Benefits of Using Anodized Cookware

By Rahmah Maqsood

A large number of cooks appreciate the performance of aluminum cookware when making dinner for friends and relatives. Aluminum is lightweight, gives you even heating for food preparation, and is affordable. Aluminum has been employed for years in sauce pans and tea kettles, when fast heating and easy cleaning are decisive qualities. This well-liked and affordable material has one or two drawbacks, however, and they will prove very apparent after only a few months of routine use. Another good option is the Anolon Advanced Nonstick Hard Anodized Aluminum 12 piece Cookware Set.

Aluminum normally has a thin, protective finish which is developed when the metal contacts the air. Heating, scrubbing and heating with acidic foods like tomatoes as well as citrus fruits will disintegrate this protective coating, causing a pitted, corroded pan. Additionally, seeing as these acidic foods contribute to the disintegration of your cooking surface, they could often absorb higher than standard levels of aluminum, and therefore so will you.

If you still could use the advantages of aluminum cookware but don't want to continue ingesting it, anodized aluminum cookware could be the solution to aluminum's annoying drawbacks. Aluminum cookware is anodized by being dipped in an acid bath and then exposed to an electric current. That particular process lays down a skin of aluminum oxide on the outer layer of the cookware, which is harder and much more durable than the natural protective layer which occurs on this material. Anodized aluminum has a non-stick and scratch-resistant outer layer which locks in the aluminum so it won't gunk up your orange sauce. You might also want to look into Circulon Classic 14 Piece Cookware Set.

Anodized aluminum offers the same benefits as regular aluminum, as a result it is lightweight and cooks quickly. The method of anodizing the aluminum attaches a bit to the cost, although often anodized aluminum cookware will be cheaper than stainless steel or ceramic pots. This improved aluminum is also harder as opposed to untreated aluminum, and its nonstick surface offers you more convenient cooking and clean-up.

The health benefits that come with anodized aluminum are fairly predictable. The nonstick surface cuts down on the amount of grease you have to use when cooking, and the hard-as-nails coating keeps extra aluminum from sneaking into your food.

Although anodized aluminum cookware stays on the inexpensive area of the cookware price range, you might see high end cookware which has undergone oxidization. Calphalon and All-Clad both carry anodized aluminum pieces as elements of their larger inventory, yet you can still see cheaper brands of this cookware in discount stores. - 31956

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