Hocus pocus or science with baking soda....

So a friend...who is crazy and has lots of money was at a demo in someone's house for pots...they were selling theses pots for like 8 grand....yeah that's 8000 dollars...us dollars!!!!!.....anyway they were like titanium or something and the guy said you basically get cancer from your cookware....yeah I know these guys are crackpots who do these demos buy he took a little water and boiled it in a pot....everyone had to bring their own pot from home.....he then put in a spoon of baking soda.....and made u taste the water....my friend said it tasted very very metallic....horrendous......he yen proceeded to do the same thing with these pots he sells and he said it tasted like regular water.....


So what's the deal....does anyone think u can actually transfer harmful things from cookware to your body....what about cooking in stuff. Ke cast iron, etc......is there a reason why his water from his pot had zero aftertaste and the others all tasted really bad.....thought this would make for an interesting discussion....Ryan

P.s....he signs me up for a demonstration at his house...he gets a free grater for it!....he also spent 2500 dollars with the guy!

My guess is that the baking soda (alkaline) reacted with the aluminum pot (like a battery) but not with the steel (titanium). As for cooking in aluminum giving you cancer? I think people still argue that back and forth, but the last time I checked there was no substantial or reputable evidence proving so. Same people say eating microwaved food gives you cancer.

Ok, but to continue this; How do you guys feel about cooking in cast iron and the iron deBuyer pans? Does the iron get into your system, and if so, is it a good thing?

Lefty said:

Ok, but to continue this; How do you guys feel about cooking in cast iron and the iron deBuyer pans? Does the iron get into your system, and if so, is it a good thing?

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The iron would only get into your food when you cook something acidic, like tomato sauce. Most of us using cast iron don't do that because it's bad for the seasoning. If all you're doing is frying, then no problem.

In any event, it's a good thing if you are a woman of childbearing age who needs extra iron; if you are not, then you can stop taking your Geritol and start donating blood on a regular basis.

Chef Niloc said:

My guess is that the baking soda (alkaline) reacted with the aluminum pot (like a battery) but not with the steel (titanium). As for cooking in aluminum giving you cancer? I think people still argue that back and forth, but the last time I checked there was no substantial or reputable evidence proving so. Same people say eating microwaved food gives you cancer.

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I was wonderinif there was something actually scientific going on where it would react in some pans but not others....I slept too much during class to actually know myself...ryan

And if we read between the line

Ryan was up late one night watching infomercials at 4 am, and wound up buying this crazy ass expensive set of pots.

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Hahaha. Nice....

Chef Niloc said:

My guess is that the baking soda (alkaline) reacted with the aluminum pot (like a battery) but not with the steel (titanium). As for cooking in aluminum giving you cancer? I think people still argue that back and forth, but the last time I checked there was no substantial or reputable evidence proving so. Same people say eating microwaved food gives you cancer.

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This is correct. I believe the Co. In question even calls it their "alkaline test".

I am going with C02 from bicarb is binding to watever metal and not dissolving in the water so no off taste.

How often do you put something that alkaline in any pan? seems pretty rare to me. Acids would be much more common, right?

I've seen a bunch of conflicting claims. The company in question uses very ugly marketing tactics and reps seem to flood online sites with "I do a lot of research..." rubbish. They try to dazzle with technical sounding jargon and sprinkle it with nonsense pseudoscientific health claims. There are some oblique references to science and my limited experience with the sales folk has left a very slimy feeling.

Heavy alkaline solution is pretty reactive and can react to trace amounts of stuff, whether it's swarf lodged in tiny grooves that can't be removed, deposits and scale from other sources, or even stuff in the water itself. Sure, it may also react with leached metals, but it is certainly not all that's going on, and the conclusion jumps that folks make are a bit ridiculous.

I haven't done enough experimentation and cannot conveniently test output of such an experiment, sorry.

Chef Niloc said:

And if we read between the line

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I wish I had that kinda cash....if I had the money to waste almost three grand on four pots I would had my new harley a looong time ago!....ryan

Just was looking at cooking in aluminum because there is this old rumor that it might be connected to Alzheimer's disease, but that is unconfirmed and dubious at best. Seems like cooking in alu may add 1-2mg to your food - the safe amount per day is estimated at 50mg in some more conservative countries. So, I would not be too worried. More harm in not washing your hands or cleaning your board...

Oh, and I cannot see how a pot set for $8000 will ever be worth its price. For that kind of money I can think of better things to buy...

Stefan

You need that $8,000 set of cookware to go along with your $15,000 Wolf range.

