iamjackslackofmemes t1_irfe10d wrote on October 7, 2022 at 5:36 PM

Reply to comment by skarn86 in Which pots to buy? Vollrath vs Kuhn Rikon? by imlayingonthetable

Aluminum is definitely not a BIFL product if you can afford better. Even if you cannot, you should try to never use it.

skarn86 t1_irfmerc wrote on October 7, 2022 at 6:39 PM

When trying to BIFL there's always a risk to end circlejerky. What's the point of having non-stick pans built like tanks?

Those pans, cheap as they were, were put through constant use for a bit over 6 years. For a long time they were my only pans. During most of it, they even went in the dishwasher all the time. If I hadn't moved to a house with induction, they would have maybe lasted another year, I could start to see the first signs of wear on the Teflon.

Sure, they were thin aluminium. That simply meant they didn't cost as much work and energy as a steel pan. Seems like a good thing to me.

They were what I could afford when first moving out, and they really really delivered a lot. Definitely not BIFL, but I wouldn't call them disposable garbage by any measure.

9/10 would recommend to anyone on a budget.

Im_100percent_human t1_irwkquq wrote on October 11, 2022 at 4:07 PM

>Aluminum is definitely not a BIFL product

IDK, A LOT of restaurants have aluminum pots that they use many times a day for decades. While you may not like aluminum for a number of reasons, but an aluminum pot that is not abused will probably outlast any of us.

iamjackslackofmemes t1_irxebro wrote on October 11, 2022 at 7:18 PM

Aluminum is a toxic metal to humans. If the cookware is uncoated, the aluminum can leach into your food.

Just because a restaurant has been using the same pot/pan for decades doesn't make it safe, it just means they have been using the same pot/pan for decades.

Im_100percent_human t1_irxgu4p wrote on October 11, 2022 at 7:33 PM

Millions of aluminum pots are used everyday.... A couple of micrograms of aluminum in your diet, everyday, is not going to hurt you. Your body can presses and expel many milligrams of aluminum a day, through sweat and urine. Your body can process much more aluminum than you are going to get from cooking in a pan.

Regardless, the pots should last your whole life. If they are overly toxic (which they are not), they will still last your, possibly shortened, life.