sets have aluminum bottoms. I have a concern that aluminum might
react with the heat and cause harmful fumes. The cookware is
Emirilware Stainless. It has a warning that the cookware should not
be heated empty or allowed to boil dry the aluminum may melt. Molten
aluminum can drip on a person causing serious burns.
My husband has ALS and I do not want to use anything that might
affect his condition. Although I understand, that there is no
established link between ALS and aluminum. I want to be make good
decisions.
Barbara Anderson
- Gainesville, Florida
December 28, 2008
I have just purchased a set of hard anodized green pans. My question is: is the thermolon safe to cook with? I have been researching and cannot make up my mind if it is safe, or if the technology is just too new to be sure. I appreciate your input!
Kristen Lange
- Shreveport, Louisiana
February 4, 2009
Count me in as another consumer looking for polymer-free hard anodized cookware like Caphalon USED to make! Want to avoid PTFE altogether. Would love to know if you find some. Thank you!
Jeneen Schloz
- Austin, Texas
February 11, 2009
We first bought Calphalon Commercial cookware over 20 years ago
and have always used them according to the care and use
instructions.
I have had to return the saucepans for warranty replacement several
times because the coating has worn off the interior surface down to
the bare aluminum. I have always wondered if the coating is
compromised by our very hard well water. The frying pans have not
been affected like the saucepans ... that's why I'm suspecting the
water. (Our water softener doesn't even seem to be able to change the
hardness much!)
Does anyone have a clue as to why the surface coating would erode and
if it might be the hard water?
Susan Allen
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee
February 23, 2009
I came across this site while trying to get information on the new
infused cookware.. I have a Calphalon anodized piece I think I need
to replace because I left it on the burner by accident. It shows some
minor scratch marks but I don't see any aluminum. Just the old dark
finish with what appears to be natural age marks from use. I'm
concerned that I might be ingesting something I can't see. I will do
the paper towel test when I get home. I really like it and hate to
throw an expensive piece of cookware out. In response to those that
want unadulterated anodized aluminum I have some tips. Anolon is a
major producer of anodized cookware. Also, it looks like Macy's still
has only the old Calphalon available. None of their adverts mention
infused aluminum on the Calphalon they sell as of today. In regards
to aluminum leaching into food I've read that any aluminum is safe to
cook in ( I have an old aluminum dutch oven that is totally untreated
that I still use) but it's not supposed to be used to store food.
Once you're done cooking and serving the food should be transferred
to appropriate containers.
Thanks for this site
Vin
Vincent Private
- Austin, Texas
March 22, 2009
My husband and I received a set of cookware from Circulon. It is hard-anodized and from reading the box it sounds like they do not add any polymer non-stick coating, but I can't really tell. Has anyone else heard of or tried the Circulon brand of pans?
Pam Hylton
- Stuart, Virginia
April 6, 2009
Why does anodized aluminum have to be hand washed? Both my husband
and I now work two jobs and hand washing cookware is not at the top
of the list of chores. We are need of new cookware and would like
something safe but also dishwasher safe. Suggestions?
Thanks for your help.
Kathy Mills
- Bloomington, Minnesota
April 6, 2009
Hi, Kathy. Plain aluminum and anodized coatings (aluminum oxide) are attacked by strongly alkaline materials. Dishwasher detergent can be strongly alkaline.
Glass, ceramic, and stainless steel (including stainless cookware with an encapsulated aluminum core) sound like they should be dishwasher safe.
Regards,
Ted Mooney
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
April 3, 2009
Vincent,
You should not need to exchange out your pan, if you take a sponge
you should simply be able buff out the scratches. In addition, you
can use a product such as bar keepers friend or any other equivalent
to get rid of the scratches or discolorations as well. I know
Calphalon is very good about replacing their product, so if your
scratches are too deep it shouldn't be a problem. Personally, I am
looking to get some more information on the new Unison by Calphalon.
I purchased a few pans today, but with their patent pending and being
a Williams Sonoma exclusive for now, information is very hard to come
by.
