Motorcycle Repair: Aluminum vs. stainless steel, stainless steel pot, aluminum pots

Question
Do you know how to tell the difference between aluminum and stainless steel?

I know this is not your area, but I just got a Couscous cooking pot on Ebay. It was advertised as stainless steel, but it sure looks like aluminum to me.

I've tested it for a magnetic field and it has none. But, there is a kind of stainless steel (300?) that doesn't hold a magnetic field. The reason this is so important, is because I have alzheimers in my family, and aluminum pots foster faster growth of alzheimers.

Thanks for your time,
Loves Moroccan Food

Answer
Hi Virginia, what I would do is find another pot in your collection or a neighbors of roughly the same size and shape, one that your sure is made of stainless steel. Then weigh both pots on a dietary scale or if you dont have one use the produce scale at the supermarket...The suspect pot, if it is made of aluminum will weigh much less than the stainless steel pot. No magnetic attraction...much lighter than the known stainless pot of same size?? It's aluminum.
   good luck  and thank you for asking

   P.S. there is a stainless thats not magnetic it's refered to as Austenitic steel series 300. Cookware made of stainless steel with a high Nickle content 18/8 or 18/10 becomes non magnetic. These should have Copper clad bottoms though to help with even heating.. todays cookware has become pretty darn sophisticated...I hope this helps


      sincerely

           randy