"PLAIN ALUMINUM—THE GOOD AND THE BAD When it comes to quality in plain aluminum pans, it is a story of the ""very good"" or ""very bad."" Tour your favourite restaurant's kitchen and you will see primarily plain aluminum pans, especially huge stockpots. Why? Performance. Thick gauge pans needed for rugged commercial use are less expensive to manufacture in aluminum than stainless steel or copper. However, due to aluminum's low cost, it is also perfect for the ""very bad"" thin-gauge cookware. Most stores do not carry plain aluminum pans. http://www.jdaluminium.com/"