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aluminum vs. stainless steel cookers

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kelly2cook	aluminum vs. stainless steel cookers		Lead	[-]
Registered User Posts: 1 Feb 12 08 5:20 PM	Tags : None Remove this ad What is the difference (besides price) and which do you prefer?
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Miss Vickie Pressure Cooker Recipes		#1	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 1500 Feb 13 08 7:11 AM Owner	There are several articles on the website the explore this topic. Essentially, I recommend stainless steel because, unlike aliminum, its nonreactive and won't discolor with any type of food, its extremely durable and easy to clear, and it will give you decades of useful service on almost any type of heat source. That said, like any high quality piece of cookware, you'll want to select a stainless steel with a label of 18/10 (chromium steel/nickel steel), and clad with a 3 ply, sandwiched metal base consisting of layers of SS+aluminum+SS.
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cookinghelp		#2	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 2 Aug 6 08 6:41 PM	Thanks Miss Vickie Pressure, very good info
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Miss Vickie Pressure Cooker Recipes		#3	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 1500 Aug 6 08 7:49 PM Owner	Thanks, I'm glad you found it useful information.
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radtek		#4	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 3 Mar 19 09 11:25 PM	To my dismay I discovered rapping a spoon against aluminum to dislodge food also mars the lip of the pot and inhibits the PC's ability to seal well. Whew... I'm guessing SS would be more resilient. So I use a silicon spatula when using my PC now.
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emazingrace		#5	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 500 Mar 20 09 8:08 AM Moderator	Actually, rapping metal utensils against the lip of any pressure cooker, including stainless steel, is not recommended. Even stainless can be damaged in this way. The silicon spatulas are good, but often something firmer is needed. I use wooden spoons with all my cookware.
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emazingrace		#6	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 500 Mar 20 09 8:08 AM Moderator	Actually, rapping metal utensils against the lip of any pressure cooker, including stainless steel, is not recommended. Even stainless can be damaged in this way. The silicon spatulas are good, but often something firmer is needed. I use wooden spoons with all my cookware. sorry...somehow I double-posted, and I dont know how to make it go away Edited 2 times by emazingrace Mar 20 09 8:12 AM.
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alfred		#7	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 8 Apr 10 09 1:21 PM	Remove this ad Unfortunately,large pressure cookers are not readily available in SS.However,when I wish to cook something large that does not agree with aluminum,I just put a SS container inside my larger Aluminum cookers/caners and cook away.Just be sure that you can remove it with the ingredients in it.It is best to try it out with clean water first. Miss Vicky explains it in her instructions and I personally know that it has worked in Pressure Cooker?caners up to 40 quart for over 50 years as my Grandmother and Great Aunts often did this. I too believe SS is the way to go if and when possible .alfred
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Miss Vickie Pressure Cooker Recipes		#8	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 1500 Apr 11 09 5:13 PM Owner	The largest pressure cooker on the market is 12qts, and they are available in stainless steel, plain steel or aluminum, or anodized aluminum. Pressure canners, on the other hand, can be 40qts, but canners are only made of aluminum.
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arwenmark		#9	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 19 Apr 14 09 3:20 PM	On a similiar vein, what about annodized aluminum? I saw one of those one sale today at JC penny.
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Miss Vickie Pressure Cooker Recipes		#10	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 1500 Apr 15 09 7:38 AM Owner	what about annodized aluminum? OK, what do you want to know? I'm of the opinion that pressure cookers need to be extremely durable to withstand not only the normal effects of cooking, heavy use, plus the higher temperatures, live steam and high pressure as well. We've all seen what happens to nonstick finishes when they break down, so my preference is stainless steel because it will last a lifetime. Beyond looking at just the coating on this pressure cooker at JC penny, if its aluminum, I suspect that it lacks the newer features that separate the old style models from today's modern pressure cooker. If you're in the market to buy a new pressure cooker get one of the modern brands so you can enjoy all the improvements and and new features that allow you to cook a much wider variety of recipes.
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arwenmark		#11	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 19 Apr 15 09 3:37 PM	The model they have is as I say annodized so it is not a non stick surface but rather a darkend aluminum furface and as such should not be as easily damaged by accidic ingredients like tomatoes. It is a weighted model with the short handles on both sides. it is 8qt. I currently have a several year old but never used Presto 6qt, Stainless Steet, identical to the ones currently available in fact the same model IS currently available. I have on order a Wolfgang Puck electric model that should arrive tomorrow and then I ordered the Fagor 10 qt. Duo from Amazon which should arrive on Friday. I was thinking about this other one because it is between the other two in size and a very good price but just wondered if you also thought it might be less susseptible to acid damage. I probably won't get it since I will have the three others but was curious.
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emazingrace		#12	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 500 Apr 15 09 4:45 PM Moderator	arwenmark, while annodized aluminum is lovely to look at, and is supposedly formulated to be non-reactive, the only annodized aluminum cookware I've seen tends to be thin, both on the sides and the bottom. This may be fine for sauting vegetables, or simmering stews, but as Vickie pointed out, pressure cookers need to be able to withstand the rigors of heat plus pressure, without the pan warping or the food burning. My prefference is for the stainless steel models with the three-ply base for even heat distribution. I have 3 Prestos [4, 6, & 8 qt], and the 10 qt Fagor, and they all reach 15psi and perform very nicely. By the way, annodized aluminum is not automatically non-stick. I have a set set of calpholon that is annodized, but there is no non-stick feature to it. If the pressure cooker in discussion says there is a non-stick finish, I believe you will find that it has a teflon, silverstone or some other similar coating on the inside of the pan. These finishes are not desirable in pressure cookers. Your Signature ... *"The pressure's on...let's cook something!"* Edited 2 times by emazingrace Apr 15 09 4:49 PM.
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Miss Vickie Pressure Cooker Recipes		#13	[url]	[-]
Registered User Posts: 1500 Apr 17 09 6:32 AM Owner	Remove this ad If the aluminum is coated then it can't react with your food. Still, I'd be cautious of any inexpensive aluminum pressure cooker as the thin metal makes them more susceptible to scorching problems.
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aluminum vs. stainless steel cookers

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