What Is Anodized Aluminum?

• Anodized Aluminum Is Hard, Smooth And Resilient
  
  Aluminum is a common, cheap metal due to our planet's large supply of it. It's light weight also makes it desirable for those wanting to avoid heavy pots and pans and to make frying pans in which it's easy to "flip" contents. When aluminum is treated with acid and electricity, it oxidizes and becomes very hard. This prevents scratching, chipping, and damage in general. Anodized aluminum lasts a very long time and does not break down or decompose. Because it's non-porous, anodized aluminum is a less "sticky" metal when used for cooking purposes. It also does not react to acidic items and may be preferred for cooking foods like rhubarb.
  
  

Health Concerns About Aluminum

• Scientific studies have linked aluminum to Alzheimer's and several other illnesses. Several studies have shown a high number of Alzheimer's patients with significant amounts of aluminum present in their brain tissue. However, scientists have not yet shown a causative link between aluminum and Alzheimer's. And certainly not all Alzheimer's patients show aluminum in their brain tissue.There is even debate in the medical and scientific community about whether the aluminum was present before the tissue is handled in a laboratory environment. Some studies reveal that people with high exposure to aluminum show no evidence of increased risk of Alzheimer's. Still, many consumers are concerned about absorbing aluminum from their food and cosmetics products.
  
  

Infused Anodized Aluminum

• What's turns a pan from anodized to "infused anodized"? A non-stick polymer that actually goes below the surface of the metal--hence infused--and also into the pores of the metal. According to manufacturers like Calphalon, this allows a cook to more easily attain a release of the item one is searing or grilling without any sticking. In effect, it's supposed to give the cook more control in his or her cooking--especially that of meats.
  
  

Does The Aluminum Transfer?

• The Anodized Aluminum Cookware Manufacturers claim that only 35 micrograms of aluminum can transfer to food per use of a piece of anodized aluminum cookware. The makers of Calphalon say that anodized aluminum is sealed so completely that no aluminum transfers. For the infused variety of cookware, the aluminum is under a layer of polymer, making any transfer of aluminum, if it were possible, even less likely.
  
  

Polymer Risks

• Some non-stick pans have warnings about the risk of polymer fumes.These can occur if a pan is heated very high. Some guidelines and products list 500 degrees as an approximate temperature at which fumes become a possible danger. Also, many non-stick products use a polymer made with perfluorooctanoic acid, which has been linked to a number of health problems including tumors, liver disease and reproductive problems. When a pan or piece of cookware with polymer coatings containing this chemical chip or scratch, most manufacturers recommend disposing of the item.
  
  

Advantages

• Infused anodized cookware has a lot of positive reviews for its quick release of foods, even those that easily stick and/or burn, like cheese. Some cooking experts say that food quickly cooked and released is even less likely to leach metals from the pan. Cooks with a health conscious bent sometimes promote non-stick cookware because less stick means less need for oils in the pan.