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millie_36

Salad Master cookware question

Millie_36
19 years ago

I missed this forum in the past, but would really like to know if anyone has been to one of the Salad Master cookware "parties"? If so, you have seen them take the guests' cookware and boil some baking soda water in it...then comes the shocker with the taste test. According to them, every other cookware can and does leach metals into the food. Does anyone know if there is a sales gimmick at work here, and if so, what it is? Some pretty outrageous scare tactics were used against all other cookware.

Comments (131)

  • plumfield
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My post wasn't about Saladmaster per se, just a follow-up on something that I posted that I planned to do, and as a practical example that "studies" may not be as accurate in real life as they ought to be...possibly because products aren't exactly what they ought to be. The original poster was asking about the gimmicky baking soda test and scare tactics, and I'm trying to address my findings on that with tests on several different sorts of common cookware pieces in my kitchen, and yes, the results are not very nice.

    One more thing. The topic of this thread is a brand of product. It seems a little unfair of some posters to automatically brand people as spammers if they like the product or have any sympathies for the product, simply because it is a high-priced product. I understand that spamming is a problem, but some people seem to have a knee-jerk suspicious nature about it. And again, if you are looking to share opinions and experiences about a product, and then bash people who like it, well.....I haven't hung around very much because I didn't like that sort of climate.

  • danab_z9_la
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    plumfield,

    I understand your concern and your search for products that leach fewer metals. However, one simply cannot rely on a home test kit to accurately determine the metal concentration of a baking soda wash. Nor can you be sure that what you are measuring is in fact the metal you are tying to determine. There are likely both positive and negative interferences with your test results....its just the shortcomings of the method that you have used.

    Personally I do not have any problems whatsoever with Salad Master cookware. However, I do have a BIG PROBLEM with the manner in which it is marketed and it's high price. Comparable to better quality cookware is available in the marketplace at a much cheaper price. The baking soda test is pure baloney and has absolutely no correlation or relationship to the safety of any cookware product. For those hyper sensitive to trace metals of any sort....I would go with glass or a Corning ware type product. Also, I would not hesitate using a crock pot or slow cooker that was made by a reputable company. Those type products may limit the kinds of food that you can prepare due to the limited cooking techniques these glass products will allow. For higher temperature cooking, I would go with a premium tri-ply stainless steel pan. I assume that you do not use any canned product of any sort nor do you use regular metal knives, forks, and spoons as these items are sources of trace metals too. Similarly with all make-up, toiletries, medicines, toot fillings, coins, keys, jewelery, etc, etc.......as these are also sources of trace metals. Many people today are still walking around with mercury in their tooth fillings. Too much mercury affects the brain. Do you know that the old expression....."Mad as a Hatter" came about from the times when hats were popular. Lots of Liquid Mercury was used in the manufacturing of hats.....it was used to help develop the shape of the hat. Over the years the Mercury that the hat makers used in producing the hats........affected their brains. They acted like they had gone mad. True story.

    Hope that you find something the works for you. I'm sure that it is tough being sensitive or allergic to things that are so common in our environment.

