10/16/16

Is Stainless Steel Cookware Proven Or Has Its Time Passed?

One of the most popular materials for cookware is stainless steel. Stainless steel cookware has become well known because it has proven its quality throughout the years. It is widely the preferred choice of cookware amongst home and professional cooks. Aside from stainless cookware being a high-quality material, there are many other benefits to using stainless steel cookware sets.

Benefits of Stainless Steel Cookware

Allow me to list down here in the said benefits:

Sturdiness – stainless steel cookware set is very sturdy and does not easily break. Stainless steel is not brittle and does not corrode. There is tri-ply stainless steel cookware and even 5 ply stainless steel cookware already available in the market. They have more layers of metal. It can be an aluminum core, to enhance the performance of your cookware and your cooking experience. Most stainless steel cookware made in the USA is safe to wash in a dishwasher.
Non-reactive – Maintaining the flavors of the dishes you prepare is very important. You wouldn’t want your cookware interfering with the flavors, right? Good thing that surgical stainless steel cookware does not react with food ingredients, even acidic ingredients like tomatoes.
Safety – Is stainless steel cookware safe? Generally speaking, it should be safe but as in all cases, poor quality materials are being used in some products, in this case, stainless steel. If using stainless steel for cookware, it should be surgical-grade. To be sure you are getting good quality stainless steel, check the trusted brands like all clad stainless steel cookware or Cuisinart stainless steel cookware set.
Aesthetics – Stainless steel has a nice polished exterior finish which is quite easy to achieve with just a little cleaning even after so much usage of the cookware.
Reusable – Stainless steel is not something for the garbage can. Even the best stainless steel cookware will deteriorate over time because of wear and tear and when the time comes, don’t be sad to let go. It can serve another purpose, just get it to a recycling place and they could reuse the stainless steel to create something else.

Stainless Steel Cookware Cons

There are just some downsides with stainless steel cookware which we discuss as follows:

Heat conductivity – stainless steel is not a good heat conductor. However, most stainless cookware is augmented with other metals like aluminum which is a good heat conductor to function seamlessly.
Price range – professional stainless steel cookware, which is preferred by many, is very costly although you may consider this as an investment instead of an expense. In the long run, it may save you money by not having to buy new ones but initially, yes, it is costly.
There is a more reasonably priced cookware like the KitchenAid stainless steel cookware and Kirkland stainless steel cookware which has reasonably good quality.
Cleaning – how to clean stainless steel cookware? It’s relatively easy except when the food sticks on your cookware. However, some dishes will inevitably stick onto your cookware. This is when cleaning is such labor with this type of cookware. You need to scrub it thoroughly or sometimes you need to soak the cookware in water for some time before scrubbing it. Soaking will soften the stuck food. You may also use baking soda and scouring pad to help with the clean-up. If you want an easier life as to cleaning your cookware, buy a stainless steel cookware cleaner.

The Verdict

Overall, stainless steel cookware is one of the most versatile cookware types. Most cooks or chefs, be it regular home cooking or commercial cooking, love it. The advantages of this type of cookware far outweigh its cons.

To find out what is the top stainless steel cookware, check out various reviews as they do stainless steel cookware ratings.

09/20/16

Is Professional Cookware Good for Amateurs?

When you have a new kitchen or have just decided to buy cookware sets, you will realize that this is not a very easy task. With the wide variety of available cookware sets on sale, finding the best professional cookware may prove to be challenging.

One of the most pressing issues when deciding on what cooking ware to purchase is whether to buy professional cookware or just regular cookware. Buying a professional cookware set may be an unnecessary expense. You probably believe you will get the same results with using regular pots and pans. In actuality, if your budget permits, buying professional cookware sets may save you more money in the long run. It will also probably make you more productive in the kitchen.

Professional Cookware For Home Kitchen

Having the best professional cookware in your kitchen gives you assurance and confidence. It’s like going to a battle with the confidence that you have reliable weapons. When you have reliable tools, you have one less thing to worry about.

Professional Cookware Sets

Professional stainless steel cookware gives you confidence in cooking. At the same time it inspires you to prepare sumptuous dishes and upgrade the recipes you cook.

If you are budget constraint but still want to opt for professional cookware, you may consider buying the specific cookware you need instead of a complete set. This is especially true if you only prepare specific dishes. That means that you do not need too many varieties of cookware with your way of cooking.

