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Stainless Cookware
Stainless steel cookware is as beautiful as it is functional. It is the cookware choice of chefs the world over; they prefer it for its relatively light weight, its durability, and not least of all its ability to be used with any kind of ingredient without changing flavor. Since stainless steel cookware is non-reactive, it will not interfere with the delicate flavors of dishes containing lemon juice, tomatoes, or other acidic foods. Other types of pans, such as cast iron, have a tendency to react poorly to acidic ingredients, often making them unsuitable to such tasks.
What to Look For
Before you run out and buy the most expensive cookware on the block, it would probably be in your best interest to give some thought to what you will be using the stainless cookware for. There are many different types of steel used in the construction of the pans, and each one acts differently. You will need to determine the level of cooking that you will be doing. For example, if you are doing casual dining at home, you do not have to spend hundreds of dollars to ensure that your favorite skillet does not get hot spots. A good, mid-range, reasonably-priced set of pots and pans will stand you in good stead throughout even the longest dinner-parties.
If, for example, you are using a gas flame instead of an electric or induction burner, you may want a heavier stainless steel pan that has an aluminum core extending up the sides of the pan. This will help ensure that you have even heating all around, because the flames on a gas stove often heat the sides of a pan as much as the bottom.
Many dishes call for the dish to be started on the stove top burner, and then moved to the oven to finish. Many steaks, for example, if they are cooked to the proper stage, will be dry if they are cooked solely on the stove, so the best stainless steel cookware is oven-safe, often to as high as 500 degrees. This allows many dishes, such as a frittata or steak to come out perfectly, each and every time.
No matter how you slice it, the better the quality of the steel, and the more things you expect the pans to do, the higher your price will be. There are many different stainless steel cookware manufacturers and they are not all created equal.
Options that Are Best for You
Of course, just knowing what you need is not always enough. There are always additional options to consider when purchasing the best stainless steel cookware. Stainless cookware manufacturers often offer things such as oven-safe handles to their customers. Many customers forget that the handles of the pan must be oven-safe, not just the pan itself. As a result, people ruin a fine stainless steel pan by overheating it in the oven. To combat this, manufacturers are offering handles that are oven safe in excess of 350 degrees.
Some aluminum pans, offered by Calphalon™ (www.calphalon.com/) and All-Clad™ (www.all-clad.com/) use the highest quality copper instead of aluminum for their core. This not only looks amazingly appealing, but will ensure that your pans heat evenly each and every time. Copper-core stainless cookware is often significantly more expensive than even the best aluminum core offerings. The best quality of these, the All-Clad™ Copper Core set offers a 10 piece set of cookware for $1,199.00 plus tax. This quality offering from All-Clad™ consistently ranks in the top-spot in cookware reviews.
The Proper Care and Feeding of Stainless
While it is true that stainless steel cookware can stand up to the rigors of everyday use, care should still be taken to ensure that it lasts well into the lifetime of your beneficiaries. Most professional chefs live and die by the little brown bits that collect on the bottom of a proper stainless steel pan. Traditional French chefs call this “fond.” “Fond” is the basis of many sauces and gravies that elevate basic food to haute cuisine.
However, of course, if you proceed past “fond” and straight to “burned” you will have to do some heavy-duty cleaning. Instead of scrubbing with a heavy steel wool pad, or using harsh detergents that can damage the finish of your best stainless steel cookware, try putting a half-inch of water in the bottom of the pan and letting it come to a boil. Let it boil for 30 seconds, then scrape with a spatula or whisk. This will bring those crispy-bits off your pan, and you can simply discard them as you like.
If you simply must use a chemical to help you, you should try something like Bar Keepers Friend™ (http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/). It will allow you to keep your pan as shiny as new, and will not pit the metal or scratch the surface that works so hard for you.
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