    Dan

  • cookmanart
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Plumfield,
    I would submit the question of what are your symptoms of sickness that you referred to back in 2007? Heavy metals are possible causes of disease, but there are more common causes that doctors do not have much if any training in. If you would list just 3 of your most prevalent symptoms, I will respond to what I am referring to.
    Since you are attempting to test metals in cookware, consider this factor: Stainless steel has open pores. If there is an attatched base to the pan, it is possible that the metals in the attatched base are exposed to the food. (the vinegar or soda) T304 is a grade of surgical steel as is T316. There are other grades of surgical steel as well. Surgical grade steel should not have any reactive metals or it would not be surgical grade! It is possible that the T304 pan that is dicussed earlier was not cleaned sufficiently, it may have had a base with aluminum, etc. It could have open pores although it is not supposed to have but it could so the applied base metal reacted to the soda. China makes pans of T304 steel, but China is not known for high quality control. I have doubts that it is always what it is stamped as. T304 may be on the pans outside, but T304 may not in fact be what is in the pan!
    I have owned quality waterless cookware since I was 19 years old. When I lost it in a divorce, I bought another set. I don't want to eat out of anything other than surgical steel unless I have no choice. I watch the cooking shows at times and it amazes me the junk that is used out of ignorance. If it is not surgical steel, there will most likely be reactions to the materials that the cookware is made of. Salts are not the only things present in foods that can react to the materials used to make most cookware today. Meats have acids, fruit and vegetables have minerals. Minerals are salts (the flavor) and Vitamins (the color) and enzymes (the live part of any foods). Minerals, vitamins, and enzymes are what make food for the body. The fiber fills us up and helps clean the leftovers from our insides. To put each in order of importance, the enzymes are 1. the vitamins and minerals 2. and the fiber would be 3. Without the live part of the food, the enzymes, the vitamins and minerals would mostly go right thru and never enter the blood stream. The fiber makes us feel full, but also helps eliminate the waste. Microwaving keeps the vitamins and minerals for the most part, but kills the enzymes. Enzymes are destroyed by heat. If you are sick, juicing is the best way to eat because you get all the enzymes, vitamins, minerals and fiber. You can eat 5 lbs of carrots in about a quart of juice. If you cook food in most conventional methods, you lose all the enzymes! Microwave= 300+ degrees in 1 minute. Boiling= 212 degrees. Steaming=232 degrees. Oven baking is never less than 180+. I have not tested a crock pot= ?degrees? I list all that to say this: Enzymes begin to die at about 110 degrees. Most are dead by 165 degrees. We should get our enzymes or live food from fruits and vegetables as the body is able to matabolize those most effectively. Meats are a source, but for safety, we consider raw meats to be somewhat unsafe because of bacteria. Heat kills bacteria so we cook meat to certain temperatures to kill the bacteria. We often eat vegetables raw and that is good, but since we like to eat them tenderized so we cook them.
    Consider this: What if you could tenderize the vegetables, not add heavy metals, retain 98% of the vitamins and minerals and still retain a reasonable amount of the enzymes? What you have is delicious and healthy food. Whether a soda test works with all the various cookware or not, I have yet to find a pan that can give the flavor, color, and ultimate taste to any vegetable, fruit or meat. Waterless cookware tops the list for ease of food preparation, food taste, food color, quality of texture of the food, and ultimately the health of those who use the system properly. I am 57 years old this summer and have had some serious stressful setbacks in the last 15+ years. At this time I am healthier than many 40 year olds. I try to eat healthy, I keep active as my life allows, and I watch my weight. I know that if I ate like most families do, I would be in the same frame of health as many families are. Just look around and see what the average families general health is like.
    Our bodies are "living beings". We must eat live food to maintain our health. Boxed, canned, frozen and dried foods cannot create health. It can be stored for years in many cases. It has no enzymes! It is dead food! Basic health cannot be had by eating dead food.
    If a person is sick, juice your foods. Get the food from the freshest sources. If a person is reasonably healthy, stay that way eating simple healthy foods from juicing to tenderized foods. If a person is already extremely healthy they are that way because they have been careful with how they prepare their foods and what they are eating, drinking, breathing and doing in general with their bodies.
    Heavy metals are a consideration, but there is much more to the equation of living healthy. Everything in balance!
    Sincerely,
    Art

  • suzyq3
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hmmm, well, I just turned 60, and I'm in excellent healthy myself -- thin, active, and no medical issues whatsoever.

    I attribute this condition to not obsessing about cookware nor buying into nutty junk science.

  • swines
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just so you all know -

    316 stainless is 304 with molybdenum added - really - that's it. Also, 316 is not "twice as strong" as 304. Nope - not even close. Go to the link provided for the Nickel Institute and scroll down to the table - shows all types of stainless, the composition of the metal, tensile strengths, etc.

    As for the claim that Regal makes the majority of metal pans, you might want to look at the Meyer Corporation (meyer.com) they make - Anolon, Circulon, Farberware, KitchenAid, Silverstone, and BonJour cookware.

    The BonJour copperclad saute pan is a great piece.

  • jcstates_earthlink_net
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have done some research on metals leaching from stainless steel. Indeed iron, nickel and chromium do leach out. References:
    Kuligowski,J & Halperin, KM, Arch Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 23, 211-215 (1992)
    Kumar, R et al, Bull. Environ.Contam. Toxicol. 53: 259-266 (1994)
    These scientists used mildly acidic (5% acetic acid = vinegar) or mildly basic (5% sodium bicarbonate) and found readily measurable levels of iron, nickel and chromium leaching.

