When to avoid stainless cookware?

[Mr_Dove]

I posted earlier a bit about stainless cookware. I'm looking at upgrading but I need to make sure that its right for me.

I thought that rather than listing every dish that I tend to prepare, I might ask what dishes or types of dishes are not good for stainless cookware.

For example, I hear that its not very effective to try cooking eggs in stainless (unless scrambled is what you want)

Also, I don't like cooking with oil much. I prefer to cook with an oil based cooking spray.

So, what kinds of dishes really don't turn out well with stainless cookware?

 

[GB]

Other than eggs, I can't think of any foods that are not well suited to SS. Maybe melted cheese too.

You mentioned that you don't want to use a lot of oil though. You do need to use oil or other fats with lots of things in SS. When using non stick you can get away with a lot less or even no oil or additional fat. You will not get the same sort of browning in non stick though and you wont get much (if any) fond, which are those yummy brown bits you use to make sauces.

 

[choclatechef]

Stainless steel will not brown foods as well as cast iron. Also, it is not the best metal for stews and soups. Cast iron or enameled cast iron is best for soups and stews.

Stainless steel is not the best metal for baking either. Most bakers would rather use tinned steel, or heavy aluminum for baking.

 

[Andy M.]

CC:

I have to disagree. It's not the type of metal that makes good browning. It's heat. You can brown a piece of meat equally well in cast iron, SS or even teflon. The key is a smoking hot pan.

In general, SS (tri-ply) can do just about any cooking task except maybe frying eggs without sticking.

Andy M.

 

[GB]

I have gotten the same sort of browning from SS as I have from Cast Iron, but not even close from non stick. I have used high heat (even though it is not recommended) with my heavy non stick pans and the color difference is dramatically less than when I use SS or cast iron.

 

[choclatechef]

Ok guys, but I agree to disagree.

 

[Stevie]

I've only recently started using SS and I'm always amazed how well it performs. The only thing I've had trouble with were cold bacon and eggs sticking, but as far as browning chicken or chicken fried steak it's exceptional and does not stick if used correctly. One cool thing about SS is that you can see everything so clearly as the food changes color. It isn't neccessary to add oil to things like ground chuck because it will makes it's own. I dont see how SS wouldn't work as well as Le Creuset for soups or stews, both are heavy and non-reactive.

 

[Claire]

I love it that we can agree to disagree and move on. I suspect that those of us who recognise that probably have longer marriages!! I have never really used cast iron (always rusted on me, and please don't tell me how I can make it wonderful, I'll just let my freinds cook on cast iron!), but DO, DEFINITELY agree that browning things is easier in a pan that is NOT non-stick. More importantly (as noted, with enough heat, oil, flour coating, etc, you can get a good brown on anything), though, is that in a non-stick pan you cannot get good drippings for sauces and gravies. You need to get meat and flour particles to stick to the pan to get a good sauce or gravy. My opinion is that any really good heavy stock pot works equally well, assuming we're not going into the aluminum range (a big mistake for me since I do a lot of chili, curry, and red sauce in bulk to freeze). Heavy bottom to avoid hot spots and burning. I know it makes me sound old, but I'm not a fan of La Creuset because of the weight. I'm very strong, but still manage to get frustrated when I have a big casserole I have to lift out of an oven at below waist level. I don't like to add to the weight of the dish I'm making. And I often have freinds helping me who are older and much more fragile. La Creuset is heavy, as is cast iron. La Creuset also chips easily. Everyone should use what they like, but when you newbies write in, think about the reasons some of us love or hate a particular piece of equipment and how it applies to you.

 

[lyndalou]

I don't use my 2 non stick pans very much because stuff doesn't brown that well in them. Also, I don't recommend using PAM or whatever on SS. It will burn on and there is no way to get it off. It becomes one with the pan. A little oi in a very hot pan will go a long way and you will have beautifully carmelized meat, veg's etc. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[jennyema]

Not much to add but that you can get burned on stuff (including Pam spray) off by using Barkeeper's Friend.


I use SS or cast iron for basically everything but eggs.

I have very little use for nonstick.

 

[buckytom]

(couldn't resist)
:
answer: when it's airborne/incoming

 

[kitchenelf]

(couldn't resist)
:
answer: when it's airborne/incoming

ROFLMAO

 

[Charlotte]

About Le Creuset, I was given two as a wedding prezzie and used them for years - until they both chipped inside... had to give them up and would not buy any now because of the weight issue. I do own several cast iron frying pans and my pots are SS with heavy bottoms.

 

[oldcoot]

We've got a fairly new set of Allclad SS, an ancient set of Lifetime Aluminum Waterless, and five or six cast iron skillets.

The Allclad is great. Beatiful, easy to clean, distributes and hold heat very well.

Much the same can be said for the aluminum - except that some foods darken it, and others may pick up a metallic flavor - one needs to be judicious.

