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[Ironcat]

I wanted to help out a little bit with the semi erroneous information getting put out on the front page this week.

I did a little stint at the CIA (culinary institute of america, not the other one) in the early 90s and even then this stuff was being studied... and then as now, noone knew for anything for sure.

* Aluminum: Environmental aluminum has been linked positively to "increased risk" of Alzheimer's. Since aluminum is the 3rd most common element in the Earth, that means every breath or step you take you are absorbing some small amounts of aluminum. There have also been studies proving that aluminum containing anti-prespirants and aluminum containing antacids "may increase the risk" up to 300%. Most of the aluminum in cookware studies are using people who were cooking on aluminum throughout the late 60s and 70s. Modern aluminum cookware is anodized (yes, just like your computer) to keep all manner of bad stuff (that may or may not exist) inside.
The best reason not to cook with aluminum is that it can interact with acids, creating stinky foods and all sorts of weird colors. Wanna see? Get a non anodized aluminum pot and boil a couple artichokes, now lift the head and take a sniff...

* Teflon: Non stick coatings in general are not the problem, the problem is a chemical used in their manufacture. The problem is that when it comes to cookware, the science is inconsistent. Some studies show that the PFOA used in production of non-stick coatings is completely removed during the manufacturing process itself. Other research shows trace amounts remain. Whether or not such residual PFOA can be absorbed into food and thus, into our bodies is still unknown.
Even so, it doesn't become a possible problem until it gets all scratched up and starts flaking off into your food. If you have non stick cookware, don't use metal utensils, I don't care what the infomercials say, sooner or later you will scratch it, and once the initial scratch gets started, it's all downhill...

* Copper plate bottoms do spread heat very very well, but they are somehow someway glued on and sooner or later, that glue comes off, and now your copper plate comes off, leaving you a very ugly glue covered steel surface to try and cook on. Copper can also discolor and/or scratch glasstop cooking surfaces.

** Your best choice for cooking is cast iron, it has been shown to give off small amounts of iron during the cooking process and actually add iron (an important mineral) to your diet.
** Your second best choice is all stainless steel. Remember hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick. Otherwise, it's a bitch to clean.
** Lastly but still good is enameled iron cookware. It's easy to clean but it is cost prohibitive for the average at home cook.

Didn't mean to cause a row, but hope this helps inform everyone a little bit... as G.I.Joe says, "Knowing is half the battle!"

[DaveW]

Ironcat, from now on, you're Dave from Pure Pwnage in my head.

-Dave

[Ironcat]

I am such a noob I have no idea what pure pwange is...

I know pwn is leet speek but don't even know what it means...

I could go look it up somewhere but not only am I unleet, I am lazy too!

[ESX]

I am such a noob I have no idea what pure pwange is...

I know pwn is leet speek but don't even know what it means...

I could go look it up somewhere but not only am I unleet, I am lazy too!
http://www.purepwnage.com/ ;)

[nil8]

Iron is also heavy and can't be used in a dishwasher.
Neither can most forms of teflon.

With basic iron cookware I've learned to rub in oil before cooking and after cleaning to prevent rust and help stop major sticking or burning problems.

As for aluminum, the study of Alzheimers is still fairly new, there are thousands of different alterations on aluminum and the jury is still out. Maybe we will know in 20 years, maybe not.

For my money old iron cookware is the way to go. It's tried and true, it will hold up for hundreds of years and hasn't failed me once. Just don't drop it on your toes or swing it into anyone else's body.

Good info. Thanks.

[DaveW]

I am such a noob I have no idea what pure pwange is...

Dave, in his own words: "I pwn at cooking."

-Dave

[Slug Toy]

you basically said what was in my head, ironcat. ultimately, the aluminum and teflon debate isnt settled, but in my mind you're better safe than sorry. i just really didnt feel like using... 500 words and still not covering everything i wanted to.

as for the copper bottoms, yes sometimes they do pop off. that happened to me with a small pot, and it was "high quality" too. ive seen things like iron plated copper woks and and pans made the same way. id be partial to those because the iron plating wont come off, and the cooking surface was actually made out of copper. you just dont want to put cold water in them right after cooking because that anneals copper and turns it all soft... you ruin the structure that way.

and bingo on the iron and steel cookware. i like the fact that it helps with your daily iron intake. maybe its just something about the "culture" around here, but a lot of people i know are anemic... so i always tell them to use cast iron cookware.

i COULD see if i can pull up any details on the whole aluminum and teflon thing if anyone wants. that would have to wait until thursday though because ive got finals... still. i think ive got access to a fair number of those academic journals and im sure i could find other stuff on the internet.

[DaJe]

All of my cookware is either cast iron or stainless steel. I guess I win there.

[LiTHiUM0XiD3]

all my cookware consists of is a microwave and tupperware :P (can u tell my g/f dont live with me???)

[GT40_GearHead]

well all I have is stainless pots around here,
the alu stuff i knew about, but the teflon is a new one

but i'm ok, I usuali use oil (i know i know) so no teflon needed

[Aero]

this is exactly why I stick to the BBQ.

[Ironcat]

I love to grill also but since we are on the topic of all the bad things, there actually is some small amount of proof on this one.
Extremely high heat + meat = char
Char = carcinogens

Cancer-proof your barbecue

High heat creates carcinogens in meat. But you can reduce the threat any of these 10 easy ways.

Those burgers, steaks, or ribs sizzling on the grill are cooking up chemicals that can help turn your cells cancerous. High heat reacts with proteins in red meat, poultry and fish to create heterocyclic amines, chemicals that are linked to cancer, especially of the colon and breast. Because these HCAs form within cooked meat, you can't get rid of them by scraping off char. But scientists have come up with ingenious ways to dramatically reduce the hazard. Precisely why these methods work is still a mystery, but research shows they do.

