What is a nonreactive pan?

[chris629]

I am getting ready to make homemade tom soup and it says to use a nonreactive pan. I have never had a recipe call for that.
Will a non stick or ss pan work ok?

 

[GB]

Yes both SS and non stick will work just fine. Both are non reactive. What that means is that the acids in foods will not react with the metal. Cast iron, for instance, is a metal that WILL react. That is why you would not want to cook anything acidic in cast iron for too long.

 

[chris629]

Thank you so much! I thought they were ok but never had anything say that in a recipe or have really had to deal with it.

Now I can cook and know I am ok.

 

[GB]

You are very welcome. Tomatoes are very acidic and that is why this particular recipe mentioned that. Make sure to tell us how the soup came out!

 

[chris629]

The soup was very good. Better then Campbells (although that is good enough when I am sick).
Thanks!!!

 

[Raine]

Reactive Pan - is one made from a material that reacts chemically with other foods. Aluminum and copper, metals that conduct heat extremely well, are the 2 most common reactive materials used to make in cookware.

Lightweight aluminum, second only to copper in conducting heat, reacts with acidic foods, imparting a metallic taste, and can discolor light-colored soups and sauces, especially if you stir them with a metal spoon or whisk (it is a very soft metal). For that reason, you should neither cook nor store light-colored foods in aluminum cookware. Anodized aluminum has a hard, corrosion-resistant surface that helps prevent discoloration.

Most copper pots and pans are lined with tin to prevent reaction. However, tin is a very soft metal, so it scratches easily and then exposes foods to the copper underneath.

Non-Reactive Pan: When a recipe calls for a non-reactive cookware, use clay, copper, enamel, glass, plastic, or stainless steel. Stainless steel is the most common non-reactive cookware available. Since it does not conduct or retain heat well, it frequently has aluminum or copper bonded to the bottom or a core of aluminum between layers of stainless steel. Although expensive, this kind of cookware offers the benefits of a durable, non-reactive surface and rapid, uniform heat conductivity.

Glass cookware is non-reactive and although it retains heat well it conducts it poorly. Enamelware is non-reactive as long as the enamel is not scratched or chipped. Cast-iron is considered reactive; however, we have to say that our extremely well-seasoned pans seem to do fine with tomato sauce and other acidic foods as long as they do not stay in contact with one another for extended periods.

 

[Claire]

I had a huge aluminum stock pot that I loved for stuff like boiling lobster, or corn to feed 20. I'd bought it at a restaurant supply place. BUT I learned the meaning of reactive the hard way when I tried to make chili or spagetti sauce (don't remember which, but something with tomatoes) in it. The batch tasted like ... well, aluminum, and the pot stained. When I left a restauranteur bought it from me (I had a huge garage sale and he bought tons of stuff from me) and when I restocked my kitchen, the pot I bought is stainless steel. I need something I can do everything in, so avoid aluminum.

 

[choclatechef]

Enameled cast iron pans are non-reactive as well.

Regular cast iron pans are reactive.

 

[mudbug]

Non-reactive pots and pans are the ones that don't talk back when you insult them.

 

[Atomic Jed]

If I remember Correctly, Years ago, I Boiled Eggs in an Aluminum "sauce pot" It turned Black (Oxidized) Futile , were my attepts to "steel wool" Scrub to no avail, Hence, My lesson Learned" (what "Non Reactive" meant) Vote 5 Stars For DC!!! Atomic Jed!

 

[GB]

Non-reactive pots and pans are the ones that don't talk back when you insult them.

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