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Safety of hard anodized aluminum cookware

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I recently received a new set of hard anodized Cooks cookware and I made chicken and dumplings and homemade chicken and noodles. Both times, I thought the food had a weird taste and tasted like the pan. I washed the pans with warm soapy water and rinsed and dried. Now I am paranoid that these pans are causing my food to taste funny and putting something in it. What have I done wrong or is there no cause for alarm?

Thanks!

Brandy McIntire
home cook - Cape Girardeau, Missouri
December 29, 2009

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January 2, 2010

We own tons of hard-anodized cookware and *love* it. It is no longer produced. Our cookware is around 27 years old. They suggested a seasoning process for their cookware - similar to what you might do for cast-iron cookware. We did this.

However, for those who have mentioned de-anodizing (why you see spots of "silver" on the inside surfaces), we have had this happen with a couple of our pieces - which have been replaced by the manufacturer (lifetime warranty).

This is caused by repeated application of *acid* to the inside of our pans.

Yes - we make our own spaghetti sauce. An acid food.

So now we don't let the sauce sit in the pans for extended periods, or we use our stainless Revere-ware instead.

My Uncle (Dr. George Glenner) was a research pathologist specializing in Alzheimer's - first for NIH and then for UC San Diego. After studying the question intensely, he was quite adamant that there is *not* a connection between aluminum usage in the kitchen (cookware, foil, utensils, etc.) and Alzheimer's. No causal relationship folks.

I am now looking for a hard-anodized aluminum set for my daughter and ran across the Calphalon infused hard-anodized product. This product is (currently) made in the USA, which is also a plus for me because I want to support our industries.

But I do NOT want to buy cookware for her with any polymers, and am very sorry to hear that Calphalon has dropped their hard-anodized product. I hope they reconsider.

In the meantime I am still on the market for a good product.

Evelyn Mast
- Hillsboro, Oregon

Yes, I had one of my neighbors that always eats my chicken and dumplings comment that they smelled and/or tasted funny. He wondered if the soap had been gotten out of the bottom good enough. I notice the smell when I wash one of the pans with soapy water and rinse it. Right after is when I notice it the most. I am using Ajax dish washing liquid.

Brandy McIntire [returning]
- Cape Girardeau, Missouri
January 3, 2010

hey I just purchased cuisinarat green gourmet...it has a couple of layers, the outer most layer (contact w/food) is ceramic...then it is hard anodized, then the core is aluminum alloy,then the outer most part closest to heat source is hard anodized...so I guess my question is, is this safe due to the alloy aluminum? just wanted input

Amy m [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
buyer - sellersville, Pennsylvania
January 28, 2010

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hi all,
it is a very interesting topic to discuss, as everyone seems likely to switch to hard anodized cookwares, sooner or later. I would highly appreciate if someone can provide us information about few of the common anodizing/coating material used, their hardness and temperature range for safe use. as mentioned earlier aluminum oxide is one of them and I have heard about quntanium, but in lack of the above mentioned three facts this debate seems worthless to me.
I highly appreciate the efforts of all who take some time to provide the valuable information.

Amit
Chemistry Graduate Student

Amit kumar
- detroit, Mi,usa
February 4, 2010

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I am interested in buying a couple of pieces of hard anodized cookware. I would like to avoid the polymer based finish as discussed earlier. Cuisinart appears to have a couple of different finishes. One, Ceramica® Non-stick Technology, PTFE/PFOA/Petroleum Free and Quantanium©Non-stick Interior. Quantanium is the one used on the 'chefs classic' items that I am interested in. QuanTanium is Whitford's non-stick reinforced with titanium. I assume (maybe incorrectly) that 'non-stick' indicates petroleum or polymers. I could not tell how it is attached to the surface of the cookware. Can you help me understand? Is this polymer based?

Jack Sexton
- Alexandria, Virginia
March 21, 2010

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First of all, a huge THANKS to Mr. Mooney and anyone else who provides information for this site. It's very helpful.