But my favorites are the cast iron skillets. With the several sizes - 6 inch to 15 inch - almost anything can be well prepared in them in relatively small qantities. And eggs should never be fried in anything else! (Properly seasoned and cared for, they are better at non-stick than is non-stick! Just don't wash 'em or overheat 'em.

And. while we're at it, don't overlook pyrex. I prefer it for baking. But it is even more stainless than stainless, it's see-through, and looks nice, too. (No, not great for frying!)

 

[Michael in FtW]

I'm afraid there there is no such thing as "the ultimate" does everything best cookware. Each material - clay, Pyrex, Corning, copper, steel, cast iron, porcelin enamel coated steel and cast iron, copper, tin-lined copper, stainless steel-lined copper, tri-ply (as in All-Clad) stainless steel, stainless steel with aluminum encapsulated aluminum disk bottom (which is also called tri-ply by some mfgs), multi-ply (5, 7 or 11 layers) SS, aluminum and anodized aluminum, and nonstick (and there are several nonstick coatings to select from) ... all have different properties - and are the best for some things, but not for others. And, then, there are the shapes of the pots for different uses .... the Windsor for reductions, a saucier for sauces using a baloon whisk, a straight sided pot for heating up a can of creamed corn or boiling eggs.

You can't heat a nonstick pan as hot as you can SS, which you can't heat as high as cast iron.

For everyday cooking ... stainless steel is good. My second choice would be anodized aluminum. For scrambled eggs, or an omlet, I would want a smooth nonstick aluminum pan (not all nonstick surfaces are the same - some are more porous than others). For pan breads such as cornbread, cast iron or thick anodized aluminum - chili, soups or stews - cast iron, or enameled cast iron, but stainless works well. For long simmering tomato based sauces - stainless with a thick bottom - although enamaled steel works with a little more attention (more frequent stirring to prevent scourching) or enameled cast iron.

This comes back to the start of the discussion ... yes, SS is good for basic everyday use. No, it is not going to give optimum results for everything. Yes, you need a mix of cookware.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I think that every one of us who have been cooking for a while have favorites, based on favorite techniques, recipes, etc. Listen to Michael. A mix is going to give you better service than any one material. I love my cast iron, and cook eggs in it regularly. I only need to wipe a thin coat of oil on it with a paper towel and even eggs don't stick. I love my encapsulated bottom stainless for quickly reducing things like tomato sauce, or for making a stew. I boil pasta in SS as well. I have no use for sitck-free cookware, except my electric griddle, which produces wonderful pancakes and hash-browns, though I can do the same in my cast iron, just not as much per unit time.

Get the best you can afford, and make sure it's durable, not the cheap aluminum non-stick designed to be replaced every two years.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Robo410]

I knew I'd find a home here...people with my own heart and soul passion for the kitchen. What's the living room for???

 

[kitchenelf]

living room? awww heck - I bet it needs dusting or something!!! Thanks for bringing me back to the real word - THANKS a lot

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I'm surprised that someone elese hsan't chimed in with this bit of info. Stainless Steel frying pans are nearly stick free when used properly. And I learned this on these boards. The trick is to add the oil, or fat after the pan is pre-heated. Yesterday, for breadfast, I made easy-over eggs for my wife. I used my small stainless steel pan, using the preheat and then add oil tehcnique, except that I used butter for this meal. The pan cooking surface was hot enough that the butter immediately started browning. I had the eggs already cracked and in a bowl so I could quickly add them to the pan. They didn't stick at all and were a breese to cook.

The advantage of SS over cast iron pans is that they curve from the flat bottom to the sides, where because of the sand casting technique used to make them, the cast-iron has an abrupt change from bottom to sides. It's very difficult to flip an egg, or any food for that matter, with the wrist flip technique in a cast iron pan. It's quite simple to do it with a prperly shaped SS pan.

And except for the fact that I can cook 6 to 8 pancakes at once on the electric griddle, I can still see no use for Stick-free cookware. Between my cast iron, and SS, I have no problems with clean up or sticking problems. You just have to know the techniques. You have to know how to use them.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[AllenOK]

I've been saying the same thing as Michael for years, you really need a mix of different pots and pans for different things.

I have one non-stick pan, an 8" frying pan, which I use for eggs and omelettes. That's it.

I have several tri-ply SS pans, soup pots, sauce pans, etc. I have three cast iron skillets, and more will be arriving shortly, as my MIL's stuff makes it's way into my home. I have two stock pots, thin stuff that is inappropriate for soups and stews, but great for gentle simmering. I have an enameled soup pot on permanent loan from my MIL, which I really like, but just wish it had a heavier bottom. I even have an electric, non-stick griddle, and basically use it just like Goodweed does, for pancakes and hashbrowns, although I'll also make grilled cheese and ruebens on it.