On Cooking

[nesuphyn]

So the great thing for me about living at a new place is that I get to dictate some new cooking instruments. Right now I'm trying out the Alton Brown method of having as few items as possible. (work those multi-taskers) Right now I have a 14" Circulon Hard-Anodized Open Stir Fry pan and a 10" Lodge Cast Iron griddle.

The stir fry pan is working

Comments

[rowangrove]

Not re saucepans, but Swiss Diamond is a really good nonstick (but not Teflon) frying pan, and I'd HIGHLY suggest upgrading your knives to either Shun (awesome Japanese watermark steel, cuts like a dream) or Kyocera ceramic (the ceramic blades are UNBELIEVABLY sharp, won't dull, and are all-around fantastic).

[nesuphyn]

I have a Kyocera Ceramic knife. As soon as I have a home, (as oppose to a place where I live.) I definitely intend to get some Shun knives.

[conflictedmind]

If its Hard-Anodized aluminum, there's the belief some have that aluminum helps the onset of Alzheimer's.

If you can find it, try getting an 18/10 stainless steel saucepan with encapsulated aluminum bottom. They tend to heat the most evenly and then encapsulated portion prevents the worry I mentioned above.

[nesuphyn]

I can't get the article from the "American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias", but they had showed quite a bit of evidence that there is no clear link to Alzheimer's disease with aluminum, and especially changing your cooking metals wouldn't greatly change the amount of aluminum you'll intake anyway.

Secondly if you trust the Canadians Hard-Anodized Aluminum through the process of smelting keeps the Aluminum away from your food anyway.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/prod/cook-cuisinier-eng.php

Obviously the AJA and the Canadian Government are not the ultimate authority on health, but they are commonly trusted.