All-Clad Cast Aluminum Dutch Oven

[cteavin]

My order for All Clad (finally) came today and in one of the boxes, as promised, was a free Cast Aluminum Dutch Oven. I'm surprised at how light it is. Compared to my Le Cruset (sp?) of the same size it's light as air. Will this ultra light Dutch Oven really work like a Dutch Oven? My impression is that a cast iron DO will insulate the food better for longer, so I'm wondering if I use this one in the same way for the same purpose.

Any feedback is welcome.

BTW, the All-Clad is beautiful!

[HungryC]

Can't speak specifically to the All Clad cast aluminum, but the MagnaLite brand of cast aluminum is very popular among home cooks in rural south Louisiana. It works just fine for the same applications as enameled cast iron: stovetop or oven braising, pot-roasting, etc, with the added benefit of not causing muscle strain if you try to lift a large, full pot.

[mgaretz]

Yes it will work just like a cast iron dutch oven.

[cteavin]

Really? Well, I am surprised. I'll have to try it out this weekend (and find another way to train my muscles). Thank you both.

[Kim Shook]

I adore cast aluminum and cook in it a lot. I have a bunch of old Club pieces that I wouldn't trade for anything. Pretty much anything that I would use cast iron for, I'd use the aluminum for. Mr. Kim found an old one on ebay for me that I use to make southern green beans and I make the best beans in it that I've ever made.

[docdix]

Forgive my ignorance but there was a time when I was told that aluminum reacts with food that is cooked in it and gives off some kind of chemical that is not good for you? I actually have shunned aluminum cookware ever since. Is there any truth to this especially since if used as a dutch oven, you tend to use them for very long periods of time? Thanks

[Crouton]

This particular All Clad Dutch seems to have a non-stick coating surrounding the entire surface of the pot, including the back and handles. My mother-in-law received hers with a All-Clad set she purchased about a year ago. The non stick coating is already showing signs of scratching and peeling. I would much rather the pot be uncoated.

Edited November 10, 2010 by Crouton (log)

[andiesenji]

That particular idea was from a study that has since proved to be spurious. The idea was that foods with a lot of acid would leach aluminum into the food and this was a possible cause of Alzheimer's disease. (same thing said of deodorants, baking powder and other products)

This has been completely debunked. The form of aluminum that was found in the study did not come from either cookware or food ingredients, it occurs naturally in nature and actually had noting to do with the development or course of the disease, it was just an incidental finding.

Fact sheet here.

One of my aunts, who just celebrated her 98th birthday, has been cooking with "Guardianware" cast aluminum since at least the 1940s and not too long ago gifted me with a couple of pieces for my "collection" of cookware. Her brain is still sharp.

Use and enjoy your Dutch oven. If it is does not have the non-stick coating and gets discolored on the inside from cooking something with a lot of acid, such as tomatoes, there is an easy fix.

Fill it past the discolored area with water, bring to a boil and stir in a tablespoon of cream of tartar and boil it for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the discoloration disappears. It should return to its shiny state.

The simple way to maintain the non-stick coating is to avoid using metal utensils. I've got a couple of non-stick original Calphalon skillets that are fifteen years old and still have their coating intact but I have always used wood or more recently silicone utensils.

Edited November 10, 2010 by andiesenji (log)

[cteavin]

That is really good advice, andiesenji.

Will that trick work for stainless, too and could i use white vinegar? Ivenoticed that the water is hard and leaving deposits/discoloration in the stainless.

[andiesenji]

That is really good advice, andiesenji.

Will that trick work for stainless, too and could i use white vinegar? Ivenoticed that the water is hard and leaving deposits/discoloration in the stainless.

No, that fix only works on discolored non-anodized aluminum, the shiny kind but will work on the outside of the All-Clad that has a brushed aluminum exterior.

You can use a solution of white vinegar in water to remove deposits from stainless. I use half a cup to a quart of water and boil it until the deposits disappear. I put smaller pieces and glass inside the larger pots to do more than one.