The Benefits of a Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Jun

2009

Cookware is just as important as the quality of food you cook with. A good cookware set can be the difference between an okay meal and a great meal. For most uses, experts say a stainless steel cookware set is your safest and best choice. It is beautiful, easy to care for, sturdy and nonreactive. Nonreactive means that the metals will not leach into your foods.

However, just like many other things in life quality matters. Stainless steel is an alloy and therefore the quality of these kinds of cookware depends on what is added to the mix. There are low quality, inexpensive stainless steel cookware as there are very high quality ones.

Higher quality pans have an aluminum core in the base and sides of the pans, while cheaper ones only have the aluminum in the sides. The aluminum core means more even cooking and better heat conduction. Therefore, you will have greater control over your cooking temperature.

Good quality pans are smooth and are easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher. If your cookware has a mirror finish, you may want to clean it by hand since this will prevent scratches in your mirror like finish. But if you don’t care too much, a little rough handling will not harm your cookware.

You will need to use fat to prevent your foods from sticking. But the resulting brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan can make a world of difference with the delectable taste of your food, especially with stews and sauces. If you don’t want your food to stick just make sure that the pan does not dry out. Either code it with fat or water and use a lower temperature.

Although the food will stick to the pan, a well made stainless steel pan will not leech metal into the food. This is a common problem with iron where it can be harmful to men and menopausal women who don’t need as much iron.

A well made and well cared for stainless steel cookware set will last for generations.

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