pots and pans: stainless steel vs non-stick

[purbeast0]

i'm in the market for a nice set of pots and pans. i've only ever used a cheap brand of non-stick type of pots and pans, so i have no experience with stainless steel pots and pans.

i have heard that cooking techniques is different on stainless steel, and you can only heat to about medium med-high or you can ruin the pans.

what type would one recommend for someone who has never used stainless steel? what is the pros/cons of each? i plan to spend a couple hundred bucks on a good set as well, so looking for recommendations.

BONUS: also looking for a good set of knives, so looking for recommendations on that as well.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Many people say "get stainless steel and learn how to cook"

I know "somewhat" how to cook, but I'm not perfect and in my experience stainless steel SUCKS.

Go to Costco and get yourself their non stick pans/pots. They are pretty cheap but are good quality. I think my frying pans (3 piece set) was like 20 bucks/maybe 30.

Follow these rules for non stick cookware.

- Never EVER heat up non stick pans/pots on high. Use mid setting AT MOST. This will prevent the coating breaking down/getting in your food/wearing out quicker etc.
- Don't use metal spoons/utensils on non stick cookware (wood or plastic)

Those 2 above will ensure your non stick pans will last a VERY long time.

 

[torpid]

We use high heat with our all clad regularly. We almost never do with non-stick. Seems like all clad says not to use high heat except for boiling, and every non stick I've ever owned says never use at high heat. Seems like no difference there in terms of "recommended" use.

 

[torpid]

As far as pros/cons... the only pro of non stick is that things don't stick to it. When you are searing meat or cooking eggs, this can be an issue. We tend to prefer cast iron for meat, though.

Stainless steel is more rugged. You rarely have to worry about what you do in it and what tools you use. You can scrape it with almost any kitchen gadget you want and it will be fine. There are also certain things that don't cook as well in non-stick. Anything that calls for deglazing the pan with wine probably won't come out as well because you won't have any kind of frond.

 

[PingviN]

I use cheaper non-sticks and replace every 12 months or so. I tried more expensive, high quality brands but they didn't do a better job anyways. Like torpid says, food doesnt stick so you're gonna have troubles deglazing for sauces, but I have a good ol' cast iron pan for that kind of cooking. For regular meat-searing, I think that a non-stick works just fine. My cheap Ikea pans (they're not bad at all) doesn't mind a bit of heat, so searing meat is a non-issue. But then again I replace them on a regular basis.

 

[jagec]

Stainless steel and cast iron are the only materials that you need or want for cooking.

Stainless steel is good for boiling and simmering, where the stuff in the pan evens out any hot spots (stainless has very poor thermal conductivity, so it's prone to hot spots if it doesn't have an aluminum or copper insert to even out the heat).

Cast iron is good for...well, everything, but especially frying. Stuff won't stick to it easily, AND you can scrape, bang, and scour on it to your heart's content as long as you don't let it rust.

Nonstick is good for nothing.

 

[Ns1]

Anything that calls for deglazing the pan with wine probably won't come out as well because you won't have any kind of frond.

this is the reason why we have SS. We can also throw the SS pots/pans right into the oven.

if you buy SS you'll want a non stick egg pan as well.

 

[torpid]

Meat searing works fine in good non-stick. We just prefer cast iron because it seems to retain heat better.

 

[torpid]

this is the reason why we have SS. We can also throw the SS pots/pans right into the oven.

if you buy SS you'll want a non stick egg pan as well.

Yes. A must have if you make eggs, IMO.

Some SS should not be put in the dishwasher. Depends on the exterior.

 

[sourceninja]

You need a mix of all 4.

cast iron for steaks, frying, etc
non-stick for delicate things like eggs
SS for general use
Carbon steel for your wok

 

[endlessmike]

Our main set is stainless, but we also have a few different nonstick frying pans, some cast iron pans, and some ceramic line cast roasters.

In retrospect I wish we'd gotten hard anodized aluminum instead of stainless.

 

[Imp]

Stainless steel for everything except eggs. Mother fucker I probably drank a litre of oil and ruined a dozen eggs trying to do them properly on stainless steel. It only worked right once, and apparently, it was because I had the heat "just right" and the oil "just right"... It's "just right" every time with non-stock, with or without oil.

Ya, non-stick just don't leave it on the stove too long dry and keep it to medium or lower heat. I use to run it high and nothing happened most of the time, but... cancer?