1 Flip burgers often. Turning burgers once a minute and cooking over lower heat reduces HCAs and kills potentially deadly E. coli bacteria, finds a new study at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Important: Use a meat thermometer to make sure a burger's internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, needed to deactivate E. coli. Just because meat is brown doesn't mean it's thoroughly cooked.

2 Use the right marinade. Slash HCAs by marinating raw meat in a thin, very liquid sauce for at least 10 minutes, or more to taste. The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii found that a teriyaki marinade reduced HCAs 67%; a turmeric-garlic sauce, 50%. The key is to use a watery sauce: When a thick, concentrated commercial barbecue sauce was used, it actually tripled HCAs. So dilute thick sauces.

3 Microwave first. Partially cook burgers, poultry, ribs and fish in a microwave oven before grilling, and be sure to discard the juices. Microwaving a hamburger a couple of minutes or a batch of ribs and chicken 10 minutes eliminates 90% of HCAs, says James Felton, Ph.D., at Livermore Lab.

4 Add anti-cancer soy. Mix half a cup of textured soy protein into a pound of ground meat before grilling. This cuts 95% of the expected HCAs in burgers without appreciably affecting the taste, according to tests by John Weisburger, Ph.D., at the American Health Foundation.

5 Enhance with E. Adding vitamin E to raw ground meat hinders HCAs, says J. Ian Gray, Ph.D., of Michigan State University. His tests showed that 120 milligrams of vitamin E powder mixed into or sprinkled on 3.5-ounce patties can reduce HCA formation as much as 72%. Just crack open a capsule of powdered vitamin E.

6 Try a "fruit burger." Mixing a pound of ground meat with a cup of ground, fresh, tart cherries before grilling suppresses 90% of HCA formation, according to research at Michigan State. A possible reason: Cherries are high in HCA-blocking antioxidants. Researchers say other deep-colored fruits rich in antioxidants (grapes, blueberries, plums) should work, too.

7 Add garlic and herbs. In tests, garlic, rosemary and sage reduced HCAs, Gray says. Mix them into burgers, use them in marinades or just eat them in a meal with grilled meat. Antioxidants in citrus fruits also block HCAs.

8 Don't order meat very well-done. The longer meat is cooked at high temperatures (grilling, broiling, frying) the more HCAs are produced. Cooking steaks very well-done, compared with well-done, doubles HCAs. To minimize HCAs, grill beefsteaks and lamb rare or medium-rare. But always cook burgers, pork and poultry well-done to avoid food poisoning.

9 Wash down barbecue with tea. Chemicals in black and green tea help detoxify HCAs, Weisburger says. He recommends drinking hot or iced tea brewed from bags or loose tea (not bottled teas or powdered instant teas) regularly -- and especially with barbecue. Or marinate meat, poultry and fish in concentrated tea (let a tea bag steep in 1/4 cup hot water for 5 minutes).

10 Skip the meat; grill "green." Fruits and vegetables don't contain creatine, the animal protein needed to make HCAs. Pineapple and peppers are great grilled. Also, eating fruits, vegetables and green salads along with barbecued meat lessens the cancer hazard.

[Airbozo]

Ok, Just had to chime in. I am a personal chef with several years training. I also own a couple of birds and other animals (the reason for mentioning this will be clear later).

Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's, but there is no evidence to prove that it is coming from cookware. You get more aluminum from your deodorant. Aluminum cans are lined with some sort of plastic like material so no worry there.

Copper pans are really bad unless they are lined with some other metal. Once that metal starts flaking off, throw them away or have them re-coated (not a really good idea). Copper bottomed pans are a really good alternative, and in my restaurant experience I have _never_ seen one separate unless it gets REALLY hot (glowing hot).

Cast Iron skillets are my favorite (mostly), but are expensive and heavy. They also do not work very well until they are "seasoned" with oil and the seasoning _may_ take many uses. Don't wash these pans in soapy water unless you dry them immediately and re-season them with vegetable oil.

Teflon pans are great for things that stick. The problem btw is not so much the teflon coming off (mostly will pass through the human body with no problems unless in high doses). The main problem with teflon pans are the fumes they give off when overheated. Those fumes are _toxic_ and will kill a bird in less than a minute! (told you I would get to this). ALL of the veterinarians who work with birds will tell you the first thing to do when you go home is throw away ALL teflon items in your house because of this toxicity. There have been reported cases of large birds being overcome by the fumes and all of them died. There is no way to reverse the effect of these toxic fumes.

So, quick look in my cupboard; 2 cast iron skillets, 2 stainless steel with layered heat spreaders on the bottom. 2 Teflon pans (used specifically for eggs), 3 aluminum pots, several stainless steel pots 5gal+, and several enamel coated large pots (5gal+).

There are certain guidelines when working with aluminum pots; Never cook acidic foods in them. Keep the scraping of the sides to a minimum when hot. If they start to get serious pits in them, throw them away! Same with teflon coated pans, never heat them on high. Never heat them without something in them. Throw them away when they get damaged and only use plastic utensils.

Jeez, isn't this a computer modding forum? Unless someone modded their stove I think I missed something.

[nil8]

Good info Airbozo.
True about the forum, but food is universal.

[Zephik]

Can't you use Cast Iron products to melt certain metals? I have two Cast Iron pans that would be cool to use to melt down a bunch of old broken silver jewelry I have and dump it into a mold to make a new one. Could I do that?

I eat hot dogs, I don't think there is anything you should be more worried about eating than something that you can't identify. lol

-SnowFire