Many people prefer using stainless-steel for cooking meat and other items as it creates the perfect dish to begin any meal. You could also have your reasons to work with stainless steel pots and pans. No matter what it is, preparing food in this metal can become easier and fun when you know how to use it right. Whether you use it regularly in the kitchen or want to switch over to this for its safer base, your cooking experience can enhance a lot with a bit of care and attention. So here is a quick look into it.
Cooking food in stainless steel cookware
If you ever worked with stainless steel, you already know how it becomes problematic when food gets stuck to the surface while cooking. There are two ways to prevent this. Before adding something, make sure to heat the pan for two to three minutes. After this, you can pour little oil. Once you notice it shimmering, you can throw in all the ingredients. The other method of testing the status of the pan is adding a few drops of water. If they break down into droplets and sizzle out, you would know the pan is ready.
With a stainless-steel base, you don’t have to do any seasoning. But you can build a non-stick layer in your skillet by heating it on a medium flame for two minutes and then pouring oil up to 1/8 inch of its surface. Don’t turn off the heat until the oil becomes smoky. It should take five minutes for this. You can keep aside the pan and wait for some more minutes to allow the oil to turn cool. Later on, you can clean your cooking vessel with a paper towel. It would be now non-sticky.
Nowadays, you also get oven-friendly pans in the market. You can confirm with the seller if their product is oven-safe. Usually, high-end stainless-steel cookware can tolerate up to 500-degree temperature. You can make your pasta dishes in it. You can also cook thick steaks and pork chops on the cooktop first and shift the pot in the oven to complete the preparation.
Avoiding mistakes with stainless steel utensils
Unlike non-stick cooking objects, stainless steel can continue to be in a healthy condition for many years. However, you have to take care of a few things, though. For example, you can clean these utensils in a dishwasher. But it would be better not to do this, as hot water and long cycles can affect the surface and damage the handles. Another thing is you have to be careful with the hot pot. You should not run cold water on it as the pan may crack or warp. Besides, thermal shock can cause steaming, leading to burning of the hands if you happen to touch the pot. So, it would be best if you always let the pans cool down first before you rinse them.
Then, you must have seen the pan’s surface getting pitted sometimes when you season pasta water. You cannot reverse this condition if it occurs. To prevent it from happening, you should add salt only when the water has sufficiently boiled.
Furthermore, hard water can create white spots in stainless steel. The unsightly build-ups can lead to bacterial growth. Hence, it is essential to remove them. You can get rid of this by boiling 1/4 cup vinegar and 3/4 cup water in the pan. After the solution cools down, you can clean and dry the pots. Calcium build-up can also be common with stainless steel sink faucets. However, if you buy a credible product, you would not have to deal with it to such an extent. You can check Kraus stainless kitchen faucets, for example. The quality of the material can maintain shine and beauty for a long time with little effort.
Nevertheless, if the edges of the pan develop irremovable stains, you must realize that it results from overheating. You can get rid of them with vinegar, or cook a tomato sauce in this. The acidic effect of the tomatoes will tackle the issue of discoloration. Other than this, you may hate to wipe your stainless-steel utensils. However, if you don’t want them to develop water spots, do it no matter how much you dislike this task. It takes only a few minutes to complete this work.
When cleaning stainless steel, many people use steel wool to eliminate stains and stubborn burnt marks. While it can be tempting to use this, you should not take this route. Please keep it away and opt for non-abrasive sponges. They wouldn’t hurt the surface. However, if you struggle to clean your pots and pans, it would be better to reconsider your dishwashing cleaner once. Look for something that can eliminate even pesky stains, mineral deposits, and others.
You get many varieties in kitchen pots and pans. However, you can depend on stainless steel to accompany you for a long time. They tend to be lighter and long-lasting compared to non-sticks. Then, you can also get quality options for induction cooktops. Since it doesn’t react with any food, you can cook a healthy meal at any time. If you wondered whether you should avoid non-stick utensils altogether, you must realize that your busy kitchen deserves everything. You have to choose something based on the requirement. For example, you cannot trust non-stick cookware with high temperatures and searing jobs. For this, you have to go with the stainless-steel options. The rest of the things can happen in your non-stick vessel.
To be precise, whether you have only a few or too many stainless-steel pots in the kitchen, you can depend on them to help you cook delicious meals. With a little bit of care, you can increase their lifetime and enjoy tasty and hygienic food for even longer. So, no matter when you started using stainless steel appliances and utensils, you now have an idea to keep your kitchen fresh and attractive looking with ease.
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