Buy aluminum cookware made of anondized aluminum. It is more durable. Calphalon and Circulon are popular brands favored by professional chefs.

Use plastic or wooden utensils with aluminum cookware, as most aluminum pots and pans have non-stick coatings that will scratch if steel utensils are used on them.

Use aluminum oven pans for baking and roasting, but not for broiling foods such as steaks. Aluminum can soften and distort under the high heat of broiler temperatures.

Be aware that less expensive aluminum pans can oxidize acidic foods. Eggs and asparagus, for instance, will darken in color and taste differently when cooked in aluminum. One solution is to buy a core aluminum pan coated with an outer metal such as stainless steel.

Rinse and recycle "disposable" aluminum bake pans such as the thin pans available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets. An exception to this green rule might be to throw away an aluminum pan in which lasagna, for example, has been baked. You'll likely waste more water trying to rinse the pan than the recyclable aluminum is worth.