    I have run my own less than stringent tests of Saladmaster, Revereware and Kirkland (Costco) cookware using tap water and found that measurable quantities of these metals leached. The Saladmaster was similar to the Kirkland. The Revereware leached the least. Very old Revereware by the way.

    Full disclosure: one of my brothers has started selling Saladmaster. He pitched me and I was not impressed with the sales pitch. However, I used one of the pans and was very impressed with the heat transfer and the cleanup. They are excellent pans but way overpriced in my opinion.

  • momoquilts01
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Has anyone heard of "Life time" cookware? My mom bought a set from a door to door salesman back in the 50's or 60's and I'm still using it today. She said she paid a lot of money for it, by making monthly payments. Is this anything like the SM?

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Heck, I have some of my Mother's old Revereware from the 50's and it's still just fine. And it was pretty cheap, compared to these other pricey things.

  • suzyq3
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Has anyone heard of "Life time" cookware? My mom bought a set from a door to door salesman back in the 50's or 60's and I'm still using it today. She said she paid a lot of money for it, by making monthly payments. Is this anything like the SM?

    Life time was one of a few SS cookware that was sold either door to door or through parties back then. My uncle owned Lo-Heet, and my dad was a salesman. I still remember sitting out in our car with my mom while he was in someone's home demonstrating this amazing new waterless cooking. :-) One of their selling points was that you could pile one pot on top of another to save energy (this was not too long after WW2). But yes, they are similar in that they touted their pots and pans as being more healthful.

    Funny thing, my mom used and liked the pans, but never did she really master the "waterless" part. Anyway, sure, it was good. I have a complete set myself, but don't use it too much anymore. Modern methods of manufacturing high-end cookware has produced, IMO, better results.

    I would never, ever consider spending huge amounts of money on any "marketing" type cookware that preys on people's fears through baseless claims.

  • awm03
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    From Kuligowski,J & Halperin, KM, Arch Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 23, 211-215 (1992):

    " It is very unlikely that the total amount of chromium leached from stainless steel utensils, even into acidic foods, exceeds 50 µg/day i.e. an amount considered beneficial to health....Small amounts of chromium will leach from stainless steel utensils into food during its processing, storage and during meal preparation. Although it is conceivable that some of this leached chromium may be in hexavalent state, it is unlikely that this leaching will result in actual absorption of hexavalent chromium by the organism. No toxicity is to be expected from the chromium leached from kitchenware, it may in fact be beneficial to health, since the amounts of chromium in present Western-type diets are generally small in comparison to amounts considered to be optimal."

    Not cited by JCStates, but newer research:
    "Purity of food cooked in stainless steel utensils"
    G. N. Flint; S. Packirisamy
    Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, Volume 14, Issue 2 February 1997 , pages 115 - 126

    Abstract:
    "An extensive programme of cooking operations, using household recipes, has shown that, apart from aberrant values associated with new pans on first use, the contribution made by 19% Cr/9% Ni stainless steel cooking utensils to chromium and nickel in the diet is negligible. New pans, if first used with acid fruits, showed a greater pick-up of chromium and nickel, ranging from approximately 1/20 to 1/3 and 1/20 to 1/2 of the normal daily intake of chromium and nickel respectively. This situation did not recur in subsequent usage, even after the pan had been cleaned by abrasion. A higher rate of chromium and nickel release in new pans on first use was observed on products from four manufacturers and appears to be related to surface finish, since treatment of the surface of a new pan was partly, and in the case of electropolishing, wholly effective in eliminating their initial high release."

  • momj47
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The thread that won't die!!

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Maybe this will kill it

  • bradmugs
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    HI, I tried to leave a message then got an account set up so I'm sorry if this is a double.

    Like many other husbands I got "invited" to a meal at a friends house - yes I knew it was a pot's and pan's presentation, checked with the wife before we went and no we weren't in the market, just helping the friends son-in-law (a chef) out.

    So, free food and a chance to talk to some old friends - I was in.

    Sales presentation wasn't too bad, guy was funny and willing to take on all questions. He did catch my interested (was an Organic Chemistry major in college many, many years ago but not practicing any longer).

    I've read most of everything here and elsewhere. I agree they are expensive but where does one find the quality and features (I like the oil fill, the tight lids and the removable handles) for less than a weeks pay (I said I wasn't a chemist anymore).

    Please be specific, just don't say they are out there.

    Thanks

    Brad

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If it's a cheap buy for you, go ahead. So why would you need specific features? And how do you expect your cooking to be any better with $3000 to $5000 worth of cookware? Spend your money on quality ingredient instead. But if you have money to waste, go ahead.

