Anne in NC - 27 October 2010 09:05 PM

However, I noticed that all the loaf pans are steel rather than aluminum, and there were no loaf-shapes among the ‘actual’ cake pans.

Many of the loaf pans are “aluminized” steel pans…they have a thin coat of aluminum on the surface to improve the thermal conductivity, so that you get the structural strength (and cheapness) of steel, but the baking performance of aluminum.  Personally, I don’t like them because the layer of aluminum is thin and the metal can start to rust if water is left standing in the pan.

The Gold Touch pans of Williams Sonoma are the aluminized steel, but I have had any problems with their rusting, and I’ve had them for years.  Run them through the dishwasher, too.

Years ago I heard aluminum was not good for you.

Vera - 11 December 2010 08:53 AM

Years ago I heard aluminum was not good for you.

The reasons for that aren’t considered to be true any more.  The only hint that there was health connection was that Alzheimer’s patients had concentrations of aluminum in their brains, so that sent people freaking about sources of aluminum.  But no scientific connection has ever found between eating aluminum and Alzheimer’s, and it’s been probably 20 years.  It’s now thought that the aluminum in the brain is a side effect of the disease and not the cause.  All of us ingest aluminum all day long, but it’s eliminated from the body.  But like so many things in the popular press, they plastered the scare stores on the front pages, but published the retractions on page 9. 

plastered the scare stores on the front pages

Yes, and it sure sold lots of new sets of designer pans, too, didn’t it???

Vera - 11 December 2010 08:53 AM

Years ago I heard aluminum was not good for you.

I don’t use aluminum pans for cooking but I do use them for baking.  From what I have read, I believe the concern was using low-grade aluminum under high heat, which isn’t the case in baking. 

Although researchers are trivializing the risk and cannot prove a correlation with disease, I would not use aluminum cookware or products containing aluminum.

It is hard to avoid, though, because restaurants use aluminum cookware over very high heat. It is cheap and easily replaced and is an excellent cooking medium for heat conduction.

Great discussion for mountain bakers.  In addition to reducing leavening and going acidic, I now get why using smaller more compact pans will help with baking cakes in Albuquerque (5500 feet at my house).  Thanks. The “bridge over the river” was perfect for understanding that principle.

Thanks for all the expertise on this blog.

I used to live in Albuquerque!  At the Silverado Apartments on Osuna around 1991!  From what I hear, they have gone downhill since then.  My favorite restaurant was Chianti’s—it was Iitalian and so delicious!

Anne, I use Parrish Magic Line pans.  They are aluminum with mitered corners.  With proper greasing, nothing sticks.  I have found they are even easier to clean than non stick because the non stick always has a residue which is hard to get off.  The aluminum easily cleans by hand with soap and water.

Hey, FG!  Wow, this never showed as ‘new’ for me, so I missed it.  Really glad to know about this, becauase I wondered if the mitered corners would get stuff in them and rust and stuff like that.  Very happy to have some inf on them!  Thanks!  If I need more pans at any time, I’ll try these!

No, they don’t rust at all.  I have put them in the dishwasher but they clean so well by hand, there is no point taking up valuable space in the dishwasher.  I like them much better than the Chicago Metallic, which does rust under the rim and in corners.  I have found my baked goods are ready at the maximum time with these pans. I guess because the darker pans absorb more heat. But, everything comes out nice and golden-not over browned.

Thank you!!!  I really like making cakes as little breads, and I’m going to do this at Christmas, so I’ll get these for sure if I need more pans.

I look forward to seeing pictures of them