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There's many types of pots and pans: from copper to stainless steel. I own several different types at home. I have been using them, and I've noticed a slightly different tastes each one give on the same food. I want to understand the reason why different pot and pan would give a different taste to food. Understanding this also might help me use the correct pot/pan for specific recipes.

I don't know if this is a topic that people are even going to agree with me on.

Is it because each pot/pan has different heat distribution? Or does the pot/pan impart something to the food depending on which metal it is?

Jay
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Pork Chop
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1 Answers1

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Some metal react differently with some food, mostly with acidic ingredients like tomatoes.

Stainless steel and ceramic are non-reactive and should not impart different flavor to the food.

Aluminium, "regular" steel, iron(cast-iron), copper are known to be reactive and will react to ingredients and will change some of the flavors.

I mostly used stainless steel pans and pots (and stainless-steel lined aluminium pans) and don't have issues with "flavoring".

(from http://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-explaining-reacti-73723 )

Max
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  • Just to add to that, also tools wear down over time. So if you have a pan that is lined with aluminum or teflon, after sometime the finished surface will begin to wear down and thus change the end resulting taste of the food (because it's now being cooked on a different material). – Chef Pharaoh Aug 17 '15 at 19:15