stainless steel cookware (1 Viewer)

[Jeremy Illingworth]

Since my fiance left I've been doing lots more cooking and decided I may move up to some better cookware as a couple of my pieces of non stick are staring to wear.

What are the pros and cons of going stainless? It's all my mother ever used and I grew up cooking on it; I don't remember any problems. Are they dishwasher safe? Can they be air dried? The brand I'm considering is Lagostina, they very thick and well built. They're expensive enough to make the think they're not cheap crap but cheap enough that I can afford some.

jeremy

 

[KyleS]

Good things about stainless is that they clean relatively easy with just water and a rag, cook evenly since they usually have a copper or other insert between the layers of steel (that conduct better), and they look great. If you dont like the look of copper after it has been used then stainless is my second choice hands down. The nice thing also is that you dont have to eat chunks of teflon with your food.
KyleS

 

[Philip_G]

I have never liked non-stick. I much prefer stainless, or in some cases cast iron
you should treat stainless just like your non stick, unless you don't care about scratches in the pan (I don't)
I'm partial to all clad, but can only afford them one at a time, and usually factory seconds

 

[Bill Kane]

I cant help it, a bluesy sorta Eric Clapton song in my head won't go away...


Since my baby left me, I don' know what to do. Since my baby left me, I don' know what to do.

Now I'm in the kitchen, I'm gonna reach for the gas.

It hurts so bad, I burn m'hand and cant remember her face.
It hurts so bad, I'm burnin ev'ry thing in the place.

Gonna get me some Stainless, cuz know that'll las'
Gotta sale downtown for All-Clad, so I'll buy that one fas'

...my apologies and welcome to bachelordom.
MagnaLite-- One piece at a time

 

[brentl]

Lagostina ROMA at Sears. On sale at Sears now and then for $222 dollars. It's 11 pieces + 3 stainless mixing bowls with lids.

Great deal

 

[brentl]

Forgot to add that they have a lifetime Guarantee

 

[Walt N]

Lagostina is pretty good stuff but believe it or not, the best inexpensive stainless cookware I've seen out there is Kirkland from Costco. It's made in Italy and rivals All-Clad in quality. Like All-Clad, it uses an 18/10 stainless/aluminum/stainless layering technique that goes all the way up the sides of the pans vs. the bonded aluminum disc you see on lesser sets. Also, instead of spot-welded handles like you see on Sitran, it uses solid stainless rivets (like All-Clad) which means you can finish food off in a broiler or oven.

Stainless cookware is a pain to use if you don't use it properly as everything will stick, but if you season them properly and abide by the "hot pan/cold oil" rules you'll be fine. They shouldn't be put in a dishwasher and they do need to be towel dried. For omelettes they also sell small fry pans with an excellent non-stick coating.

On the plus side only stainless and copper/tin pans with a smooth bottom put a proper browning on certain foods, especially meat.

 

[Peter Kim]

Rosle's website
Link Removed
My wife and I use Rosle, a German cookware company. They are constructed of 18/10 stainless steel and are designed very simply and functionally. Over a number of years, we've been able to slowly add to our collection, since they are heirloom quality and priced likewise.

 

[Ryan Wright]

My parents have a nice, big, heavy set of cookware. They've had them since before I was born. Forgot what they paid, I know it was expensive. The company sells the same set today for about $2500. Lifetime warranty - the handle on one of my mom's broke many years ago, and even after 20 some odd years of ownership, they replaced it, no questions asked.

We have a relatively humble ~$350 set of cookware. Works great, except my wife decided to boil some water a few months back and forgot the water. Destroyed our medium sized pot, and the manufacturer no longer makes that type, so now one of them doesn't match the rest.

 

[Daren Welsh]

Do any of you use "waterless" cookware? What's the difference between that and the stainless steel stuff you're discussing now?

 

[Ron-P]

Iron cook ware is the best, cheap and indestructible. A little olive oil and nothing, nothing sticks to it. I cook on nothing other.
Peace Out~

 

[Walt N]

The problem with iron-ware is hot spots which can burn food or cook it unevenly and the longer heating time. Great for camping though.

Waterless cookware is used for pressure cooking and ususally has a little pressure valve/whistle on the lid.

 

[Max Knight]

My wife and I use a set of Kitchenaid stainless steel. It's cheaper than the Allclad, and better put together to boot.

I love the stuff, though you do have to get used to it:

- Always heat the pan a bit before adding the food
- Make sure you have enough oil/butter to keep certain types of food from sticking
- When cooking "loose" sticky food like ground meat, don't poke at it while it starts to cook! Let a crust form first, then it won't stick (and it will look and taste better).
- Don't clean with steel wool, no matter how much you want to. Use a stainless steel cleaner like Bon Ami (cheap and effective!).

We do keep one small non-stick pan for crepes and eggs.

Amazon often has GREAT deals on Kitchenaid stainless cookware!

 

[Dave E H]

My two favorite pans are my 10" All-Clad LTD skillet & my cast iron skillet. Different pans w/ different purposes.

Stainless steel's really nice and definitely my preferred cookware, minus the aforementioned cast iron skillet.

 

[KyleS]

Walt,
I just happened to be in Costco the other day and looked at those units. They had both the stainless for $199 and the copper for $299. Really nice looking set for the money.
KyleS

 

[Jeremy Illingworth]

I got a Lagostina pan with a lid today, its all I can afford. Unfortunately, I've already got food for a couple of nights so I may not be able to use it for a while. I got it at Winners for a very reasonble price.

jeremy

 

[Walt N]

That's a good way to go, you can piece together a collection over time this way instead of coughing up a bunch of cash all at once.
Now come on Jeremy, toss the leftovers in the trash, oil up that new pan and start throwing food around. That's living!
Wanna know how to flip and toss your food around like a pro? Jiggle the pan until the food is loose in the bottom, then jerk the pan upward and pull it toward you at the same time so that the back lip of the pan shoots the food straight up in the air and rotates it. Practice with a dry cold pan and a piece of bread first, then move on to cut up veggies and meat for a stir fry. The higher you can toss loose food without any landing on the floor, the more points you score. I worked my way through college in hotel restaurant kitchens where some line cooks could launch their saute items 3 feet up and catch it all in a 12" fry pan. I'm only good for about 2 feet. When you get really good you'll be able to flip three eggs over this way without breaking the yolks (go for just enough height to get the job done here).
In no time you'll be scaring the hell out of everyone with your amazing cooking skills.

 

[Peter Yee]

I bought the Costco stainless set and have been generally pleased with it. You should note, however, that it is not as hefty as the All-Clad. For example, the All-Clad 6 qt saute pan weighs in about 2 lbs. more, as I recall. In general, the really import part about cookware is to get something that's heavy. That'll contribute to good heat distribution and cookware that won't cool down too much when you add food to it. On the other hand, you'll have to heft it!

-Peter

 

[JimColeman]

Any other tips on how to cook properly with stainless steel? Also, what is the proper way to season these pans?

 

[Peter Yee]

As far as I know, you don't season stainless steel pans. You try to keep them clean and shiny. You'll want to pick up some stainless steel pot/pan cleaner (for use only on the non-shiny inside part). This is good for removing the white residue that may develop after use (not sure from what).
Not sure about the "proper" way to cook on stainless. Make sure you give your pans enough time on the fire to heat up before you being cooking (for certain things that like high heat -- obviously this doesn't apply to boiling water ). Since the pans are stainless steel and hopefully think, they'll take a little while to heat up -- slower than copper, in any case.
-Peter