At many top restaurants, professional chefs use cast iron pans, which retain their heat better than other pans and can be transferred directly from the stovetop to the oven. They even work well for foods such as eggs and fish, which require nonstick surfaces. However, to retain their nonstick quality, cast iron pans need to be regularly seasoned, a process that involves coating the pan with oil or butter and heating it in the oven. Coated aluminum pans use synthetic fluoropolymers to create a nonstick surface that doesn't require as much maintenance. Thus, coated aluminum pans are ultimately more convenient than cast iron pans for cooking eggs and fish at home.
The argument above relies on which of the following assumptions?The argument concludes that coated aluminum pans are more convenient than cast iron pans for cooking eggs and fish at home because coated aluminum pans require less maintenance.
The missing link is that
less maintenance makes cookware more convenient for home cooking.
(A) Cast iron pans are difficult to maintain.
Wrong. The argument does not need cast iron pans to be difficult to maintain. It only needs them to require more maintenance than coated aluminum pans.
(B) Cookware that requires more maintenance is not as convenient for home cooking.
Correct. This connects the evidence to the conclusion. If maintenance level had no effect on convenience, then the fact that cast iron pans need regular seasoning would not show that coated aluminum pans are more convenient.
(C) There are no pans that are more convenient for nonstick purposes than coated aluminum pans.
Wrong. The argument compares coated aluminum pans with cast iron pans only. It does not need coated aluminum pans to be the most convenient pans overall.
(D) Coated aluminum pans can be used to cook foods that do not require a nonstick coating.
Wrong. The conclusion is specifically about eggs and fish, which do require nonstick surfaces.
(E) There is no need to use butter or oil to cook in a coated aluminum pan.
Wrong. Coated aluminum pans could still require some butter or oil and still be more convenient if they require less maintenance.
Answer: (B)