I have a pot that says on it 18/10 stainless steel?

Question

A magnet will not stick to it and I know that magnets stick to stainless steel. So does that fraction mean that it is coated with stainless steel or what. I have a watch that is layered with 16 K gold so I know that it only has gold on the outside.

I am concerned about aluminum that they usually make pots with.

Answer 1

Actually magnets only stick to some stainless steel - they types known as martensitic.. What you are looking at is an austenitic stainless, See the following from Wikipedia:

"Austenitic, or 300 series, stainless steels comprise over 70% of total stainless steel production. They contain a maximum of 0.15% carbon, a minimum of 16% chromium and sufficient nickel and/or manganese to retain an austenitic structure at all temperatures from the cryogenic region to the melting point of the alloy. A typical composition of 18% chromium and 10% nickel, commonly known as 18/10 stainless, is often used in flatware".

(The names martensitic and austenitic refer to crystalline structures)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_s...

Answer 2

18/10 is defined as 18% chromium and 10% nickel.  This type of stainless steel (Austenite, or gamma phase iron) is non-magnetic.

I'm interested in why you are concerned with aluminum in pots.  There are studies that show cooking with aluminum pots does not cause Alzheimer's disease.