#All clad stainless steel professional#
#All clad stainless steel series#

It is also known by its chromium/nickel composition: 18/10 and 18/8 (which mean it has 18% chromium and either 10% or 8% nickel).

#All clad stainless steel series#

It is usually seen only in inexpensive clad stainless cookware, or stainless steel cookware advertised as 'nickel-free.'ģ00 Series: 300 Series is the most common form of stainless in the world. Thus, 200-Series stainless is cheaper and more prone to rust. Manganese is cheaper and its corrosion-resistant properties are not as good as nickel. For clad stainless cookware manufacturing, the types of stainless most often used are 200 Series, 300 Series, and 400 Series, defined as follows:Ģ00 Series: 200 series stainless contains manganese rather than nickel for a corrosion inhibitor. There are hundreds of different types of stainless steel used in thousands of manufacturing applications, from surgical tools to kitchen sinks. Other elements can be used in place of nickel-as in the case of 200 Series stainless, described below-but in order to be classified as stainless, the steel must have at least 10.5% chromium. Both the chromium and nickel help to retard corrosion-so it follows that the higher the percentage of chromium and/or nickel, the more corrosion resistant the steel will be.

It's called 'stainless' because unlike iron alone (e.g., cast iron cookware), stainless steel is resistant to corrosion and rust. Glass and ceramic bakeware can be great (again, because of their insulating properties), but for cookware, they're a poor choice.įirst of all a definition: 'Stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French inoxydable, is a steel alloy, with highest percentage contents of iron, chromium, and nickel, with a minimum of 10.5% chromium content by mass and a maximum of 1.2% carbon by mass.' (from Wikipedia). People who use this cookware are primarily concerned with avoiding toxins, not with premium performance. Glass and ceramic cookware are poor heat conductors, heavy, breakable, and really all-around not great cookware (because glass and ceramic are insulators, not conductors of heat). But unless you don't mind replacing entire sets every few years, we recommend sticking to nonstick for skillets only.) (We know, we know: a lot of people disagree with us.

Many cooks have one nonstick skillet they use for sticky foods like eggs, but it's not a good choice for entire sets. Nonstick cookware-most often found in the form of a coating applied to aluminum cookware-is mostly inexpensive, but it is fragile, requires delicate handling, and is short-lived. Enameled cast iron Dutch ovens are ideal for braising and baking bread (and we believe every kitchen should have one), but again, not the best choice for entire cookware sets. Thus, bare cast iron is best suited to skillets, but not a good choice for entire sets.Įnameled cast iron cookware eliminates the problems of both iron reacting with food and seasoning, but it's heavy and heats slowly and unevenly, so is not the first choice for a lot of people, particularly for skillets and sauce pans. And, though a cast iron skillet is a must-have for many kitchens, you may not want cast iron sauce pans or stock pots because of both the weight and the fact that liquids eat away at seasoning. Seasoning is not difficult, but it does somewhat limit the versatility of the cookware. It also must be seasoned or it will rust. You can read more about possibly dangerous chemicals in nonstick cookware in this article on PFOA.Ĭast iron cookware is inexpensive and extremely durable, but it's heavy, slow to heat evenly, and can react with food, imparting off flavors. Most bare aluminum cookware is found in restaurant supply stores and is extremely reasonably priced. However, aluminum cookware is usually coated with a nonstick coating, either PTFE (Teflon) or ceramic, so the potential dangers of aluminum aren't applicable. There is some evidence that aluminum isn't safe, and it can impart off flavors to food.

#All clad stainless steel professional#

It is the choice of many, if not most, professional chefs for two main reasons: 1) excellent heating properties, and 2) durability.Ĭopper cookware has better heating properties, but it's more expensive and harder to maintain.Īluminum cookware is inexpensive and has terrific heating properties, but it is a soft metal that wears down easily and reacts with food. If you don't want to read all of our criteria for choosing (it's a long article), this section offers an overview.Ĭlad stainless is the best all-around cookware on the market. Back to top Why Does Stainless Steel Make the Best Cookware?