I'm just a casual cook who's looking for a good pan but can easily get overwhelmed by the scare tactics and pseudo-science used to make the news seem interesting. Not being a scientist I have difficulty interpreting the real warnings from the dramatic plays for attention.

After reading the above thread in great detail, I marched off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to get a hard anodized pan. Alas, they had a great deal on a set of Calphalon pans that are, indeed, "infused" . . . with polymers. Out of sheer exhaustion (and, admittedly, for the thrill of the sale) I bought it. How bad IS this infused polymer? Was it worth the $40 or so dollars saved, or will we be dead before the first meal hits the table?

I also saw the "ceramica" on the Cuisenart pans and am very curious if that's just a polymer in disguise or if it's safe to cook with. It seems like whenever a company takes a real word (like "ceramic") and adds something to make it sound super-techno-awesome, it's just advertising. They do the same thing with shampoos -- and yes, I've fallen for it there, too ("Ooooh, I want MY hair to be 'structurized' just like those supermodels in the commercial . . . I'm buying that brand!").

But enough about hair. How about my pans? I found a Calphalon hard anodized pan on Amazon that looks polymer-free, but am still wondering if I can keep my new set or if I should race back to B, B, & B to get all the ceramica I can get my hands on. Thoughts? Opinions? Science (for the non-science-minded)? Thanks in advance.

Elizabeth S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Austin, Texas
March 22, 2010

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March 22, 2010

Love your hair, Elizabeth. How did you do that?

It's nice when things are a clear call, but sometimes they're not. It is clear that your local elementary school's baseball team won't beat the Texas Rangers, but it's not clear whether the New York Yankees will or not on a given day. It's clear that toadstools and hemlock are poisonous -- we've known it for thousands of years; and now we know that lead, mercury, and cadmium are poisonous.

But it's never clear that anything is perfectly safe because every year we develop more computers, software, and data that can be analyzed to ever finer detail in search of the faintest wisp of statistical danger. Is two glasses of red wine good for you or bad for you? A cup of coffee? A glass of milk? The answer changes every month, doesn't it? Possibly a wisp more heart disease, or a wisp less breast cancer, or a hint less circulation problems or a hint more chance of stroke. The practical answer is that life is short, and a reasonable amount of wine, coffee, or milk are neither so bad for you nor so good for you that you should waste your life studying and fretting over it.

Similarly, aluminum has been used worldwide for hundreds of millions of pots and pans for a good 60 years, and the major health organizations don't presently fear it, so the practical answer (for me) is that it's not dangerous. The situation with Teflon and other polymers is a little less clear because of it's shorter history and it's synthetic origins; but for me the answer is that my old hard anodized aluminum is light and easy to use, shatterproof, cooks very well, doesn't stick, cleans up easy -- and I have it, so that's what I use :-)

But if I can't find a replacement without 'polymer infusion' when the time comes, then that's what I'll use. Good luck.

Regards,

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

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April 23, 2010

I was telling a friend that I finally had all the stickers to get my first free Thomas Professional Cookware from a grocery store promotion. She responded that she wouldn't touch the cookware because it was hard anodised and coated with something that is likely Teflon and she suggested I do an internet search. This led me to your very helpful site. This cookware is described as "Hard Anodised Aluminum, extremely durable, light, stain resistant and hygienic, twice as strong as stainless steel and ten times harder than traditional aluminum. In addition, a "non-stick coating" allows for healthier cooking. According to wisegeek, the non-stick is more durable on the hard anodised aluminum. I quote: "With standard aluminum, regular cooking and usage of utensils begins to break down the nonstick coating. As it breaks away in small places, food is able to make contact with the aluminum. This contact creates new chemical reactions that break down the nonstick surface quicker. A hard anodized surface does not allow this to happen, because the surface is too hard to allow cracks."
We are always careful with our non-stick pans, not getting them too hot, hand-washing them, and replacing them when they start to wear, so I think I'll live dangerously and go with the pans.
My main reason for writing is just to say I appreciate the level-headed answers and all your patient explanations of hard anodised aluminum and Teflon type coatings.

