Can I have comments please on Aluminium v Stainless Steel preserving pan?
I used to have an antique copper and cast iron pan which got too heavy for me and In now use an aluminium one with no adverse results when using vinegar. A W.I. cookery book says I shouldn't use aluminium for preserves where vinegar is used. I am aware that some believe there is a link between aluminium and alzheimers disease, but that is not the issue here. Many thanks for any replies.

anyone please!

Sorry Old Thatch , can't help, I have a non stick preserving pan which works fine for me. Would you consider one of those? It is relatively light.

At the back of my mind I seem to think that the vinegar in a chutney has a chemical reaction with the aluminium and can discolour and affect the surface of the pan/metal. The front of my ovens are brushed aluminium and I have made several marks using oven cleaner and a too caustic kitchen spray cleaner. I would go for the stainless steel one given the choice. My mum has alzheimers...dreadful disease, utterly ghastly for all concerned.

Oh dear Posset I feel awful I didn't mean to sound as if I was brushing aside alzheimers disease, I know how dreadful it can be and, as you say for all concerned.
I have never seen a non-stick pan can you provide a source?
Cheers

Please Old Thatch don't feel bad! I didn't for one minute think you were brushing Alzheimers aside. Do not give it a second thought Mum is as happy as Larry in her own little world and her children have had long enough dealing with it, to come to terms with it, dreadfully sad and hard though it is!

Back to more important things...Jam! I bought my pan in a shop in Burton on Trent. I had a quick look for a similar pan for you but could not find a source. Lakeland have a nice stainless steel one though? I'd go for that.

All the best

I would go for stainless steel every time.

They do seem a bit pricey for what they are - probably because the demand is limited.

If you want to keep the price down and you don't want to lift anything too heavy, how about going for a large stainless steel pot - such as a casserole pot? I saw one in TESCO with a copper base a few weeks back which was about £20 - 8 litres I think. It was a lovely pot. Or the encapsulated alloy based ones can be picked up for about £8.

Thanks a lot for the info. I made beetroot chutney yesterday and the pan didn't discolour but I know when I look at it that it is aluminium and I will buy a new one, especially as for the first time ever the raspberry jam caught a little on the bottom. The trouble is that I'm almost as obsessive about good cook shops as I am about food and will have to go in blindfolded with a written note. Possett I worked with elderly people for many years and I can emphathise with the family but as mum is happy in her world then she is blessed. Take care.

I recently bought a fab stainless steel preserving pan from Amazon - it was called a Swift Jam pan. 9litres capacity and its got a nice thick base so I haven't had any trouble with it sticking to the bottom. I'm really pleased with it!

I would like a 9litre stainless steel as I am currently using my pressure cooker (with no lid!) to make my preserves. It can only do 5 to 6 lbs at a time, and a jam pan could do more in one go of course.
My mother had a jam pan for years until she got older and stopped making, and I never made very much at a time, so she got rid of it a few years back.

I wish now that I had taken it off her! Hindsight is a wonderful thing!