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you have that much money to spend on pots and pans, spend about $500 on a perfectly good set of anything and then sent the remaining $3000 to your local Food Bank or Meals on Wheels. You'll sleep better at night.

  • twilliams1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You should really do the pot test yourselves. You will need a teflon pan, stainless steel pan, copper pan, cast iron skillet, aluminum etc.....also needed 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon baking soda, boil, don't stir because you don't want to contaminate the other pans from stirring pan to pan. Boil for about 5 minutes or
    until you no longer see the baking soda. Some people say that, "I don't cook with baking soda and water"....well, actually we do, it's a natural mineral....it represents the minerals found in our vegetables. If you were to have a saladmaster pan or know of someone who owns some, ask them to use one of their pans...even if you don't know of someone who owns saladmaster still do the test....you will be amazed. The point is to show that there could be things in our food and we not know that they are there and are extremely harmful to our health.
    For those of you thinking that the person doing the presentation must have done something to the baking soda or cherry picked on the pans to use.....TRY IT YOURSELF and I am sure that you will be floored with the experience. Saladmaster-316 Ti Stainless Steel is the highest grade of stainless steel and saladmaster is the only company to use it....What you put in saladmaster pans is exactly what comes back out. The Saladmaster tastes like baking soda....kinda fishy or salty like the ocean.......The copper tastes like cooper and metal, the stainless tastes like metal, the cast iron you don't even want to taste because the sight of it is so disgusting and the teflon tastes like chemical and plastic. YIKES! Try for yourselves and yep the price is pricy but I purchased it after she did the pot test and NOPE I don't have a lot of money but I sure do value my health and the health of my 10 year old beautiful little girl.
    The people who usually gripe on this forum are because they can't afford it or are too stubborn and ignorant to listen to what the rep had to say. AND NOPE I'm not a dealer or consultant or whatever for saladmaster I am a nutritionist that works with the Cancer Institute.

  • suzyq3
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The point is to show that there could be things in our food and we not know that they are there and are extremely harmful to our health.

    Interesting logic. BTW, could you specify both the exact name of this institute with which you work and exactly what work you have done for them?

    And for what it's worth, it's a bit presumptuous to sign up here in order to insult others for being penniless and/or stupid.

  • danab_z9_la
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You might be a nutritionist that works with the Cancer Institute. However, I am a retired chemist & love to cook. I know a thing or two about chemical reactions, metallurgy, and cookware.

    That silly Baking Soda Test is just a Con Artist trick designed to fool gullible people into buying very expensive cookware. It has absolutely no significance and meaning in helping one assess or decide between harmful or healthy cookware. NO ONE cooks any food with the high alkalinity of baking soda. It is absolutely ridiculous for anyone to claim that this dumb test represents anything remotely similar to what one experiences during normal cooking.

    The Baking Soda test and subsequent sales pitch given to potential customers actually BORDERS ON FRAUD. I have other postings in this thread that you might find interesting to read.

    Dan

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I feel like we are going for the "# of posts" limit. I thought it was 150. Guess not!

  • danab_z9_la
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Perhaps a few people are still finding this thread informative and useful to them. Maybe it shouldn't go off into never never land. I thought there was a 150 post limit too.

    Dan

  • momj47
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It can still be informative, I just wonder why it isn't closed to follow-up post yet. I will still stay in the forum.

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In case the subject comes up again after the thread is closed, can one of you copy the relevant posts debunking the myths and save the material for possible future use? I'd do it, but am having computer issues now, and may be looking for a new machine soon.

  • danab_z9_la
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'll make sure that happens if this thread gets maxed out. I hate to see people getting ripped off or presented with a dumb test as a basis for their decision making.

    Dan

  • k_provost_att_net
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Does anyone know when the conversion to 316L took place, and what the cost is of exchanging? Thanks!

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I swore this thread was dead already!

  • momj47
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OMG it's alive...........ALIVE

  • sunchaser228_yahoo_com
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I was searching the web for Saladmaster pots and pans just to see what the going rate is. I want a set because my grandmother has a set that she bought at a party in the 70's. She bought them for around $500 (at a time when you could buy a japanese care for $2000).