When you have finally made up your mind to go for professional cooking ware, you must check out the selection of different brands. There are numerous brands, such as the Thomas professional cookware, Magnate professional cookware, or Ameriware professional cookware. I know these brands are all reliable. Each brand will have some stronger qualities than the others and I will leave it up to you to discover these. Check different professional cookware reviews to find out.

Pro Cookware Brands

What I feel is more important to discuss is the type of cookware you would be most comfortable using. Here is a brief idea of each kind of cookware you may encounter in the market:

Cast Iron Cookware – Probably one of the most durable types of cookware. Price is reasonable, though it is quite heavy, and needs special maintenance called seasoning.
Stainless Steel Cookware – One of the most popular types of cookware, reasonably priced, easy, and can be cleaned easily Except when food gets stuck on the cookware – then you have to soak it for a while then wash regularly.
Non-stick cookware – Also a very popular type of cookware. It’s reasonably priced and very easy to clean since food does not stick on it. With non-stick cookware, you may cook with minimal or no oil at all.
Ceramic cookware – Artistic and attractive cookware. Medium to high priced, claimed to be a healthier alternative to non-stick cookware. Versatile as you may use it also as a serving dish.
Titanium cookware – Very durable but quite expensive. Easy for cleaning, waterless cooking is possible.

07/8/16

Kitchen Cookware: Which Is The Best For You?

As a professional chef, a lot of times people request me to recommend what kinds of kitchen cookware are preferable. This is because there are already a lot of different types and brands of kitchen pots and pans to choose from. Depending on your budget, you have a wild selection when it comes to the prices.

If there is no limit on your budget, you may opt for high-end brands. Or perhaps buy kitchen cookware sets instead of per piece. If you are on a tight budget, you may opt for cheap pots and pans. What is important to know is what and how frequently you will use your pot and pans. This will determine which cookware is best for you.

To give my personal preference on what is the best pots and pans I consider based on my experience with them. I will briefly discuss each of them below.

Cast Iron Kitchen Cookware

Cast iron cooking pots and pans are great for preparing healthy dishes. Especially with one-dish recipes, I would recommend using cast iron. Some of the dishes you can prepare are pork chops, pasta, and frittatas. Dishes that you should avoid preparing using cast iron cookware are dishes that have acidic recipes. These are tomato or lemon as they may react with the iron.

For cast iron pots and pan sets to last a lifetime, maintaining their quality is important. You must take appropriate care to achieve this. As you may have already realized, cast iron pot pans weigh a lot compared to stainless steel pots and pans. Others made of different materials like glass or ceramic are also lighter. One must be careful when handling it, especially when hot, as dropping it may cause irreparable damage.

Cleaning and storing cast iron pots and pan sets also involve a different process called seasoning. Seasoning is putting a sort of coating on the iron cookware by greasing it and heating it in an oven. We will discuss the process in detail shortly.

Once you have seasoned the cast iron kitchen cookware, it is ready for use. After this, you must only treat it with warm water, and not with dishwashing soap. The only time you may clean with dishwashing liquid is when you just bought it and took it out of its original packaging. You should do this because there may be some waxy residue that serves as a protective cover for the new cookware. After the first wash involving dishwashing liquid, you have to season the cookware and the next washes will no longer involve dishwashing liquid.

Cookware Tips

Going back to the process of seasoning your cast iron pots and pans sets, you must first make sure it is completely dry before you apply any coating. You must also preheat your oven to 350 degrees in preparation for cooking or seasoning your cast iron kitchen pots and pans. Apply a thin layer of edible oil on the inner and outer part of the cookware and place this in the preheated oven, letting it stay for about 30 minutes.

The inner part of the cookware should be placed in the oven where the inner part is facing down. It is recommended that you place a stray or foil on the under rack where the cookware is being cooked to serve as an oil drip trap. Once this is done, your cookware is ready to use. You may repeat this procedure from time to time but not necessarily each time you use the cookware. This will ensure that your cookware will be passed on to the generations to come.

To get more information about other types of cookware, check out other kitchen pots and pans reviews.

05/25/16

Hard-Anodized Cookware: A Better Choice For You

You may have heard of hard-anodized cookware and wondered what is it. The material in this type of cookware is aluminum. But instead of combining it with other metals like stainless steel, it undergoes a process called electro-chemical hardening. There it is treated with sulfuric acid before the electrochemical process. After the process, the result is very hard and sturdy cookware, probably even tougher than stainless steel. There are advantages and disadvantages to hard-anodized aluminum cookware. Let us list down some of these points to help you make up your mind whether these cookware sets are something you should get.