I wrecked a non-stick or two as a kid by forgetting to turn the stove off. Woops. Mom accidentally turns the burner occasionally and wastes either a non-stick or a stove-top cover. Cancer smoke!

 

[GagHalfrunt]

i have heard that cooking techniques is different on stainless steel, and you can only heat to about medium med-high or you can ruin the pans.

You don't ruin stainless pans with high temperatures. They can handle high heat very well, unlike Teflon which can easily be ruined if you get it too hot.

The trick with stainless is getting the temperature right. Since the material absorbs heat so well and since it can tolerate high heat without damage, it's easy to get the pan too hot which will scorch everything. And alternately, if you don't get the pan hot enough everything will stick. You have to be able to manage the temperature well, stainless isn't for amateurs who want something to cover mistakes. Once you learn how to use stainless it's great because it's indestructible, non-stick at the proper temps and will stick just enough to be able to create a killer pan sauce. You just have to know what you're doing.

 

[Imp]

i have heard that cooking techniques is different on stainless steel, and you can only heat to about medium med-high or you can ruin the pans.

If I remember right from first-year college, melting point of steel is about 900 C. Usual cooking temperatures are 150 C to 350 C? So, unless they add something to the pan...

 

[Ns1]

The trick with stainless is getting the temperature right. Since the material absorbs heat so well and since it can tolerate high heat without damage, it's easy to get the pan too hot which will scorch everything. And alternately, if you don't get the pan hot enough everything will stick. You have to be able to manage the temperature well, stainless isn't for amateurs who want something to cover mistakes. Once you learn how to use stainless it's great because it's indestructible, non-stick at the proper temps and will stick just enough to be able to create a killer pan sauce. You just have to know what you're doing.

yep, took us MONTHS to figure our pans/pots out.

 

[torpid]

If I remember right from first-year college, melting point of steel is about 900 C. Usual cooking temperatures are 150 C to 350 C? So, unless they add something to the pan...

If you heat it on high heat for a while with nothing in it and then cool it rapidly, it could warp.

 

[Mixolydian]

Always stainless steel. All-Clad is good.

 

[DesiPower]

How are them non-stick ceramic ones? I see their commercials and look promising. I know the black non-stick stuff are toxic and so i avoid using them and use all stainless these days but miss the non-sticks. I want to try the ceramic ones, are they toxic too?

 

[purbeast0]

okay cool thanks for the replies.

i think i'm going to go with a nice stainless steel set, calphalon or cuisinart.

then i will get 1 or 2 non-stick frying pans to have just in case.

i already have my manly cast iron skillet. that thing is a beast.

 

[sixone]

How are them non-stick ceramic ones? I see their commercials and look promising. I know the black non-stick stuff are toxic and so i avoid using them and use all stainless these days but miss the non-sticks. I want to try the ceramic ones, are they toxic too?

I've been wondering this, myself. They sure do look good, but that's what the commercials are supposed to do.

 

[Viper GTS]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11631728

Picked up a set of that recently. Pretty nice stuff for not a lot of money.

Viper GTS

 

[bignateyk]

Nonstick pans are for noobs. Get a good set of stainless steel, two cast iron skillets, and ONE non-stick frying pan as a backup in case you really need it. No reason to get a whole set of them.

Cast iron is fine for most non-stick applications, including eggs. The only thing I ever use a real non-stick pan for is making pancakes.

 

[Imp]

How are them non-stick ceramic ones? I see their commercials and look promising. I know the black non-stick stuff are toxic and so i avoid using them and use all stainless these days but miss the non-sticks. I want to try the ceramic ones, are they toxic too?

I ran across these at Crate & Barrel last Christmas. They were expensive! At least double or triple that of regular teflon pans.

I checked out reviews online and every response is usually 5 starts if they just bought it, then it goes to 1 start after a few months. Apparently, they lose their non-stick "properties" very soon. Our teflons at home usually last well past a year.

 

[torpid]

You most likely are better off building your own set. This is not always the case but usually is. They include low use items in most sets that they might not otherwise sell.

 

[torpid]

I ran across these at Crate & Barrel last Christmas. They were expensive! At least double or triple that of regular teflon pans.

I checked out reviews online and every response is usually 5 starts if they just bought it, then it goes to 1 start after a few months. Apparently, they lose their non-stick "properties" very soon. Our teflons at home usually last well past a year.

I've seen the "green" pans in many cooking shows of late. Either they have improved the quality or the marketing. Cooks illustrated was not impressed with them in 2009 and I've heard similar thing as the above.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/overview.asp?docid=20400