Stainless steel is a popular material with kitchen materials and cookware. This is because stainless steel is non-reactive, highly durable, and quite affordable.
Although considered superior in kitchenware, you still need to be careful when shopping for stainless steel items for your kitchen. You can read this article about nonstick vs stainless steel vs ceramic to learn more about what we mean. You need to know exactly what to look for to make a good buy. Outlined below is a guide, and a few tips, on how to choose the best stainless-steel cookware set.
- Look for Sets with An Aluminum Core
While stainless steel might be durable and non-corrosive, it isn’t perfect for cooking applications. Pure stainless steel doesn’t heat evenly/adequately. It could cause your food to cook unevenly. Manufacturers, however, add copper or aluminum cores to the base, as well as the sides of stainless-steel pans to ensure even heat distribution. Some of this cookware will feature both copper and aluminum in the bottom, which again enables the pot to retain heat, making it possible to cook your food evenly.
- Go For 18/10 Stainless Cookware
This is the composition of the material used to make the steel. An 18/10 composition means the set has 18% chromium and 10% nickel. Such makes the metal more durable and resistant to rust and stains. Chromium is mainly known to prevent rusting while nickel gives the pans and pots the shiny gloss. That said, only go for stainless cookware with an 18/10 composition or higher for quality.
- Find the Right Set of Pans and Pots for Your Favorite Recipes
While it may be tempting to settle for cookware set with the most pieces, it would be advisable to look for sets with the pieces you really need. A basic/good cookware set should include at least a skillet or sauté pan (for your vegetables and meats), a saucepan (for sauces and soups), and a stockpot (for soup and pasta). Have your preferred meals and recipes in mind when shopping for stainless cookware, and ensure all the desired pieces are included in the set.
- Go for Sets with Durable Lids and Handles
The lids and handles are as important as the quality of metal for the cookware. It is, for this reason, why you should only go for sets with strong handles and lids. They not only need to have easy-to-grip and cool-to-touch handles but oven friendly too. You don’t want the handles to burn or melt off in your oven, do you? Although most sets will come standard with lids included, some won’t. Be sure to check to avoid nasty surprised when the set is delivered.
- Consider Any Accessories
As mentioned before, some sets will have more pieces than others. The rule of thumb is to ensure the cookware set has all the pieces you need. Any of the advertised extras or accessories might just be recipe books, spoons, ladles, and spatulas. Unless you really require the ‘extra’ pieces, stick to the basic cookware set, then go from there.
