How Do You Choose A Cooking Pan?
There are lots of pans to choose from, copper, iron, stainless steel and special coatings. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these different materials? Cast iron, the old fashioned pan like grandma used, is heavy, durable and can be used on the stove or in the oven. It gives a good steady heat and is excellent for browning food. Acidic foods like tomato and citrus are best removed as soon as cooked to avoid any leaching of iron into the food. Most cast iron pans are reasonably priced. They do need seasoning and some maintenance to keep them from rusting. And they are heavy in weight to use. Aluminum pans are available plain or anodized. Anodized aluminum is electrochemically treated to be scratch and stick resistant. They are more durable and less acid reactive than uncoated aluminum. They are not dishwasher safe. There is some concern about an unproven connection between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease and aluminum can leach into acid food changing the flavor slightly, esp
