My great grandmother refused to cook in aluminium. She would use it for food storage but refused to cook in it.
Hmm, interesting, because aluminum is a reactive container material, and storing foods, particularly acidic foods in such a container can impart a bad taste and discolor the food. That might be one of the reasons she refused to use it for cooking.
But AL and Cu are both excellent conductors of heat. Copper pans are typically lined with tin to prevent contact with the copper, and these days most aluminum pans have some coating, which brings us to the topic at hand.
It was interesting to note that some pans aged well, and did not release anymore chemicals. Since this was a short term test, as is inferred from the article; what would hundreds of uses do to "cure" the non-stick coating?
I got rid of all aluminum food-touching-stuff several years back when I read that they found excessive amounts of aluminum in the brains of (deceased) Altzeheimer patients.
Also, I will NEVER buy food-touching-stuff from countries like China or Mexico.
Pots and pans should all be cast iron.
:-)
In the late 4o's my parents were certain that aluminum pans were the cause of polio. Plus swimming in the local creek, bubble gum.....oh well forget it.
My mother tossed out the aluminum cookware about 1948 or 49 and replaced it with S/S after she read about it in Rodale's Prevention Magazine. We use S/S with a copper biscuit sandwiched in the bottom. Cast iron is too heavy for my wife.
I would worry more about exotic birds in the kitchen...
However, modern hard-anodized aluminium is a different story. I use the Calphalon professional. Good stuff. The only problem is that you can't put it in the dishwasher.
When I was in college 31 years ago I bought a set of Amway Queen stainless steel cookware($750). One of the best purchases I ever made. It has been in near continuous use. It looks like it is maybe five years old. This I can put in the dishwasher. The only problem is that I have to replace the bakelite handles about every 6 years.
'La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.' - Auguste Escoffier
(Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
I swear by my ScanPans I received for my wedding 20+ years ago. I just love them. They're titanium-fired ceramic, which I don't think off-gasses like Teflon does.
I should have mentioned the OLD-STYLE aluminum pans - the thin ones - were just awful. My mom had a couple of those and I just hated cooking in them.