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Have an old Chef Pan. Over the years, I've ran it thought the dishwasher (yes, I know it's a no-no) so the anodized finish was coming off with the hand scrubbing. Bought a paint removing scrubby and took the entire pan and lid to shiny aluminum.
I know not to cook anything acidic in it, but do you think the aluminum is fine for any other sort of cooking? I'm not too concerned about Alzheimer's (I think), but more that there might be different grades of aluminum.
I tried calling Calphalon, but I don't think the phone number connects you to a human unless you are going to buy something and I never have any luck with emailing companies. Stamped into the bottom is 28152 0M.
It's probably older than dirt and not part of the lifetime warranty.
I had no problem getting through to Calphalon but by the time you pack it up and pay shipping you may probably be better off buying a new pan. Williams Sonoma carries a Calphalon which does well in the dishwasher and does not mind metal utensils.
That's sort of impressive. I've had a set of calphalon hard anodized for about 20 years, and not a bit of it has come off.
I doubt that Calphalon is going to tell you that it's okay to use. They'll more likely recommend you buy a new pan. Which is my recommendation as well.
I sent an email to Calphalon. We'll see how that goes.
The pan has a bit of sentimental value, so I don't want to toss it. I can get bare aluminum saute pans at the local restaurant supply store, so I'm just wondering if I have a food grade alloy. The most I would probably use it for is steam/saute vegetables.
I can't even remember when I bought it. Maybe late 90's or even the early 90's. There are few things that survive my purges, so I held on to it for some reason.
As for recoating it, I'm not sure there is a place here on the MS Gulf Coast that would do it. I guess I could ship it, but I'm not sure what the charge for a coating would be. What sort of coating would one suggest? Would copper plating hold up?
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Originally Posted by Brucifer
I sent an email to Calphalon. We'll see how that goes.
The pan has a bit of sentimental value, so I don't want to toss it. I can get bare aluminum saute pans at the local restaurant supply store, so I'm just wondering if I have a food grade alloy. The most I would probably use it for is steam/saute vegetables.
I can't even remember when I bought it. Maybe late 90's or even the early 90's. There are few things that survive my purges, so I held on to it for some reason.
As for recoating it, I'm not sure there is a place here on the MS Gulf Coast that would do it. I guess I could ship it, but I'm not sure what the charge for a coating would be. What sort of coating would one suggest? Would copper plating hold up?
Anodizing isn't so much a coating as it is a process to oxidize the surface of aluminum, there are both decorative versions that can be dyed virtually any color as well as hard anodizing which I'd guess is what's used on cookware. It's been years since I've had anything done (car/motorcycle parts, not cookware) and it's possible environmental regs may have taken a toll on the number of metal finishing firms still in existence.
I second the NEW PAN! I get a new frying pan about every 2 years...or whenever I need it! They aren't that expensive! Jeez!
Another alternative - cast iron.
Won't need to buy a new one for 100 to 300 years or so.
. . .
For the ultimate non-stick, have your cast iron skillet ground smooth.
(Yeah, some argue that it defeats seasoning, but carbon steel woks which are quite smooth, can be seasoned over time.)
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