Allister > wrote:
>Ack! Did my houseguests ruin my AllClad LTD cookware set?!!
>
>I have a set of AllClad LTD pots/pans. A while back we had some
>houseguests that were here helping us when our first child was born.
>They used the AllClad for cooking and also cleaned them after. They
>scratched the insides of all the pots and pans with who knows what.
>If you shine them in the light you can see all the scrub marks on the
>bottom and sides from when they were cleaned. When I rub my finger on
>them you can't feel them, nor can you feel the scratches if you run
>your fingernail across them. Are these things ruined or can I get my
>mirror finish back? I'd like to buy something kind of polish, sit
>down, and get these things back to the way they were when I bought
>them.

They're not ruined, as they're perfectly good for cooking,
but getting the shine back will involve buffing.

>I was very distressed tonight when I learned they were all scratched
>up like this.

If you bought them aftermarket (outlet store, online, etc.)
they may come with those scratches as factory seconds.
I had to send one AC pot back to the online seller because
it showed up with what looked like heavy steel-wool marks
all over the inside.

>Also, why doesn't AllClad want you to put these LTDs in the dishwasher
>anyways?

The LTD series are stainless steel or non-stick on the
inside and hard-anodized aluminum* on the outside.

The detergents used in dishwashers will eat the anodized
aluminum. The detergents used in the sink won't.

--Blair
"Something about cationic and anionic..."

* - The "anodized" part of the aluminum is aluminum that's
been treated to be much harder than ordinary aluminum.
A few molecules below that black layer is plain aluminum
that would look silver if you could get to it, but you
can't, because the hard aluminum layer is harder than
steel. People use steel tools in hard-anodized pans like
Calphalon and think they've scratched the pan, when what
they've done is scraped steel off their tools, leaving
skid-marks.