- Hard anodizing is an electrochemically created gray coating of hard aluminum oxide on the exterior of aluminum cookware. The hard-anodized exterior is not simply a film. It is a built-in part of the cookware.
- In 1986, Meyer Manufacturing produced the first large, industrial hard-anodized cookware pieces for the United States restaurant industry. Consumer demand quickly escalated as many at-home chefs found value in the strength and functionality of this practical, yet professional-looking, cookware.
- Hard-anodized cookware is twice as durable as stainless steel. Its durability and non-reactive surface make it impervious to deterioration, rust and damage from cooking utensils. Hard-anodized cookware is exceptionally smooth and almost non-porous, thus preventing food from sticking to the surface. The aluminum interior spreads heat uniformly to the entire surface, allowing more even cooking.
- Automatic dishwasher soap may tarnish hard-anodized cookware. Meyer Manufacturing recommends consumers wash hard-anodized cookware by hand for best results (See Reference 1).
- There have been numerous concerns since the 1970s about the link between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease. While cooking with uncoated aluminum may increase the amount of aluminum that leaches into some acidic foods, hard-anodized cookware does not present the same risk (See Reference 2).
