Time to replace your shitty cookware and cook like the pros.
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There's a reason almost all restaurants and chefs cook exclusively with stainless steel – it distributes heat evenly, prevents food from sticking, won't leech into the food, and is virtually indestructible.
Look at all the stainless steel beneath that angry but successful man.
Fox
Watch the video below and see for yourself how much stainless steel cookware rules.
Skip to 1:30 to learn why ASAP. Real adults use stainless steel, just saying.
But you have to treat stainless steel right to reap the benefits. The first step is seasoning your pan.
Cooking the wrong way with stainless steel = sticking burning mess. Cooking the right way = non-stick, durable, lifelong cookware of angels. The first step to cooking with stainless steel is to season your pan(s) – using one of two methods. Either oil it up and let the pan sit on the burner on medium heat, or season it in the oven. Just make sure to use an oil with a high smoking point, like peanut oil or sesame oil.
Get the full instructions from wikiHow.
New Line Cinema
Once your pan is seasoned, follow these tips for smooth cooking every time.
Cooking with stainless steel is all about temperature. Never cook in your pan without preheating it first, and make sure your pan is hot enough to cook with – before adding oil. The easiest way to tell when your pan is hot enough to add oil is by adding a small amount of water to the pan (about an 1/8th teaspoon). The water should first disperse into tiny beads, and then come together into one drop and float above the pan. I know it sounds like a lot, but it just takes 30 seconds to test, and then you're ready to cook! (check out a video demonstration from Home Ec 101).
Some more tips:
- Preheat your pan over medium/medium high heat.
- If your oil/cooking fat is too hot, it will smoke – don't cook with smoking oil!
- Look for stainless steel cookware with aluminum cores, these pans will evenly distribute heat (look for "aluminum core", "encapsulated bottom", or "tri-ply", with tri-ply being the highest quality).
Find more tips for cooking with stainless steel from Paleo Leap.
Stainless steel pans are the best egg pans of all time. There, I said it. It's the truth!
I was using stainless steel cookware wrong my whole life until recently, when I finally (accidentally) exhibited the very little amount of patience it takes to wait for the pan to preheat, and made some eggs. Those eggs were done in under two minutes, with no sticking whatsoever. Don't believe me? Check out this video evidence from Pamela Salzman.
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Or use your stainless steel cookware to make this fried chicken and egg rice bowl.
A pan you can fry in is a good pan. Get the full recipe from Tasty.
Get a 19-piece kitchen gadget and utensils set to use with your stainless steel from the Tasty collection at Walmart for $39.86 (includes two piece silicone tongs, 10-piece measuring spoon and cup set, 2-piece 12" silicone spatula, whisk, 3-piece strainer set, and emoji timer).
Stir fry your heart out with stainless steel. No more tofu sticking to the pan, and stainless steel makes everything crisp and brown.
Get the full recipe from Tasty.
If you're ready to invest in a full set, remember to season your cookware before you use it; so once you drop big bucks on a tri-ply 14-piece stainless steel cookware set like this, it will last forever.
Refresher on how to season pans can be found in the review below.
Set includes: three frying pans, one saute pan, two sauce pans, one Dutch oven, and stock pot with pasta insert
Promising review: "We replaced our cooktop with an induction, so I had to replace my cookware. These pans heat instantly. They feel substantial; which I like. I love how the handles don't get hot. But my absolute favorite thing about this cookware is that I will never, ever have to replace it. I replace my non-stick at least once a year. I wish I had discovered stainless steel earlier in life. Oh the money I could have saved...I've never cooked on stainless steel before, so I did a lot of research. There are two key things you must do to be successful with this cookware: 1) Season your pans and 2) preheat your pan before putting food in. How to season pans: Season your pans before you do anything else. Wash them with soap and water. Dry them. Rub olive, peanut or coconut oil into the entire surface inside the pan. Put into the oven at 350F for about an hour; They should be smoking, yes, smoking when you remove them. This makes them non-stick." –SamanthaSS
Get it from Jet for $303.40 (oven safe, tri-ply vessel construction, dishwasher-safe).
But don't have to drop $300 bucks for good quality cookware. Give this 10-piece stainless steel cookware set (with encapsulated bottoms) a whirl for under $60!
Set includes: 1-qt sauce pan, 2-qt sauce pan, 3-qt casserole, 5-qt stockpot, 10" frying pan, all with lids
Promising review: "I bought these to use with a new induction burner. They are SO nice, and heavy duty too. The price is also amazing." –Jules64
Get it from Walmart for $55.17 (dishwasher safe, easy grab handles, encapsulated bottom).
Or treat yourself and your food to this high quality eight-piece stainless steel set professionals swear by. It's oven-friendly for warming and baking!
And of course, perfect for cooking.
Set includes: 8" saute pan, 10" saute pan, 2-qt covered sauce pan, 3-qt covered sauce pan, 5-qt covered Dutch oven
Promising review: "As a 'cookbook for couples' author, I am always looking for kitchen products that would enhance the cooking experience for newlyweds and empty-nesters. When I purchased this Tramontina set and put it to the test, it immediately rose to the top of my recommendations for cookware. You cannot beat it for the price and performance. I now tout it whenever I do cooking demos and I'm even offering it as a Christmas giveaway in a drawing for my newsletter subscribers." –TableForTwoCookbooks
Get it from Walmart for $148.64 (tri-ply clad vessel construction –18/10 stainless steel, aluminum core, magnetic stainless steel, oven safe up to 350 degrees, dishwasher safe).
Keep your pots and pans shiny and clean via Bar Keepers Friend and they'll be by your side for life.
Promising review: "I don't know how they do it, but I've never had a pan that this couldn't clean. Brown, baked-on gunk from years of use (that I could never get clean no matter what soap or abrasive cleaner I used), comes right off with Barkeepers Friend and a little elbow grease. Pots and pans are as good as new!" –Dan the Man
Get it from Jet for $4.37.
And one last thing – stainless steel is compatible with induction cooking. So it's the perfect cookware for your induction stovetop, or the Tasty One Top!
The Tasty One Top has an engineered crystal glass surface, a surface sensor to track the surface temperature of pots and pans, touch power control buttons, a thermometer that tracks the temperature of liquids, meat, and fish, is Bluetooth compatible with iOS, and can sync up to the Tasty App to cook your fav recipes.
Get it from Tasty shop for $149.
You and all your stainless steel cookware:
Reviews here have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Jim Henson Co.
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