    Anyway every time I've used them at her house, I've admired them. They're over 30 years old and still look and cook great. The metal is much thicker than any other pot I've ever cooked with and it seems to distribute heat much more evenly. I'd love to have a set, but even used a 21 piece is going for $1500.

    Even before I read in this article about not leaching metals into food, I wanted them just for the quality.

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Metal won't leach into your foods. Check out All CLad or Calphalon for good heavy cookware. It'll be expensive, but not nearly as bad as the over-hyped over-priced stuff.

  • gymgym
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello.

    Does any one know how much saladmaster sales person pay for a $1000 pan and $4000 set? I've cheked ebay and they are selling much lower price than the price I was told at the cooking party. I have a couple of pots and pans from saladmaster( I got them all free by winning contest and doing party) and I really like them.

    I would like to add more cookwares from Saladmaster and want to make an offer to the sales person I know. but I will never pay the full amount. I would like to know the price sales person pay so I can make an offer not too low.

    anyone knows about this please help.
    Thank you.

  • Healthful_Being
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I know you regulars are rolling your eyes that this post is still ALIVE, but I'm glad that it is. I wouldn't have had the slightest interest several years ago when it started.

    Anyhow. A couple years back a very well-educated, fairly well off, frugile, rational skeptic friend of mine (along with his wife), bought a set of SM. I think it was one of the more modest sets - thinking they would build upon it.

    They have a large family & are very much into healthful well-rounded living (healthful in all areas). My friend is not one to succomb to non-sense - he was blown away by this product = enough to begin selling it himself (only here & there, "really, as a community service"... lol), for a time.

    He still swears by it. He began giving me the schpeal - which I found a bit insulting - given that I live on a disability income that simply makes the purchase of this product prohibitive. I kinda felt like if he believed it was so imperative to my health then why on earth isn't he forgoing his own commission to add a piece or so to my cookware? Not that he was obligated to me, but jeez, I once made great money, but after my car accidents I live on $700 a month. He, along with other sales people I ran across on FB really like to imply that NOT buying it means that I truly do not value my health or that of my loved ones - an implication I highly resent. I wouldn't even be able to get credit for such a thing - certainly wouldn't be able to make the payment. I love him, but thought it was insensitive, assine, & way out of touch with us "commoners" who live from dollar to dollar. He had the cash to purchase his OUTRIGHT! I'm happy for him, but didn't appreciate the guilt trip - even though I KNOW he meant well. (and I absolutely respect his opinion - enough so that I'm here researching it, even now)

    I have read this entire thread. I arrived here because I've been doing research into SM & whether or not the claims are real. I happen to be highly suseptible to heavy metal toxins, many environmental concerns, many pharmaceuticals, food addictives, preservatives, etc, etc. My neurologist recommended to me to look into this notion of my fillings leeching into my system & other areas (such as cookware).

    Hell, he's highly educated & he believes in it too. I wouldn't be so swayed if it were not for two people I highly respect & admire, not only telling me they believe but standing behind that claim & doing something about it.

    Granted, they both earn enough to just buy the SM & not worry about whether or not it's at least partially a scam. I appreciated all the info & debate on the matter that I found here - even if I didn't always like the methodology.

    Now, is anyone aware of the other options that basically offer the same thing as SM (quality, material, at least as good of a warranty - if not better, etc, etc) - but for a fraction of the price? I've completely altered my lifestyle because of health issues as a result of my MVA's... I eat organic, local, whole, healthful foods - as few additives & preservatives & GMO's as possible. I do the very best I can. I'm ready to have cookware that supports my healthful lifestyle.

    Thanks for any positive input. And, sorry if it is annoying to you that this thread lives on... I'm grateful!

  • tom421
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For healthful being:
    I have this cookware and love it. This is not spam, just trying to help out. I believe Ray has retired, but will help you out. He is truly a gem.

    http://www.oklahomacookware.com/

  • sushipup1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For "healthful being", buy better quality foods, no processed foods, and learn to cook it yourself. The cookware won't matter at all.

  • willnotreveal_dontask_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I repeated the baking soda test post salad master dinner party. I had taken a pot to the meeting - which had developed the metallic taste. Using another of the same pots I recreated the experiment using a disolved sodium bicarbonate solution 1 heaping teaspoon to 1 cup water. The pot developed the same metallic taste as in the demo. I also retested the pot that had been used in the demo. It did not develop the same metallic taste.

