Stainless Steel Little Love
Today we’re talking about the most ideal cookware material on Earth: stainless steel. Before you hit the comment button, I want to make it clear that I am not condemning cast iron. I would never do that. My 12 ” Cast Iron Pan is my very big and heavy son and I love him very much (he turned 8 in July, thanks for the question). But here’s the truth: stainless steel is the only truly versatile cookware material you can buy, which is why I recommend it in the first place.
It just works
Uniform, responsive warmth
The amazing versatility of stainless steel lies in its ability to react to changes in temperature. Cast iron provides an excellent constant cooking temperature, but it takes forever to adapt to temperature changes. A well-designed stainless steel skillet distributes heat evenly and releases it quickly enough to bring a covered saucepan of rice from a simmer to a low simmer without boiling or scorching the bottom.
Non-corrosive and suitable for oven use
When it comes to braising, there is no substitute for long, slow braising in the oven – and there is no better vessel for that than a closed stainless steel skillet. This is especially true for something sour, like bolognese sauce, which cannot be safely cooked in cast iron or aluminum. My favorite oven stew pan is the five liter deep pan I got in my Cook’s Standard set (which I’ll talk about later). Its wide base makes it ideal for browning ingredients in one layer, and its straight sides accommodate an amazing amount of food. Throw the lid on and it can go straight into the oven for a nice long stew, which brings me to my next point.
Reusable caps
I love my cast iron skillet with a ferocity comparable only to my hatred of her terrible hat. Trying to find a place to put a hot cast iron lid with dripping condensation on it so you can test the stew is done is a huge pain. Cleaning one and then finding a place to dry is even worse. The stainless steel lids are also safe to use in the oven, but they are lightweight, easy to handle and dishwasher safe. In addition, the diameters of the pots in stainless steel sets often overlap, so one lid can hold two or more pots. Finally, I love how easy it is to store them – I use an IKEA accordion stand and it is perfect.
Durable and easy to clean
The difference between a chef and a cook is access to the dishwasher (human, not machine). If you are in charge of cleaning yourself, you will need dishes that can be washed quickly, easily, and on schedule. Unlike cast iron, non-stick pans and carbon steel pans, stainless steel ticks each of these drawers and you can put it in a damn dishwasher (machine, not human; the latter is an assault). If you burn something that doesn’t respond to a regular soap scrub, don’t panic, because God gave us a Bartender Friend for that very reason.
Nothing is impossible
As I mentioned earlier, stainless steel is really versatile, but it does some things exceptionally well. Here are my favorite apps.
Pan
When used correctly, a stainless steel skillet is the best surface for frying, period. It’s non-stick enough to make the perfect scrambled eggs, yet sticky enough to ease the crucial Maillard reaction . The secret is to preheat the skillet over your desired heat for a few minutes before adding the fat, then heat the fat in the hot skillet for another minute or two. (This works at any temperature.) When you have a hot stainless steel skillet covered in hot fat, nothing will stick to it – not even fried cheese.
Boiling and steaming
Good inventory is a real kitchen workhorse. Whether you’re boiling three pounds of pasta, boiling a gallon of Sunday sauce, or stewing artichokes, a stainless steel casserole is perfect for you.
Extinguishing
I’ve talked a bit about how I like to use a large stainless steel casserole dish for slow-cooked stews, but the closed stainless steel skillet is also great for stewing quickly on the stove top. The lids I’ve written poetry about earlier are the real stars here: they make extinguishing incredibly easy.
It’s worth what you can afford
Quality stainless steel can be found in any price range. The only look you need is “clad” or “multi-layer”, which means it is made up of multiple layers of metal. Super fancy plated stainless steel uses a copper core for thermal conduction; the less expensive models usually use an aluminum core. If you’re looking for thick bottom stainless steel sandwich construction, you can’t go wrong. Here are some guidelines to get you started.
Bourgie
If price doesn’t matter, the All-Clad is the gold standard for stainless steel cookware. A set of ten copper cores costs about $ 1,300; a set of fourteen items costs just under $ 2,000 . Believe it or not, you can spend even more if you want – check out Alessi’s Pans for some real crockery porn – but I don’t approve of spending thousands of dollars on crockery. Buy a used car at a reasonable price or contribute to the IRA for Pete (or yourself).
Medium brown
Both Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table make excellent cookware under their own brands, while Calphalon and Anolon offer very good multi-layer stainless steel sets. Stay away from the inexpensive Classic Stainless sets you find in department stores, however: they lack the layered construction and weight that make excellent cookware.
Budget
If the dystopian hellish landscape of late capitalism gives you no options other than ethically questionable Chinese forgeries, I highly recommend the Cook’s Standard set . I’ve used mine on a daily basis for five years and it doesn’t wear out. It was also less than two hundred dollars, but I have no plans to update.
Very tight budget
If you know what to look for, Goodwill and other thrift stores can be a godsend. My best advice on saving kitchenware is to Google the brands and models on your phone right in the store before purchasing. You probably will not find a suitable full set, and you definitely have to rummage through piles of terrible pots with a thin base, but you can also find a really good Calphalon pan for five dollars.
When it comes to versatility, durability and functionality, stainless steel really is unmatched. If you’ve ever switched from stainless steel to a different cookware, hopefully this will inspire you to take another look. You will not regret it.