Is it saladsomething? My mother owns a set which are over 30 years old. She also has some of the newer skillets and they all look like stainless steel to me. I'm not even sure if it really has titanium at least not in any significant amount to warrant the high price.

i'm all for it if it means lower prices of the nice aluminum pots!

My bigger concern would be that if it removed the metallic taste from the water that it would do the same thing to all the flavorings you put in the food and it would taste as bland as it did before you cooked it. :eyebrow:

hobbitling said:

How often do you put something that alkaline in any pan? seems pretty rare to me. Acids would be much more common, right?

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If you're cooking a lot of meth

XooMG said:

I've seen a bunch of conflicting claims. The company in question uses very ugly marketing tactics and reps seem to flood online sites with "I do a lot of research..." rubbish. They try to dazzle with technical sounding jargon and sprinkle it with nonsense pseudoscientific health claims. There are some oblique references to science and my limited experience with the sales folk has left a very slimy feeling.

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Ok I still don't know what pans we are talking about. Judging from the above comment I looked all over CK.TG websight, nothing. Given there price I guessed they'd be called the RichMan MarkVI, nope can't find them. So I looked up "the Pot-o-oholic", nothing.

99Limited said:

You need that $8,000 set of cookware to go along with your $15,000 Wolf range.

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A Damascus set of pots and pans with the nice.... Cough cough Hoss???



Check it out next post is 1000!!! And I did it in under 3 years!! now I officially will know something, what? I don't know :O

I can't remember the name of them. I think it is salad something though. Ryan

PM sent regarding name. Doing so to avoid attention if the sales reps who seem to comb the web for discussions to spam with false identities and other ugly promotional tactics.

XooMG said:

PM sent regarding name. Doing so to avoid attention if the sales reps who seem to comb the web for discussions to spam with false identities and other ugly promotional tactics.

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Very smart move. There would be an influx of new members singing the praises of these pots and the "science" behind them. Reminds me of a certain knife Co. Will similar door to door sales tactics.

A discussion of the cookware on Chowhound here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/755638

Ooooo so they aren't from CKTG, that's what threw me off. Thanks fir the PM

I just cant wait til the Rachel Ray knockoff Titanium pots hit the local Macys. Yeah! I eat from a titanium pot man! Uuuu Im rich b)(/$! Rick James!

Pensacola Tiger said:

A discussion of the cookware on Chowhound here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/755638

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looks like a company rep got to that chowhound thread, dunnit?

If they don't cook for you when you don't feel like cooking there is not set of pots-n-pans worth 3-8k.

What is 316Ti?

http://www.aalco.co.uk/datasheets/Stainless-Steel_1.4571-316Ti_40.ashx

"Stainless steel grade 316Ti contains a small amount of titanium. Titanium content is typically only around 0.5%. The titanium atoms stabilise the structure of the 316 at temperatures over 800°C. This prevents carbide precipitation at the grain boundaries and protects the metal from corrosion. The main advantage of 316Ti is that it can be held at higher temperatures for a longer period without sensitisation (precipitation) occurring. 316Ti retains physical and mechanical properties similar to standard grades of 316."

Now, if the pots were entirely titanium (alloy), then yes they would be less reactive than say 316 grade stainless, which is extremely corrosion resistant itself. I'm not a metallurgist, but in this case it seems the small quantity of titanium is added for more room for error in manufacturing operations (welding).

From another site: "There is also some evidence that the 1.4571 type (316Ti) may have inferior pitting and stress corrosion cracking resistance, compared to the 1.4404 / 1.4432 types (316L)."

And another: "Titanium is regarded as having a negative effect on the steel’s corrosion resistance against the localised corrosion forms such as pitting and stress corrosion cracking. On the contrary titanium has no effect on the crevice corrosion resistance. Yet it should be added that the mentioned effects of titanium are considered marginal, and, according to experience, are without importance in practice regarding localised corrosion. One single exception is intercrystalline corrosion, where the risk is generally larger for the EN 1.4571 grade (316Ti). In special cases, where this steel has been through an unfortunate heat treatment in connection with welding and subsequently is exposed to an acidic, strongly oxidizing environment (i.e. strong nitric acid), a special form of intercrystalline corrosion (”knife-line attack”) may occur. For this reason EN 1.4404 (316L) is regarded better suited for corrosive environment with strongly oxidizing conditions."

Basically any stainless steel pots will do just as well as this stuff if not better at corrosion resistance.

I like the post about how the eggs now don't have a ring around the yolk. Looks like someone taught her how to cook a egg with the pan.