    Hypothesis: the sodium bicarbonate interacts with hard water deposits (calcium, lime etc) from past water exposure to create the metallic taste. Sodium bicarbonate is an effective stain remover, after all.

    If this hypothesis bears out, then the saladmaster test is a test of the last time you descaled your pots and pans using sodium bicarbonate

  • sushipup1
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    But only valid with hard water, I'd guess.

  • awm03
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    healthful_being, if you're concerned about metals leaching into your food while cooking, why don't you save your pennies and get enamel coated cast iron? Le Creuset is very expensive, but if you do a search for it here in the Cookware forum, you'll see that Le Creuset owners absolutely love its cooking qualities. Happily, there are less expensive brands:

    Lodge Enameled Cast Iron

    Tramontina Enameled Cast Iron

    Sure beats wasting thousands on that silly Saladmaster stuff.

  • Serum
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I attended one of these SM dinners this evening. While impressed with the quality (it's hefty, especially that shredder thingy) the price scared the the poo out of everyone. And because of the inflated price I knew I would be leaving empty handed, so the entire evening was spent worrying about how I would shirk the sales pitch.

    Needless to say, I wasn't able to avoid it. I was cornered in the kitchen during clean up. I told him I thought it was over priced and of course he began his spiel about how I would get that money back on the "return" of my investment. *eyeroll* Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's great stuff. I get it.

    THEN, what REALLY turned me off when I asked if they had a website that I could check out and possibly order from, he said that yes they had one, but the only way to get PRICING was to attend one of their parties, therefore I should order immediately! Bwahaaaa!

    He claimed the food only cost $15. I'd love to know where he got all that chicken and vegetables for $15? Obviously it was low quality stuff, as my husband complained of a stomach ache afterward. I got gas pains. Yummy. Not that it matters because there is no way we (who buy organic produce and meat) could feed seven people for less than $20, unless, like their party, you didn't prepare enough for everyone. lol

    And yes, the baking soda test. We were all rather impressed with it. However, my step-son noticed the SM pan was on lower heat than the rest of the pans. When he determined they had boiled enough, he turned off two of them and left the SM and other stainless pan on for a bit longer, claiming they had to catch up. O.o I do have to say the SM pan water tasted the best. But if it's like you guys say and it's that it's a new pan with no build up or whatever, then I'm rather less impressed.

    My husband and I have decided, however, to trash our old teflon pans, which stopped being non-stick years ago. I figure that whatever was coating them is long gone, and only the black, useless pieces of what remains IS probably peeling off slowly and mixing in our food. Ick.

    I've never been a fan of aluminum or stainless cookware, though. And cast iron is a PITA! I have one iron pan, which I use sometimes, but it's ruined I think. I tried seasoning it when I first got it, but it was annoying. I hate the thought of not cleaning my pans with soap...which I hear you CAN do with iron now? WTH! Anyway, too late for that pan.

    Should I go with cast iron or a high quality 304? I HATE to burn stuff. I HATE when the food sticks. That stupid SM pan had stuck on chicken that he said would wipe right about with a paper towel. Uh, no it didn't. Then he retracted and said just a little bit of hot water would loosen it right up. Well, duh. A little hot water loosens anything up in a pain.

    Anyway, glad I found this forum before I took the cookware plunge. Any recommendations? I don't mind paying a little more for good stuff, but when ONE 12" skillet costs $905 I have to seriously question the sanity of anyone selling or buying it.

  • longislandlemonade_yahoo_com
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Having had a demo in our house today, (and my husband was sold on the stuff) I am researching online to find things about it. One thing I've noticed is that I can't find any other cookware with a titanium coating.

    The taste test was dramatic, to say the least. By FAR, my beloved Le Creuset pots were the absolute worst of the bunch. I'm going to repeat the test myself with plain water, or even peas or onion or some vegetable, to see if I get a taste difference without seasoning under normal conditions.

    I have a friend who cooks in copper-clad stainless steel and her son had a very elevated copper level in his blood (he was being tested for heavy metals due to his health conditions).

    We do all we can to try to minimize our exposure to things that leach-I feel like in this day and age humans are marinating in chemicals day in and day out-everything from the endocrine disrupting BPA in canned goods and register receipts to multiple toxins in pretty much everything with a fragrance, but I don't want to spend $4K on a small set of pots when I have others I love. I'm curious about extensive testing done on other brands of surgical grade SS and enameled cast iron, the links further up in this thread didn't work, if anyone finds out about studies done on leaching I'd love to know!

