Safety of hard anodized pots, pans, & aluminum cookware

A. Hi Linda. Anodizing of such components is originally done in a mass-production facility, and although they can certainly be redone on a onesy-twosy basis, the cost would surely be similar to what a mechanic or plumber would charge you for a small job these days: surely in excess of $50, maybe $200. Quite impractical :-)

I would suggest cleaning the parts with tartaric acid ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] per thread 41066 where you also posted, then boil the parts for an hour. This is certainly not true anodizing, but it should build up a thin and reasonably uniform oxide film on them.

Luck & Regards,

Thank you!!

A. 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.

I have to correct a previous respondent. Anodized aluminum is not the second hardest material. Cubic boron nitride, boron carbide, titanium carbide, and titanium diboride are all harder than fully-crystalline aluminum oxide (sapphire), and anodized aluminum is not fully-crystalline aluminum oxide.

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 more than an authoritative source.

If you are seriously concerned about this, despite the assurances from the manufacturer (Calphalon is a reputable cookware manufacturer), I think you need to review respected scientific journals rather than the internet or the TV news.

The news media profits scandalously from teasers like "Toxic time bomb in your kitchen?! News at 11", which they base on scant, untrustworthy, and often subsequently refuted studies. But if they say "Cookware is safe after all. News at 11" -- no one will stay up to hear that story -- so they don't, and if you judge scientific truth by the internet or TV News, you will be misinformed. Good luck!

A. 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).

And, according to these aluminum finishers, it is the second hardest surface, next to diamonds.

A. 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 while not finding cleanup to be a chore at all.

Regards,

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."

Although I am not personally concerned about the polymer, some people are. Time for them to hit eBay for the old stuff or switch to a different brand.

Hi, Qwan. We censor no one, letting you promote whatever theory you wish on this site . . . 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 & pans. My personal 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! Use your site and the internet to spread the word!". But here's what the Alzeimer's Association actually says:

I do not non-empathetically (or "condescendingly") 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; three aunts and two uncles are already dead from it, my mother is in a nursing home with no idea who I am, and odds are 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 -- for many reasons including the fact that hundreds of millions of people, perhaps billions, have used it for generation after generation, decade upon decade, with the Alzheimer's Association, WHO, NIH, EPA, Health Canada and countless other scientific bodies finding no smoking gun.

Please quote us some respected medical organizations or journal articles that claim that aluminum cookware is dangerous, and we will be happy to post them, view them, and consider them with an open mind.

Regards,

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 450&F. 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 byproduct 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 Alzheimer's through diet (lots of fish) exercise and even regular sauna (it's 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

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 -- it's lighter, and I think it cooks better, and it doesn't scratch from metal implements, while being rather slick like non-stick cookware. Others will surely have different opinions. But there is no way around opinion, which unfortunately means there might be no way around the "confusion" :-)

Regards,

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.

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,

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 surface 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.

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 (in my opinion as I read the Alzheimer's Association position), it's not aesthetic. After washing and drying your pans, rub the inside with a clean white paper towel and see what you see.

Regards,

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,
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 Barkeepers Friend ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] 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.