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Expert chefs choose stainless steel

For the highest end cookware, stainless steel is what you’re looking for.

By S. Brown /

A review of stainless steel cookware, as part of a series on Teflon alternatives for non-stick cookware by Saul Brown

For the highest end cookware, stainless steel is what you’re looking for. Although you don’t get the non-stick options many of us have become so used to, even cooking temperatures and the non-reactivity of stainless steel can out weigh the cost of a little elbow grease in the washing up.

Stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat so stainless steel cookware employs other metals at its core, copper on the high end and aluminum a step down.

I can’t profess to have much experience in this space—with prices starting at $199 for a fry pan, stainless steel cookware is out of my league. However, the ever-esteemed Cook Illustrated magazine reviewers profess to prefer a non-stick surface:
 

… We prefer a skillet with a traditional, rather than nonstick, surface precisely because we want the food to adhere slightly, in order to create the caramelized, browned bits called fond that are the foundation for great flavor. What’s more, while even the best nonstick surface will wear off eventually, a well-made traditional skillet should last a lifetime.

 

Non-stick cookware reviews

Read more in this series of reviews by Saul Brown on the Teflon alternatives for non-stick cookware.

Three popular brands are Calphalon, Mauviel and All-Clad; all are available locally at Cookworks at 1548 West Broadway and 377 Howe Street.

All-Clad products are also available locally at Ming-Wo with six locations in Greater Vancouver.