Gail Witten
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I recently became aware of a company called De Buyer that makes carbon steel pans and skillets. Carbon steel is what most woks are made of. It is not non stick but after seasoning it comes close. It can handle high heat unlike Teflon.

Dave Tregay
- Glenview, Illinois, USA
July 1, 2010

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August 15, 2010

I see a lot of heat here but not a lot of science. It seems to me that it ought to be a relatively simple matter to perform some tests at cooking temperatures with various kinds of utensils and measure how much of the materials the utensils are made of end up leaching out into the contents of the pan.

Of course one must also establish a "safe threshold" to evaluate whether the amount of substance absorbed is a health risk or not. However that may in the end amount to splitting hairs. If the amount that leaches out is very very small or large there's much less need to define a safe threshold to make a decision. And of course the amount that's absorbed also has to be considered in light of amounts absorbed from other sources.

For those who grow their own vegetables organically because they think that's safe but feel bare aluminum is unsafe, I wonder how many of them have tested the soil they're gardening in for residual lead contamination from airborne lead from long-since banned vehicle exhausts and other sources.

Steph Kerman
- NYC, New York

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Hi, Steph. While your criticism is basically valid, this is a public forum populated by consumers, not a symposium being conducted by epidemiologists. Practically, the participants are more or less restricted to quoting studies as opposed to conducting peer-reviewed science experiments. The participants have quoted the position of the Alzheimer's Association, and several investigatory papers, and I don't think you can reasonably expect much more.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
August 15, 2010

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Dear all,

I know the aluminum thread is old, and I have little knowledge of chemistry. I'd like to know if a new all-aluminum pressure cooker/canner would leach aluminum into foods when used to cook food itself, which is something many people do to add value to a very expensive appliance. For 40 years, my mother used a stainless pressure cooker to quickly cook everything from artichokes, tongue and heart, and many either delicate or tough foods. She'd immerse the body to quickly cool the cooker when done. I hear you can't do this with aluminum weighted gauge canners, and I'm concerned also about aluminum in foods. Should I be concerned?

Erica Bell
housewife - Bridgeport, Washington
September 9, 2010

I have been in need of a new set of pans and saw on HSN the Todd English Collection with Thermolon by Green Pan. I was impressed with the claims that were made by the host of the show and I bought a set, but now I'm not sure if I should keep them. The literature that came with the pans defines Thermolon as a patented polymer hybrid nano-composite non-stick coating. They claim this coating is PFOA-free and PTFE-free and contains high-heat resistance up to 850 degrees farenheit. I also am looking at the Cuisinart Hard Anodized Coutour pans. Does anyone know if either of these brands are considered better than the Calphalon non-stick pans? Or, which brand of hard-adonized pans on the market today is considered to be the best from the stand point of safety, as well as performance?

Robin Nunn
- Grand Rapids, Michigan USA
September 15, 2010

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Hi, Robin.

Some people feel aluminum is dangerous; some feel it's harmless. Some feel these teflon-like polymers are dangerous, and others feel they are harmless. There are no facts, only opinions on these big questions, so you are not going to find anyone with any evidence on the smaller questions of whether one aluminum is safer than another or one polymer is safer than another. An independent testing organization like Consumer Reports might be the best place to find performance ratings. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 16, 2010

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The husband of an employee was confirmed to have mantle lymphoma cancer - 20% curable in fall of 2010. He immediately became a study for all kinds of tests and procedures. The first request the study required their household to be clean of all toxic substances.
First was their cooking materials everything is now cooked by using cast iron or glassware. Then the carpet and so on. The husband is still alive and on a maintenance program. Maybe we too should re-think this modern age of high tech cookware and go back to simplicity.

Cynthia Rosenberry
- Spokane Washington
February 8, 2011

Hi, Cynthia. Thanks!