John Quinn
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
April 9, 2009
I just bought a set of hard anodized pans from Pennys "Cooks"
brand. The box does not say infused but water did bead up on the new
pans. They are not cheap. any info would be appreciated. I'm going at
this backwards, researching after getting them. I have not used them
as yet and can return.
Thanks,
Deb
Debra ONeal
- Columbia, Missouri
April 9, 2009
Hi, Deb. According to J C Penny site, these have Whitford Eclipse fluoropolymer coating. If YOU object to fluoropolymers you should return them. I myself am not concerned about fluoropolymer -- it's just that I prefer hard anodizing by itself. Apparently the manufacturers no longer see it that way and plain hard anodizing is becoming impossible to find :-)
Regards,
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Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
April 14, 2009
I found this stock pot at Goodwill and it looked like it had been
in a campfire. I washed it up and it seems to be okay, a little
discoloured on the bottom though. Is it safe to use?
Jean
Jean Landes
- Beaverton, Oregon
April 16, 2009
I just carried my JC Penney Cooks pots out to the trash and dumped
them after reading this thread. I had a gift certificate and thought
the anodized aluminum sounded good so I got them, but I've felt
uneasy using them. I also know that the aluminum industry is deeply
connected with the fascists bent on poisoning people, and this is
their latest attempt IMO. The polymers are a deal-breaker, and even
without them it is clear that the coating is going to wear revealing
the aluminum.
Aluminum is highly toxic. Go to Organic Consumer's Association and
read the article "How Metals in Food Affect Your Child's Behavior".
If you trust official medical associations to give you the truth you
have been fooled. These are the same people that dump toxins in your
food, fluoride and heavy metals in your water, then put you on their
expensive disease-care plans. Most of them have links to the Nazis of
WWII (read Jim Marrs recent book on this if you don't believe it, and
refute his facts). Although people at lower levels aren't aware of
the agenda, people at higher levels of these organizations know just
what the purpose is - to poison you. Yes, they are trying to kill you
and deaden your brain. Deny it all you want - that's what keeps it
hidden. Time to wake up - someone is trying to kill you.
In Europe they use something called a precautionary principle. Even
if there is only a possibility of something being dangerous it tends
to be banned until the matter is researched. I try to apply that in
my life. Using these pots is simply not worth the risk. Personally, I
think stainless steel and cast iron has a much better likelihood of
being safe. I'm sticking with that (pun intended).
As for the person who said the internet is just a rumor mill, wake
up. The internet is simply people sharing their views, some informed
and some not. In general you will find much more valuable information
on the internet than in the corporate-owned media which you seem to
worship blindly. What you want to look for on the internet is
consensus (where a large number of people reach a similar view, or at
least raise similar questions). People who just trust one source
(like CNN) and want it to be their authority have trouble with the
internet, where no one source can be trusted. Yet here's a news flash
for you: CNN can't be trusted either. They just wear more expensive
make-up.
There are enough people questioning and raising serious doubts about
anodized aluminum that I won't take a chance with my health on it. To
hell with your "reputable" companies.
David Dunn
- Denver, Colorado opt
April 18, 2009
"The vast majority of mainstream scientists now
believe that if aluminum plays any role at all in Alzheimer's, that
role is small."
". . . most mainstream health professionals believe, based on current
knowledge, that exposure to aluminum is not a significant risk
factor. Public health bodies sharing this conviction include the
World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. National Institutes of
Health (NIH), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
Health Canada."
"Further, it is unlikely that people can significantly reduce their
exposure to aluminum through such measures as avoiding
aluminum-containing cookware, foil, beverage cans, medications and
other products. "
Google any one of the "Public Health Bodies mentioned above, and
include the name of "Monsanto" to see that there is collusion, and/or
lack of doing the proper investigations regarding Monsanto's
products. To use these organizations to verify the safety of any
product is a joke.
By far the safest cookware is Glass, or ceramic.
As far as aluminum not being a significant health factor, it isn't a
matter of one substance being the problem, but rather the combined
collection of toxic substances from all the toxic substances that the
agencies you mention above allow into the consumer market.
Get a sheet of paper, draw a large circle on it which will represent
your body which is 2/3 water. Now draw as many little circles within
the larger circle to represent the millions of cells in your body.
The area between these smaller circles is the water.