  • danab_z9_la
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Any cookware" (and I do mean "ANY"....even from China) made out of surgical grade stainless steel will never leach any harmful amounts of metal into the foods that are prepared within it. The same holds true specifically for Le Creuset enameled cookware. Given these FACTs, it is really silly for anyone to pay thousands of dollars for Salad Master cookware....or worst yet, pitch out perfectly good cookware. To fear using or to pitch out any Stainless or Le Creuset pot/pan based on that baking soda test is utter nonsense and behavior that is based on fear mongering, emotions, and definitely is not based on any scientific fact. And if anyone finds out about so called "scientific" studies done on metal leaching contrary to what I have just EMPHATICALLY stated.....I'd really love to see it. Hint hint hint.....you will not find such a study anywhere simply because both stainless steel and Le Crueset cookware are 100% safe to use......both absolutely WILL NOT "leach" any harmful quantities of metals into cooked food.

    Dan
    Semper Fi-cus

  • marilyn_c
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Serum, whoever said you can't clean cast iron pans with soap is wrong. I scrub mine with soap pads every time I use it. It doesn't hurt it at all. The main thing is to make sure you dry it thoroughly. I also don't store it with oil rubbed on it, or ever spray it with Pam.

    I passed up some Salad Master pots at a yard sale not long ago. Guess I should have bought them....they were cheap...so had to be the old ones. I have plenty of cookware though, so I didn't get them.

  • FayeN1969
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes I went to a saladmaster dinner over 30 years ago and bought a few pieces of the cookware. It was about $800 for what I purchased. An electric fry pan, a small skillet, a 3qt saucepan, 1 qt saucepan, the tops to all, a pudding insert, and a steamer insert. Also got the vegetable chopper. I still reach for my saladmaster pans even though I have purchased 2 sets of non stick cookware since then. I would love to find some pieces at a garage sale and my non stick would be out the door.

  • Merlin Larsen
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Slick, Facebook does it all.

    My wife and I were pitched last Saturday. The meal was okay, only because there was fried chicken "mashed" potatoes and corn and peas. The rest either got eaten by my wife (a very close "cousin" to a pure Vegan) or tossed out.

    I've read this entire thread. Thanks to all who contributed, but especially to Dan the "resident chemist" (retired).

    Anyone who has purchased any of these extremely expensive pots and pans is thinking differently about money than I/we do. But hey, money is a tool. I won't find fault with, or mock, anyone for spending their money however they want.

    We were given the "acid" test too, and the saleslady really wanted us to concentrate on what was happening as we moved from the tip of the tongue to baking soda, to the SM brew, then a SS brew and finally to the brew bubbling in our aluminum Teflon coated (with scratches) fry pan. Eeew! Yes, the SM brew was like tasting liquid baking soda. The SS brew was like licking ferrous metal, and the scratched Teflon and aluminum was like tasting poison. We were expected to withdraw from our own kitchen utensils in horror and pick a SM pots and pans set immediately.

    My wife only scheduled our "free" dinner on the chance that she would get the SM hand shredder, or maybe even want to buy one. But, the danged thing won't handle kale. It just wiggles right through all the shredding cones. She was really hoping to save time on the chopping of her daily kale with a knife.

    So the saleslady lost us on that disappointment alone. The over-priced items. The skepticism I instantly had over the boiling baking soda "test". And finally the Net providing good information. This thread is the Bomb! Thanks again. I specifically wanted information on the baking soda gimmick and the concentrated information contained in this years-long exchange has been most appreciated.

    So, Salad Master is still at it. But their methods are so "old school". The Net provides everyone with instant reality check at their fingertips. I can just see someone pulling up this thread "in situ" while the "soda test" is going, and reading off Dan's educated denouncement of it. That, would be funny! I bet it's happened already more than once.

  • woodbury262
    8 years ago

    The waterless cookware sold today at shows and parties is expensive. There is no doubt about that. And it was expensive over 40 years ago. We have been using Westbend Lustrecraft waterless for over 40 years. It is try-ply and has held up very well. Along with a wide variety of other cookware of the multi-ply stainless, anodized aluminum, and non-stick steel as well as aluminum, cast iron varieties, we have used and enjoyed them all. Recently I bit the bullet and got a piece of 360 cookware touted as waterless, or vapor ware. 360 has switched to induction capable cookware so they are phasing out their non-induction line at 40% off.