But the question then becomes how do we get from loose 'buzzwords' like "toxic substances" to specifics. The mere fact that something is more easily manufactured at a lower technology level has never meant that it's safer or less toxic ... that's nostalgia talking, not science :-)

The Bronze Age preceded the Iron Age everywhere but we're safe with iron cookware and not bronze. "Tinning" of copper was a new technology at one time, but it saved people from the toxicity of their copper cookware. Toxic leaded pewter preceded unleaded pewter by centuries; and leaded paint was everywhere until high technology gave us latex paint. Mercury was indispensable in a hundred ways 200 years ago, and technology is finally allowing us to get away from it completely. Tempered glass is high-tech glass, chemically altered, that has saved untold thousands of lives. We certainly can't suggest non-tempered glass for cookware.

I am not arguing against your point that we should avoid toxic substances to the extent possible .... and glass and cast iron do seem non-toxic. But we can't just say "let's not use toxic substances like aluminum" because that doesn't relieve us of the need to first produce evidence that aluminum is more toxic than the alternatives. Thanks!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 8, 2011

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March 21, 2011

I have been cooking with Calphalon commercial Hard Anodized cookware for about 7, 8 years. I do love it. I must have over 20 pieces.Some nonstick, and some regular.
I hand wash all my cookware and good knifes.
It was a hard choice between All-Clad Stainless steel which is a lot more money, and too heavy for me to handle.

Is my Calphalon Commercial, the one you are talking about that is safer then the new Calphalon cookware?
Is it true, that when a good nonstick gets to Hot that is when it throws off bad fumes, or is unhealthy?
Now I notice you can put Hard Anodized in the Dishwasher!
Do you know what has changed that you can put Anodized cookware in the dishwasher?

There is so much talk about nonstick etc. but I wonder if most people know, that all Stainless Steel cookware has Nickel in it along with another 2 to 3 other toxic Minerals?

Crockpots have LEAD in them, which means most of your dishes have Lead in them also, which makes Pottery not so safe. (old rival CP's have the most).
I think white porcelain to eat from does not have lead in it.
In the last few years, Now California sets the standard for how much Lead can be in Crockery, dishes, and other eating utensils, which is lower then what other states allowed!

When you get a Flu shot, it has Mercury in it, as most shots do, unless you ask your Dr. ahead of time, for the shot that doesn't have mercury, which most Drs. do not want you do know about, cause then it has to be special ordered, and put in there Frig. The shelf life is not that long.

I do not think we can get away from every Toxin that is out there, or that we eat.
I try to buy only Organic, but who knows at this point what is in the Air, and Dirt!.
So let's live and forget about everything that might kill us!

Sorry I got off the subject lol.

That said, When you know better, you do better.
Lets hope so..

Ted, Thank you..

Carol Benton
- Santa Monica, California, USA

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April 28, 2011

The link between aluminum and Alzheimer's is that the aluminum used in cookware is inorganic and therefore not needed as a micro nutrient, and therefore is a heavy metal. Heavy metals are toxic even in trace amounts and affect your physical body, cognitive, and mental health and abilities, and are well known for their negative effects on the nervous system, and Alzheimer's is a degeneration of the nervous system.

All the cancer, disease, allergies, and health problems are caused by the food you eat, water you drink, and toxic chemicals you are exposed to through numerous sources, and can be solved by eating a healthy diet and exercising daily, since with the right materials your body is capable of healing itself without surgery and drugs.

The Allopathic medical system is designed to treat the symptoms and not the causes, to keep you sick and getting sicker. If they healed you and told you how to get healthy and stay healthy, they would lose much of their billions of dollars in profit every year.

Kennith Ellerby
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada

I have cooked with and continue to cook with stainless steel, hard-anodized non-stick, enamelware, and cast-iron. It just depends on the recipe. I also have had birds near the kitchen and they have been fine. Cooking at a moderate heat won't hurt anyone or anything. If you cook above 470 on a stove your going to burn or scorch the food and pan. This will cause fumes that not only can harm birds and pet but humans! Too many cooks don't pay attention, leave the kitchen with a pan heating on the stove and set off small fires, ruin their cookware and refuse to acknowledge they are at fault. Geez people, USE COMMON SENSE.