Now add aluminum, chorine from the water, rbgh growth hormone, GMO
foods, roundup, and the rest of Monsanto's toxic products, benzene,
rubber, diesel, dust, drugs, aspartame, plastic, stainless steel,
pesticides, saturated fats, sugar, spenda, and all the rest of the
toxic crap that we are exposed to daily, and any one of them that by
themselves might not be consequential becomes a major problem when it
ends up in the water that our cells try and get nourishment from.
Instead of nourishment, they get diseased, and die off.
Do you think that disease is just floating around in the air?
Why do people from the Pharmaceutical companies take leave to hold
positions on the FDA, EPA, WHO, Codex alimentarius?
Can you see any connections? Any conflict of interests?
Ed Senoj
- Denver Colorado
May 18, 2009
Wow. The tinfoil hat brigade is out in full force. Alas, I don't
want to use an "infused" anodized surface because I don't know what
it's infused with so I cannot necessarily cook properly with it.
Hardly because of some massive conspiracy theory. On the off chance
that there is some shred of truth, what are you really saving here -
6 months on a lifespan of 80 or 90 years? How crazy are you making
yourself in those years? How much time are you wasting to gain those
6 months? Applying basic reasoning principles, if you spend more than
this hypothetical 6 months worrying and searching for whatever
products you can use to avoid the others that are purported to have
negative effects - then you're WASTING YOUR TIME & LIFE. Adjust
the numbers, but don't tell me that it cuts 20 years off a normal
lifespan. You simply have no idea how much aluminum comes into
contact with foodstuffs - unless you're growing *all* your own
veggies & raising, and slaughtering your own meat.
The liberal application of the Reasonable Person Principle goes a
very, very long way.
D. Paris
- Rochester, NY
July 13, 2009
Though it is reasonable to reject the anxious and angry message of
the conspiracy theorist, it is unfortunately also wise to investigate
his allegations. Perhaps not as much a result of a design to destroy
our minds but the sad outcome of a profit motive without adequate
responsibility, we do well to examine what we buy with the assumption
that it was made for profit and not for health. Each time enough
people reject a product, a new market is created for the product
people want. Which is great...however, look behind those labels as
well! When unregulated, labels can be fictitious.
I really appreciated the suggestion that glass and enamel are safe:
what do you think about the Creuset brand of enameled iron
pots?
It is not about how long we live, but how we live. Sadly, these
chemicals can and do cause lifetimes of disease, starting with
childhood. Though many of the chemicals that were introduced into our
world were considered miraculous improvements when discovered, they
have come full circle to cause new problems we didn't foresee.
This being said, may I suggest that thoughts, too, can be toxic, and
the extent to which we see all humanity (even the bad ones) as part
of us, muddling through this life together, is the extent to which
things will improve in the physical world. We are all going to die in
the end, maybe because of a pot that we used! We will be asked to
surrender, and forgive. It might be good to practice a little before
that day arrives.
Lisa Pell
- New York
July 31, 2009
I noticed several people wondering why their hard anodized
cookware has aluminum spots beginning to show on the pot. While
digging for information, I found Calphalon's response to that on
their site.
Calphalon says:
"I've heard that hard-anodized pans sometimes turn silver inside.
Does this happen?
It's unusual, but it can happen. This silvering is called
deanodizing; it is the reversal of the anodizing process. Repeated
exposure to highly acidic foods can sometimes cause
deanodization."
Julie Quodala
- Ranson, West Virginia
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October 16, 2009 I appreciate the wealth on information on this post. It
really give an in-depth look at the anodized aluminum cook
ware. I have learned what I want form the post. For that my
hat off to the originator of the site. Sam Wang
Thanks for the thread, it took a while to read, but I
feel (as I did before) that my new hard anodized cookware
will probably be just fine. I believe that my lifestyle and
WHAT I consume will ultimately make the greatest impact on
my health and any chances of getting Alzheimer's -- not the
cookware I use. Michelle Walton
October 20, 2009 Hi, Michelle. Yes, 'hard anodized' always refers to aluminum. Sorry, I am not personally familiar with Rachel Ray cookware; hopefully another reader is. Regards,
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