Question:
What is a non-reactive
skillet?
- Debbie Jordan (1/20/01)
Answer:
- Reactive Pan:
It is one made from a material that reacts
chemically with other foods. Aluminum and
copper, metals that conduct heat extremely well,
are the 2 most common reactive materials used to
make in cookware.
Lightweight aluminum, second
only to copper in conducting heat, reacts with
acidic foods, imparting a metallic taste, and
can discolor light-colored soups and sauces,
especially if you stir them with a metal spoon
or whisk (it is a very soft metal). For that
reason, you should neither cook nor store
light-colored foods in aluminum cookware.
Anodized aluminum has a hard,
corrosion-resistant surface that helps prevent
discoloration.
Most copper pots and pans are
lined with tin to prevent reaction. However, tin
is a very soft metal, so it scratches easily and
then exposes foods to the copper underneath.
- Non-Reactive Pan:
When a recipe calls for a non-reactive cookware,
use clay, enamel, glass, plastic, or
stainless steel. Stainless steel is the most
common non-reactive cookware available. Since it
does not conduct or retain heat well, it
frequently has aluminum or copper bonded to the
bottom or a core of aluminum between layers of
stainless steel. Although expensive, this kind
of cookware offers the benefits of a durable,
non-reactive surface and rapid, uniform heat
conductivity.
Glass cookware is non-reactive
and although it retains heat well it conducts it
poorly. Enamelware is non-reactive as long as
the enamel is not scratched or chipped.
Cast-iron is considered reactive; however, we
have to say that our extremely well-seasoned
pans seem to do fine with tomato sauce and other
acidic foods as long as they do not stay in
contact with one another for extended periods.
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