Denise Cortelyou
- Paso Robles, California USA
August 18, 2011

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January 17, 2012

I'd like to ask if this is safe cookware?
Saladmaster uses 316Ti titanium

Greetings from Sweden

Halldor Laxdal
- Stockholm Sverige

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Hi, Halldor. My personal opinion is that all of these cookware materials are safe, but that's just personal opinion.

316Ti is type 316L stainless steel with a titanium-based stabilizer added. This is a bit off topic from this particular thread about the safety of aluminum, and we have many other threads which discuss the safety of stainless steel, like letter 29294. Good luck!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 17, 2012

Hi, I have an anodized pot by Leyse, about thirty years old, with a very smooth finish. While not non-stick, it's pretty good. I also have a set of cast aluminum about twenty-five years old, with a comparatively rough finish. (Neither are, to my knowledge, coated.) The cast aluminum is anything BUT non-stick, and I've always suspected the difference is the roughness of the finish. Someone told me recently that if I pre-heat the cast aluminum before putting the food in that it won't stick so bad. Any truth to this? (the pots are in storage with the rest of my household goods, so I can't test it out right now). Thank you for your comments.

Kathryn Arnold
- Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
February 26, 2012

Thank you for this very informative thread. Mr. Ted Mooney, I read your response in 2008, in which you said that you believed that anodized aluminum cookware was safe -- this was in response to a specific question regarding infused anodized cookware by Calphalon. Now that it's 4 years later, I was wondering if you had any updated information? I believe, from everything I've read, that HARD anodized cookware is safe, but I am having trouble finding facts on INFUSED anodized cookware. Any insight you can provide on infused anodized cookware would be greatly appreciated.

Judy Wood
- Arlington, Virginia, USA
February 27, 2012

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Thanks Judy. I wish I had some inside track to be able to offer you some kind of update, but I don't. I interpret the infused polymer coating as being PTFE (Teflon) because other plastics/polymers can't take the heat like Teflon does. The word "infused" implies that the coating material goes into the metal, rather than only sitting on top of it, but I'm not sure how literally to take that, because we have several discussions on line here where professionals say it is impossible to actually impregnate anodized coatings with Teflon because the particles are much bigger than the microscopic pores in the anodizing (letter 1819 for starters).

The safety of Teflon coating is the subject of other threads here (like letters 25685 and 10027). Some people say an overheated Teflon coating can kill parrots and other birds, and I lean towards believing it. Some feel Teflon is quite dangerous to humans; I lean away from believing that it's a major hazard, but that is not based on any research.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 27, 2012

Given the topic of aluminum cookware; is it safe to cook with aluminum foil?

Kara Schallock
- Boise, Idaho, USA
March 21, 2012

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I just wanted to respond to some things about cookware and the whole "birds dying"" thing. First, most of the PFOA and PTFE burn off in manufacturing of cookware. Less than 10% remain in your cookware. If you eat fast food, frozen food or have stain resistant carpeting or clothing the chemicals are already in your system. The shiny part of the wrappers are made with a teflon like coating. So the SCARE is just that, a scare. I got my information from the JOHN HOPKINS article of Feb 2006, it related the chemicals and low birth weight babies and whether there was a connection. If you really want to find factual information read a medical journal not everything on the internet because people are paid to sell scare tactics just like the news.

On the birds in the kitchen thing, never have your birds in the kitchen. Their lungs are very sensitive, remember the canary and the coal miners stories? Certain oils, like olive oil, have low smoke points so it easy to get it to start smoking if the pan is up too high; you're actually burning off your oil instead of cooking with it -- that's why you always have to put in more. I have a manufacturers guide as to how pans are made and the guidelines for use if someone wants me to scan the pages for them. It's not from a cookware company but from the cookware manufacturers association.

