Calphalon [or Other Aluminum] Cookware

Q: I am in the market for some new cookware and I was leaning towards purchasing an 8 or 9 piece set of Calphalon's Aluminum Cookware... An old roommate of mine bought me an omlette pan of theirs for Christmas of last year and I really love it so I thought I'd buy some more of their product...I have two(2) questions however: (1) Has anyone had any experience with Calphalon's cookware, be it good or bad...??? (2) My brother (whose a doctor) passed on some information to me reagrding using Aluminum cookware and a purposed health hazzard...He said that he didn't know any details but he had heard mention of some rumors to the effect of it causing memory/brain problems from long-term use???... Can anyone expound upon or refute this rumor...??? I just like some help with the above before I sink ~$300 bucks on some cookware I might regret buying later on... E-mail whenever appropriate...Thanks...

A: I own several pieces of Calphalon cookware. In the past, I've had cheap coated (teflon, silverstone, etc) aluminum cookware, and I definitely prefer the Calphalon. So, in answer to your questions: (1) I've only had good experiences. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't trade my Calphalon for anything. One small drawback is that it is fairly heavy, and if you dont have gas, it may take awhile to heat up. However, it does heat very evenly, no 'hot spots' like in some other cookware. If you dont want to spend the $$$ on Calphalon, there is a brand called 'Magnalite' which is also anodized Aluminum, but much cheaper. You can tell immediately that the workmanship is much better on the Calphalon, but thats what you're paying for. (2) I'm not a doctor, but I'd say that if you drink tap water, you're taking about the same risk as cooking with Calphalon (remember, it is anodized, so if shouldn't leach as much as an 'unfinished' aluminum pan) After having heard a similar tale which implicated aluminum cookware in alzheimer's (sp?) disease, I consulted a neuropsychology PhD friend of mine. He stated that if you inject a rat with enough aluminum (in the form of an aluminum salt), it will develop brain lesions (plaques) like those found in the brains of alzheimer's patients. He implied that such results required dosages of sizes unlikely to be encountered by an human aluminum pan user. I told him that I had some (hand-me-down) aluminum cookware. He told me to get rid of it. A couple of notes: 1) aluminum doesn't form salts that easily, though its salts are produced more readily as it is exposed to warmer and more acidic environments, such as would occur when heating lemon juice or tomato sauce. 2) I know of no conclusive evidence linking use of aluminum cookware to alzheimer's disease in humans. Aluminum cookware has been used by many families for many years with no ill effects. 3) some hi-tech cookware is composed of alloy which contains aluminum. This may be *much* more resistant to salt-forming corrosion. For a time after speaking with my friend I continued to use my aluminum pans only for low acid cooking (boiling water / cooking pasta, rice). Then I switched over completely to stainless (also hand-me-down) If you are already heavily invested in aluminum cookware, you probably shouldn't panic; but if you are about to make your choice, why put yourself in a position of concern?

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