Stainless steel cookware gives you lots of options … and therefore lots of choices to make. Here are a few things to think about -
1. Nickel and chromium are main components of the cookware and are reflected in numeric fashion such as 18/10. The first number is the chromium designation and the second number the nickel content. The higher the second number, the better durability and shinier finish you will get. Most people are happy with 18/8 or 18/10.
2. Stainless steel does not conduct heat very well so a disc of some other material is usually added as a base for the pans. Copper allows for quicker heating and cooling of your food while aluminum takes longer to heat up and also retains the heat longer. For comparison purposes, if you have a preference of gas or electric stoves then the copper would be the equivalent of a gas stove and the aluminum would be the equivalent of an electric stove. It all boils down to personal preference.
3. The copper or aluminum disc that is added to the base of stainless steel pans can be of differing thicknesses. For aluminum bases, 3.0 mm is a good thickness while 5.0 mm is an excellent thickness. For copper bases, 1.0 mm is good while 2.0 mm would be considered excellent. The price obviously would also differ so that may help make your decision for you.
4. A tri-ply base is when an additional stainless steel layer has been added onto the bottom of the copper or aluminum disc making the pan more shiny on the outside and also a little more durable.
5. Clad pans (also referred to as all-clad and multi-clad) are stainless steel pans that have an aluminum base that also extends up the sides of the pan. So instead of just an aluminum disc in the base of the pan, there would also be aluminum encased in the sides of the pan, giving better heat conduction throughout the entire pan instead of just at the bottom.
While the selection process may be a little more involved with stainless steel pots and pans, they are still the best cookware sets for many people … maybe even you!
Stainless Steel Cookware Sets -