Angela olver
- pittsburg, California usa
March 30, 2012

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Q. I have read all the threads from the beginning, but have found few comments regarding ceramic finished products for cooking. I have been waiting and waiting to buy pots and pans because of all the controversy. And after having read all the threads am still confused. Sooo... how 'bout ceramic finish? What's the verdict on this ... and thanks for the website! Linda

Linda Housman
- St. Peters Missouri, USA
April 29, 2012

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Hello Everyone, I don't know anything about aluminum relates to Alzheimer but I have personally seen and known my friend's usage of non-stick aluminum pans that she kept using it for more than 10 years. There was not any non-stick film left inside her pans and that's how she cooks with it. From the moment she uses it for more than 10 years, she had diarrhea every time she cooks her foods with bare aluminum pan every single meal every single day!! I have thrown away most of her damaged aluminum pans but there was just one pan that still has non-stick almost like new. She uses this only pan and just a few months, her pan started to show bare aluminum and still cook with it for few more years to come! Until I took her to the store and finally she bought stainless steel pans.

From the moment she stopped using her aluminum pans and started her new stainless steel pans, her diarrhea started to stop almost immediately. She thought it was a fluke and thought it was her mind game but as she continues to cook her foods with stainless steel pans, her diarrhea had completely stopped. Now she can confirm it was from the bare "aluminum" pans. She never wants to go back with aluminum pans. She wants to frame it and hang in her dining room as her reminder through her awful experiences. We have wondered if aluminum can harm elsewhere in our body as well. Now we are strong believers that aluminum is toxic no matter how resilient we humans are!

Nowhere in some "respected medical organization or journal articles" that claim that aluminum cookware is dangerous, now that questions me if they are "reliable" as it is conflicting with what I have seen. I would much rather share experience with others than relying on those respected medical organizations or even journals!

scott smith
- lakewood, california usa
September 12, 2012

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January 14, 2013

Apparently Calphalon HAS indeed started making hard anodized aluminum commercial cookware (not infused) again.

I'll guess they realized there was a pent-up demand for the line.

I see lots of on-line stores that are selling it, as is Calphalon's online store.

It only took a little Googling around...

Lance McAfee
- Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

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Q. I'm seeing a lot of anodized aluminum items at the local camping/hiking store, are these items safe to put in a campfire? I would guess so since anodized aluminum cookware is put on an open flame such as a gas range but would there be any concern with a campfire where you sometimes aren't in complete control of the temp. Would direct contact with hot coals cause the pot or kettle in question to leak something toxic?

William Tapp
- Warrenton, Virginia, USA
August 16, 2013

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Hard anodized bronze cookware

Q. I think you've answered all my thoughts about hard anodized cookware. I'm checking out a KitchenAid hard anodized 12.5 inch Wok. What concerns me is it says that it's dishwasher safe bronze hard anodized construction. Bronze? Have you heard of this method? Please and thanks.

Paul Zenchuk
- Welland,Ontario Canada
February 18, 2016

 Thank you for the information in this thread. I was reading about "safe" cookware and my commercial Calphalon (30 years old) was not mentioned, and I became concerned. I would *hate* to get rid of it; it was made in Toledo, is hard-anodized, is heavy gauge, and absolutely beautiful. Plus it cooks like a dream. Two of my saucepans have "un-anodized" and their inside bottoms are silver rather than gray, but otherwise the cookware pretty much looks the same way it did 30 years ago. After reading this thread, I'm comfortable with any risks from this cookware, and the risks sound minimal in comparison with poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and driving a car. Thank you very much. I get to keep my Calphalon!

Lynne Roberts
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
April 24, 2018

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Q. I have a black Pinnacle hard anodised aluminium pot. The internal part of the pot is turning silver colour as some of the coating came off. Is that exposed aluminium? Is it still safe to use?

Alison Koh
- Singapore
July 11, 2019

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I have a set of GHC Magnalite Pro purchased in about 1990. Also just acquired several pieces from my aunt's home from probably the same vintage or slightly before. I've noticed over the years, that some of my pans are showing 'bald' silver spots of exposed aluminum. The majority of the pans from my aunt are even more silvery. I absolutely LOVE all of my pans, from the early years of my marriage and raising our kids, and now, from the sentimental side from my (now deceased) aunt. So...bottom line, am I poisoning my husband and myself, now in our early 60s, and anyone else I happen to cook for? Did I already say how much I love our pans?

Cathy Southwick
- Stillwater, Oklahoma, US
October 25, 2019