COOKING WITH STAINLESS STEEL COOKWARE
Originally published by Tramontina USA
We all love stainless steel. It’s shiny, strong, and really shows off the work of any new or seasoned cook. It can, however, be challenging to figure out how to properly use your fabulous new sauté pan and keep that steak from sticking. We're here to expand your stainless steel knowledge and share some of our secrets.
Who Put the 18/10 in Stainless Steel?
Stainless steel gets its polished look from adding 18% rust-resistant chromium and 10% shiny nickel to a steel concoction. It’s this very ratio that gives you an unbelievably durable (think strong as steel), long-lasting metal, with an elegant material that glimmers in your kitchen lights.
Where Can I Cook?
Anywhere! Gas, electric, ceramic glass, and induction all work perfectly with your stainless steel cookware.
Why Do We Love Stainless Steel?
We love this material for the same reasons professional and home cooks love it. First of all it’s durable, so it won’t chip, peel, or lose its ability to perform in your lifetime. Secondly, it’s non-reactive, meaning it won’t impart any unwanted tastes to your food, giving you the perfect canvas to create genuine flavors and show off your culinary skills.
What Should I Cook?
You can absolutely use the tri-ply cookware for all of your everyday cooking. In fact, we recommend it! The material tends to really show off when you’re browning meats and stirring up those savory bits for deeply flavorful sauces.
How Do I Eliminate Sticking?
One of the challenges in working with stainless steel is ensuring your entire flaky fish filet goes from the pan to your plate without leaving anything behind. Here are our secrets:
Defrost the food. Remove your food from the refrigerator a little while before you start to prep for cooking. Cold food has a tendency to stick more than room temperature food.
Preheat the pan. Always preheat your pan on medium for about 2 minutes before you start to cook.
Add a little oil. Add oil or butter to the cookware and let it heat up.
Let your food cook before turning. Place your food in the pan and let it cook all the way on one side before you turn it. If you try to turn it too soon it will always stick.
Never put the pan on high heat. Never put your pan on high or medium-high unless you have a pan full of cold liquid. The cool liquid will pull the heat from the pan and keep the metal in the pan cooler.
Turn down the heat after placing food. Turn the heat down to medium-low or low once you add your food to the pan. Your has an aluminum core that will retain the heat, so if you keep it too high your food will burn or stick.