What Is Anolon Cookware Made of?

Heavy-duty nonstick cookware has gained tremendous popularity in the last two decades. Almost ubiquitous in home goods stores and high-end cooking boutiques, hard-anodized cookware is also the top choice of modern homeowners. But while we have all heard the term hard-anodized and many of us have seen Calpholon and Anolon brands in stores and on television, the actual composition of this type of cookware remains elusive.

Definition

Anolon is a specific brand of cookware, established in 1987, and it is most famous for its creation of a hard-anodized surface.

What is Hard-Anodized?

Hard-anodized refers to a process in which aluminum metal is immersed in sulfuric acid, and it is then exposed to an electrical current. When this solution of aluminum and sulfuric acid is brought to freezing--and the current is increased--a thick coating of aluminum oxide is the result.

Non-stick Coating and Hard-Anodizing

In Anolon cookware, as with other hard-anodized brands, while the aluminum undergoes the hard-anodizing process, non-stick coatings may be introduced into the solution. The final process is a non-stick cooking surface that is tightly bonded to the original aluminum.

Hardness

After aluminum has been hard-anodized, the resulting hardness is only slightly less than that of diamonds. This hardness, along with the bonded non-stick coating, renders Anolon cookware extremely durable and ideal for cooking.

Expense

Anolon is a high-end product, as are most hard-anodized aluminum products, but this is offset by the durability and high functionality of the cookware.