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Originally Posted by sleepless
 Henckles are not the best, Wusthof is one of the best out there.... Global are nice too, hey realchef .... why would Al kill you ???? no real data on this issue... also U know majority of the restaurants use Al pans......studies from Clemson U. found that you'll get far higher amounts of aluminum from antacids or deodorants then using in pans |
The research is so unclear (re: Alzheimer's). There are studies with results leaning both ways regarding cooking in aluminum.
What concerns me regarding cooking with it, you will notice a difference with the end result. Anything even mildly acidic or base will pick up a clear metallic tinge. Have seen Aluminum foil literally dissolve in a hour when touching tomato based sauces, even BBQ sauce. Every aluminum saute pan becomes pitted and scarred from use. Reduced a beurre blanc ONCE in an aluminum pan. It turned green within a total time of 30 minutes. Whisking or stirring in them really exaggerates the degredation.
I am aware of the extent of usage in restaurants. Your higher end restaurants will avoid them. I know of a few even here in Santa Fe. Some that cannot afford steel or stainless pans, try to at least use stainless stock and sauce pans. This at least puts the long cooking times in a non-questionable vessel. Leaving the shorter cooking time items for the cheap saute pans at the time of service.
Without clear proof, it's hard to be certain. With the practical experience and the studies put together, it fits pretty well. There is an undercurent of agreement throughout the industry.
On the good side, rhizomes such as turmeric, galangal and ginger are reputed to hinder the advancement of Alzheimer's. The countries where curries are prevalent have the lowest incident rate of the disease.
Teflon is showing to be a cancer hazard as well.
Having eggs for bkfst is questionable. At home, there are 2 egg specific pans. Both French heavy steel and well seasoned. These pans perform as well as teflon and are as cheap as the aluminum. It's unfortunate that they are hard to deal with in restaurants due their propensisty to rust. They have to be handled well to make it through repeated dinner services.