Advantages of Hard-Anodized Cookware

As already discussed above, hard-anodized aluminum cookware is very hard and durable. Because of this, it does not easily dent during accidental bumps or knock-offs. It could last for generations with suitable maintenance.

One of the most asked questions when buying cookware sets is if they could use them in an oven. So, can you use hard anodized cookware in the oven? That is not a problem at all if the cookware has metal holders.

Hard anodized aluminum pans are non-stick so there is no need to worry about your dishes sticking on your pans. You can also prepare healthier dishes as it is nonstick, and there is no need to put a load of oil. This saves you also on the cost of cooking oil.

Unlike stainless steel cookware, is non-stick which makes it more convenient to clean. This means less effort of taking out sticky food items stuck on your pan surface. In rare cases you get some clingy food stick on your pan, a tested technique to get it out is to soak it with baking soda mixed with water for a few minutes. You may afterward wash it normally.

Hard anodized is one of the best cookware because it is aluminum metal which is a good conductor of heat. Translating this into practicality means that you can cook your meal faster and you avoid hot spots as the entire cookware is made of aluminum, not just the core.

Disadvantages of Hard Anodized Cookware

The first turn-off of most potential buyers of even the best hard-anodized cookware set is the price. Because of the tedious process involved in creating this high-quality cookware, the production cost is quite high and so does the selling price.

Hard-anodized cookware is pretty heavy. It is after going through the coating process that it weighs a ton. So for petite chefs, this might not be very ideal for you. You need extra precaution when transferring this cookware with a hot meal.

Unlike ceramic or glass cookware which can store food for reheating at a later time, you should not do it with hard anodized cooking ware. Aside from it being heavy, it also does not have a tight-lid cover, and giving air access to the food while in storage may spoil the food.

So this is a big disadvantage for those who love the convenience of washing dishes in the dishwasher. You should do only manual washing to protect the coating of this cookware. After all, who wants aluminum contaminated food when the coating goes missing?

03/25/16

New Farberware Cookware Is A Great Choice

When looking for a cooking ware brand to trust, you check the track record of the brand. One true test is if you can find it in household kitchens and more impressively if restaurants use it. One brand that passes this test is the faberware cookware line. Whether to buy farberware cookware sets, let me discuss the strengths and weaknesses based on various experiences.

Farberware Cookware Pros

This brand has been in existence for about 10 years now. Their main focus as their target market is amateur cooks or those who cook at home for their family and friends. The idea, however, is to be able to prepare dishes at par with restaurant dishes right at the comfort of your home kitchen using farberware pots and pans. The resulting dishes have been consistently good and even some professional chefs prefer this brand of cookware.

Each cookware in the farberware cookware set is fashionable. Your cookware primary task is cooking per se, but you can use them also to design your kitchen walls. No more dull kitchen cabinets to store your kitchenware. You can display them and let your friends admire your good taste. You may show you are not only good at food but also at kitchen fashion.

Faberware Cookware Sales

One of the greatest advantages of opting for farberware kitchen pots and pans and their other kitchenware is that they also sell their cookware pieces. How many times have you felt throwing out partially damaged cookware and wished you could just replace the broken part? Your wish has been granted by farberware! It saves you your hard-earned money by not having to discard and replace a whole cookware piece. It also saves you from the sad feeling of parting from your trusted and beloved cooking pans.

We all know that stainless steel cookware has been tried, tested, and proven to be sturdy cookware. Most Farberware pots and pans set are created using high-grade stainless steel metal with an aluminum core. The stainless steel provides a sleek finish and augments the overall strength of the cookware. The aluminum core provides good heat conductivity. Say goodbye to annoying hot spots when preparing your dishes.

Farberware Cookware Cons

One thing that may turn you off with farberware pots and their other kitchenware like the farberware knives is the price. The cost of their cookware pieces is a bit pricier than regular cookware brands. But as the saying goes, good quality comes with a good price.
Another thing is that, although they claim to be farberware nonstick cookware, there have been some who experienced food sticking to the supposedly nonstick cookware. The secret to preventing this is to preheat the cookware using low or medium temperatures.

As you can see the strengths of farberware cookware far offset its weaknesses. So I’d still say this is a good cookware brand!

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