Knowledge Base > Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Half Hour)

Ask Me Anything (Office Half Hour)

Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Half Hour)

This event was on Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern

Join Chef Char Nolan in her virtual office as she welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to ask anything – from cooking techniques to cou… Read More.

Recorded

Question:

How can I tell if my old metal bowls, utensils and pots are stainless steel or aluminum?

— Diane Dankert

Answer:

There used to be a TV show called Mr. Wizard and Mr. Wizard had all of the answers on how you could tell if something was, uh, aluminum or stainless steel or whatever. So here is my trustee stainless steel saute pan, and here is a magnet. It's a magnet from the Essel Foundation, and if the magnet sticks, you know that it's stainless steel. I have a couple of other, uh, stainless steel pants here, but I don't wanna make too much noise. But if you have a piece of aluminum like this pan and you have another magnet, and if it doesn't stick, that's how you know it's aluminum. So I'm not suggesting that you carry a magnet in your pocket all the time, but if you're going shopping for pots and pan and you want to verify that it is in fact stainless steel, I take a magnet to the store that day. So there you go. Um, it's funny because I have here, uh, sorry for making this much noise, Patrick, really sorry. Um, I have a, I have a sheet pan I'll just show you so that you can see. This is a great Jones, uh, sheet pan. I'm crazy about the color, but again, there is a magnet on the back. So that's how you know that this is a stainless steel sheet pan. And, uh, I've had these pans for about 10 years and I still think that they look pretty good.
Char Nolan

Char Nolan

Plant-Based Connector/Chef Instructor

@char_nolan