Aluminum and anodized aluminum are both common materials for cookware. There are particular benefits and drawbacks to each type of material in terms of their use in cookware. Here, then, are the pros and cons of these respective materials.
Aluminum is a desirable metal for use in cookware are it is an excellent conductor of heat, and if the cookware is constructed thick enough, heats up evenly. (Thin aluminum cookware develops hot spots; this is when some areas of a pan heat up more quickly than others do, causing food to scorch.) In terms of cookware, aluminum is an inexpensive metal, and is lightweight. However, aluminum cookware has some serious drawbacks as well.
Aluminum is a soft metal that is prone to scratching, and also warps easily at high heats. A major drawback to aluminum is that it is a reactive material. This means that it will react with acidic foods such as citrus and tomatoes, and also with alkaline foods such as cabbage and asparagus. The reaction causes foods to have an off, metallic taste, and also causes color changes in the foods, making them appear an unattractive grey shade.
The use of aluminum in cookware is also controversial. Several reports have inferred that aluminum from cookware leaches into food, and this leaching contributes to Alzheimer's disease. Overall, the amount of aluminum that is absorbed from cookware in a day is very low, less than the amount that would be absorbed from the amount in an antacid tablet. Other studies dispute the correlation between cookware and high aluminum levels in the brain.
An option in aluminum cookware that has been deemed safer is anodized aluminum cookware. Anodized aluminum cookware has undergone a process to make its outer surface both less reactive to alkaline and acid foods, as well as harder to provide greater scratch resistance. However, during long, slow cooking processes, the changes in food taste and color associated with aluminum cookware can still occur.
A major drawback to anodized aluminum in cookware is that it is very difficult to keep clean, despite some manufacturers claims to the contrary.
In summary, both aluminum and anodized aluminum cookware have excellent heat conductivity, are lightweight and are inexpensive compared to other cookware options. But the drawbacks associated with the changes in taste and color in foods cooked in aluminum and aluminum anodized cookware may outweigh their benefits, depending upon what you are cooking and the method you are employing to cook with.