    After using the 1 qt sauce pan for a short time, I ordered the 2 and the 3 qt, an 8 qt stock pot, and a 3 1/2 qt saute pan. These are nice, heavy, well balanced pots with good comfortable handles. Pricey? Yes. But then so is All Clad, Mauviel (love their roasters), and a host of other brands. Why buy 360? My wife likes the pot rim design and how the lid fits as do I. Also, it is made in America in a certified Green facility, it is NOT available through home shows or parties, but is available direct or from other on-line retailers. It is just good cookware, and one can never have too much cookware.

  • dixegirl
    7 years ago

    This forum is so old probably no one would read this, but on the off chance they did, I would like to add my 2 cents worth. I was invited to a free dinner in 1975 where I watched a salesperson demonstrate a set of Saladmaster. I thought it was amazing and talked my husband into buying it for me. I bought the Classic set, plus an electric skillet, and double boiler/steamer. Back then it ran about $360. Well, going on 40+ years now, I'm happy to report that I have never had to buy another pot to replace one of my Saladmaster pots. I venture to say that I have cooked thousands of meals in them for my family over the years. I love the vent on top that lets you know when the optimum cooking is taking place so things take a lot less time and lower temperatures to cook. I'm so glad I had the sense to purchase the cookware back then. They have served our family well.

  • amgslknyc
    7 years ago

    It is now 2016. you can pull up real statistic on this company. I have been reading this forum and people have fell for this 30-40 years ago. But then again those were peer pressure sales from friends and relative ,back in the days of Amway.

    anyone now can pull up the internet and find better cookware them saladmaster. Their warranty is not even really lifetime as they claimed.

    If they were such a great company, they would not have to give free cooking classes, or cooking giveaways or cooking parties. These are basically
    " gimmicks ". Don't fall for them, these people can be quite convincing and downright insulting .

    don't fall for the saladmaster scam

  • Carol Panepinto
    6 years ago

    I had not heard of saladmaster until recently and just got one of the food processors on Ebay. It really is a neat tool the way it chops and slices. I just had to order the finger guard/food pusher from the company. I was looking into maybe getting some of the cookware but can't even find a way to buy it except on Ebay. What a crazy way to run a company. My old SS cookware is in rough shape and I want to get some new and the idea of getting something that does not leach into the food and can cook at lower temps is appealing. Don't know if anyone is even looking at this post anymore but that is my two cents-people don't even know how to purchase this cookware-you can't just buy it from the company website like the parts.

  • Gooster
    6 years ago

    Saladmaster is sold through a multi-level marketing network, which is why you can't buy it retail or online, except through Ebay and the like.

  • Carol Panepinto
    6 years ago

    I am with a MLM company but have a website where people can order online-most companies do. There isn't anyone selling Saladmaster anywhere near me so used on Ebay is the only way pretty much. Like I said dumb way to run a company.


  • rlcollins043
    6 years ago

    You have to contact them directly and they will put you in touch with a dealer. Not sure what their techniques are to sell to you directly, but I've heard they are pretty hard sell. https://saladmaster.com/Find-A-Dealer

  • HU-137625003
    last year

    I have also just attended a Saladmaster demo. The baking soda test got me. Or so I thought. But I slept on it. When i woke up, I asked myself this question: if I bought this expensive cookware so I can cook healthier, this means I just stay home and never ever go out to eat? I want to travel, too. The cost of the cookware can buy me a trip rather than keep it in the closet. Should I just snob the foods from the places I travel because they are not cooked in saladmaster cookware? I can stay healthy with better choices and by being conscious of my well-being.

  • HU-113687692
    8 months ago

    I have just recently heard about the baking soda test on cookware. I like to do my homework when someone is stating facts to me and trying to sell me something. What I have learned is when baking soda is heated without acid, carbon dioxide is released slowly which leaves a yucky metallic taste in the food or water. When baking soda reaches temperatures above 176 degrees Fahrenheit, sodium bicarbonate starts to break down. The reaction produces carbon dioxide gas, which makes the baked goods rise, but you have to have an acidic ingredient like lemon juice or buttermilk to neutralize it. Without an acidic ingredient alkaline sodium carbonate is produced thereby giving a metallic or bitter flavor to baked goods. That is why the water, with only baking soda added, and then boiled at 212 degrees Fahrenheit without the acidic ingredient gives you the unpleasant taste.