Time to go peeking in your cupboards…as part of Analyzing Aluminum in August, I want you to find out what your pots, pans, and baking sheets are made of. (The one in the photo, which my mother cooked with all my young life, is aluminum, for example.)
Most pots and baking sheets are either stainless steel, aluminum, or non-stick coated. What do you have?
This Monday we’ll discuss some options you have if you’ve got some aluminum items in your regular rotation.
Monday Mission: Analyzing Aluminum Cookware and Bakeware
Also – at the end of the month, I’ll share some of my homemade cleaners to keep your kitchen safe from toxic chemicals. In preparation, if you happen to be in a good dollar store and see some empty spray bottles for sale, pick one or two up. They’re great to have on hand!
Why Analyze Aluminum: The Risks and Dangers
I’ve been slowly switching out my non-stick cookware for safer options. I now have several sizes of cast iron skillets, and I LOVE them! My oldest skillet is 8 months old, and seasoned the best. Not much sticks in there anymore. I have a little more seasoning work to do on the others.
Here is how I maintain them after use: use a stiff scrub brush and HOT water to clean (no soap), place on stove burner at medium heat until dry, drop a bit of lard (from our pastured pork purchase last fall) into the skillet, use a paper towel to coat the skillet with lard and remove any excess. I KNOW… I need to get some lint free cloths to do this and get rid of the paper towels.
I leave the skillets on my stove top until the lard cools and solidifies. Then I store them in my cabinet.
I make my toddler eggs almost every morning in cast iron, and they do not stick anymore. I tried other fats for seasoning before I thought of lard, and it works the best!
I also have my mother’s stainless steel 3 quart and 6 quart pans from my childhood (Rena Ware). The best part is that there is a handle you can attach and detach from them at will, in order to use them as sauce pans or stock pots.
With this collection in place, all my old, scratched T-Fal is now gone. YAY!
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