Stainless Steel vs Hard Anodized

[Nattie]

Hi, I'm a newbie... I want to buy a decent set of pots and pans that will last me a very good while, perform well, and be able to put in the dishwasher if I so desire (this is a secondary concern).

I've ruled out (I think) buying a non-stick coated set, but am still wondering about whether I should go stainless steel or hard-anodized... Does anyone have any advice? Is the performance of hard anodized hugely superior to stainless steel? Even if is more durable, is this really a concern since apparently good stainless steel lasts for ages anyway??

Appreciate any advice or feedback!

Thanks

 

[fireweaver]

hi Nattie, and welcome to the site.

the type of cookware in your kitchen is a definite matter of personal preference. i'm sure you'll find just as many disciples of anodized as you will of stainless (i'm stainless all the way, and yes, my same set has lasted me well since early college...NO nonstick here either), and a few for good old fashioned cast iron, too. go buy yourself one nice pot of each, of a quality you won't mind keeping around, and test drive 'em. when you know what YOU like, then head on out and buy your set.

meanwhile, search through the archives, because discussions like this have come up many a time in the past.

 

[Robo410]

stainless may be dishwasher safe, hard anodized rarely is.

 

[evenstranger]

I've begun switching from anodized to stainless for two reasons... easier clean up and less reactive to the foods I cook. I use tomatoes quite a bit in cooking, and anodized almost always changes the color and flavor of my tomato dishes. Also, and perhaps it's the way I'm cooking, anodized seems to stick worse than stainless does.

 

[Andy M.]

When you consider SS, you should look at tri-ply layered SS. The entire pan body is two layers of SS with a layer of Aluminum in between. This is the best option for SS and it's the best option IMO.

It is more durable than hard anodized, less reactive and dishwasher safe.

My preference, look in my kitchen, is SS. Others may disagree.

 

[Nattie]

Thanks all for the feedback! I have since changed my mind and decided I would like non-stick frying pans (but ss pots), since I make the most mess with them... I guess the question now is, do you see any advantage of non-stick hard-anodized over non-stick stainless steel or non-stick aluminium (are there any other types?)? I have looked at scanpan - a nonstick made from ceramic titanium, which is not hard anodized but everyone is telling me here (in Oz) that scanpan is the top of the range in terms of nonstick... any comments on these also??
Thanks again,
Nattie

 

[Andy M.]

I look at non-stick skillets as disposable items. I buy heavy aluminum skillets with a non-stick coating and toss them when they go bad. That way I don't have to feel guilty about ruining a $150 pan with a little scratch.

You can get a set of three heavy aluminum pans, 8", 10" and 12" for a total of $25 at Costco among other places. They perform every bit as well as a more expensive pan.

 

[Nattie]

By the way, I was looking at Esteele Stainless Steel pots - does anyone have experience (good or bad) with these, or any other recommendations?

 

[Andy M.]

I haven't heard of them before but the website shows a pot with a disk on the bottom. This style of construction can work well, expecially on an electric stove.

Just curious, why did you focus on this brand rather than some of the more commonly available ones?

 

[Nattie]

Well, out of the 3 large department stores that I have been to (in Australia), Esteele seem to be the best that are available ... admittedly I have only started looking, but they are coming highly recommended. Apparently they are stainless steel encasing and aluminium core, with a relatively thick copper base covered with SS - these are the best I have seen so far. What other brands should I be looking for?

 

[Andy M.]

Nattie:

I didn't realize you were in Australia. I was thinking about US brands such as All-Clad, Cuisinart, Calphalon, LeGourmet Chef, etc.

In Australia, is there tri-ply cookware available? That is, a SS and alum. sandwich of metal for the entire pot body.

 

[Nattie]

here is the site for the SS pots i was looking at

Matchbox - Esteele

it doesn't look like they are tri-ply but i believe you can get that here... (and calphalon) - does it give that much better performance?

 

[Andy M.]

If you have a gas stove and turn the flame up to a higher temp, the flame can reach beyond the edge of the disk and scorch the food in the pot. This is a problem with smaller pots and pans. With an electric stove, you should notice little or no difference.

 

[Nattie]

Sorry - not sure I understood correctly (I do have a gas stove!) - do you mean that a downside of the copper disc base, that is not encased in SS, is what you described - hence the tri-ply is superior in these instances? I don't quite get why if the flame-range is larger than the disc size, this will scorch the food; particularly if the sides are SS, which is a bad conducter?

 

[Andy M.]

Plain SS (one layer) is a poor conductor. This can result in some foods burning in they are exposed to high heat. That's why there are disks on the bottom or tri-ply.

If you have a small pot, 1 quart for example, the disk on thebottom is small because the pot is small. If the gas flame is turned up too high. The flame will extend beyond theedge of the disk and hit the single ply ss on the sides of the pot. With larger pots this is not as much of a problem. You just have to be careful.

 

[Nattie]

I asked a few people today about the advantages of having eg. aluminium sandwiched between stainless steel for the whole pot, as opposed to having eg. a copper base, but didn't really get any clear answer. What's the advantages of tri-ply (vs. a copper base)? Obviously this helps the sides heat up too? but what sort of cooking would this be necessary for?
Thanks!

 

[Andy M.]

I tried to explain that in my last post. Even distribution of the heat prevents possible burning if gas flames reach beyond the edge of the disk and hit the plain SS side. Tri-ply prevents that.

 

[Nattie]

Ah! Thanks Andy - sorry, I didn't put two and two together - didn't realise the previous answer was pertaining directly to the advantage of tri-ply. silly me!

 

[Andy M.]

Sometimes my explanations could be clearer. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[Jeekinz]

When you consider SS, you should look at tri-ply layered SS. The entire pan body is two layers of SS with a layer of Aluminum in between. This is the best option for SS and it's the best option IMO.

I took Andy's advice on this one. I bought 2 All Clad fry pans and they work great. My DW bought me a Cuisinart SS 12" fry which is a thin pan with a copper/stainless plate on the bottom. I'll grab the All Clads first, the Cuisinart is a great pan but it doesn't have the even heating as the All Clads. Also, the interior of the Cuisinart is a little more smoother which causes some sticking. Both are very easy to clean and easy to work with.

Cookware & More : All-Clad Irregulars courtesy Jennyma, offers "Irregular" All Clad cookware. There's supposed to be a cosmetic defect, like a small scratch or something, but I couldn't see anything on my pans. Even if there was some scratch, they're loaded with them now.