I feel as though my ss pots are indestructible. I'd never put any of my old pots with plastic handles in the dw but I put the all-stainless stuff in all the time. I think it still looks great (it's been going in consistently for the last 3 years.) If stuff gets stuck on the ss, I usually use a plastic scrubber (ie. Dobie pad) and if that doesn't work, I go for the steel wool. I'll often soak burnt-on stuff, but that's to make the cleaning easier for me--it's not for the pot's sake. I cook with high heat all the time and the pots haven't blackened at all (even when the flames shoot up around the outside.) I always reach for the stainless first because I feel as though I can do anything to it and clean up is easiest with it.

Start using it!!!!! Treat it carefully at first, if you wish. You'll start learning what works for you but I really don't think you can go wrong. Once you get over the newness of it, maybe you'll be more adventurous with how you treat it.

I'm with Zelmar. I make sure to really thoroughly clean my SS pans by hand, but they are really tough, and so much nicer to use that my cheap-o target non stick stuff. There are a few tricks to getting food not to stick, but in the right application, good cookware is GREAT!!!! Use them, enjoy them, and dont be afraid of them!

What do you have, BTW?

I switched from junky pans to SS All Clad pots and pans and I LOVE THEM!! They are easy to cook with, really distribute the heat evenly, need very little oil, have great release when searing, get thrown in the DW all the time, and clean up really easily. A little Bar Keepers Friend gets rid of any marks or little bits of stuck on food and they look good as new.

We're heavy duty cooks and really give these pans a workout and they always pass muster. Give it a shot, I'm sure you'll love them too.

I love my A-C pans, too (thanks loves2cook4six for your advice while making my purchases!). They are much better for cooking on the higher btu burners (like our Wolf range) than my old Farberware and Revereware pots and pans.

I tend to use a little sprinkle of BKF while washing them 'cause I love seeing them look like new each time! DH doesn't, unless I remind him, but they still look ok (just not as shiny new-looking as when I do 'em! LOL).

You're welcome :)

Good stainless steel pans are easy to keep clean. I throw them in the dishwasher, and occasionally use a little BKF. I use a non stick pan for eggs. There are a few tricks to cooking with stainless to keep food from sticking. Enjoy your new pans!

Everyone's mentioning these "tricks" and you're probably wondering what they are.

The main "trick" is to preheat your pans... preheat before adding oil - you'll need less - and make sure you get the oil or fat nice and hot. I like to use grapeseed oil or canola with a tad of grapeseed added. Grapeseed has a very high smoke point (420°F) so you can get it hotter than canola oil alone. Canola has a smoking point between 225-400°F depending on how refined it is. Grapeseed oil is also tasteless and is 100% polyunsaturated.

Another trick is not to move your meat, or chicken, or fish, until it has developed a good sear and lets go of the pan on it's own. You'll get nice frond for making sauces and also make it easier to clean the pan. Most important your food will taste good and won't tear when you flip it.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes

First off, welcome to the SS club :)

Remember, these are pans you will use and cook with for a lifetime. Don't baby them, let them get scuffed and used, and you'll relax and have a good time cooking.

I've got a hodge-podge of SS pans collected over the years from various makers. The best so far are the All Clad triple ply SS. They don't burn in the corners like disc bottom pans when placed on a high heat gas burner.

Lovestocook's preheating trick and oil suggestions are perfect. Another is to get a separate nonstick pan for eggs. And the classic thing to keep in mind with SS pans is that you have to let the meat release on its own when browning, or you'll tear it. When it lets go of the pan you have the perfect sear and caramelization of the sugars and proteins.

For cleaning, the matte interior finish is usually pretty indestructable. If food sticks or burns, I put some water in the pan, add baking soda, bring it to a boil, let it sit, then it releases easily with a soft scrub sponge. Barkeeper's Friend is a good solution to interior stains/burnt grease. I never scrub the shiny exterior with anything harder than a soft sponge and Dawn.

And frankly, I don't worry about the blue stains from high heat in SS. I love to work at high heat for sauteeing, and go ahead and work my pans hard on the Wolf.

I also love the restaurant supply aluminum clad SS pans for sauteeing. Much cheaper than All Clad, and they work just as well.

And I put everything in the dishwasher.

I too cook with All Clad. I love, love it! I have the stainless or LTD with the non-stick interior. Nothing sticks to it. I don't put mine in the dishwasher but I haven't used my dishwasher in over 20 years. I usually am only cooking for myself, so I clean up in a hurry. I LOVE All Clad and won't ever go back to anything else--except for the baking in the oven. I LOVE Emile Henry! It too doesn't have food stick to it and cooks like a dream.

THANKS so much everyone for your support and helpful tips. I did keep a couple non-stick pans from my old set for eggs and potstickers!! LOL

all your tips i will keep in mind and will let you know how it goes when i finally cook with them! gotta go buy some BKF!!!

BTW---i have the AC ltd.

Interesting thread. I'm ready to swich from "junky" pans to something nicer. You all seem to love the stainless steel pans! Can anyone tell me why you'd prefer SS over Le Creuset (cast iron?) As you can tell, I know nothing except for what I have now is junk. Hubby is going to gristle when I start bringing things home that don't have the non-stick finish! I'll do as suggested, I'll save him a pan.

You will love cooking in them. About 5 yrs ago when I bought my All Clad SS. I selected the Stainless steel because at that time only the SS was DW safe. Preheating pan, then oil, and barkeepers friend are excellent advice.
As for the question LeCreuse vs SS, for much of everyday cooking the weight of AC. But you can't beat having a LE C dutchoven.

That makes sense. I guess I was pondering the Le Creuset because I wanted to make a fritata in the oven! Either way, my junky old pans just are not going to cut it anymore. Would anyone care to share brand names or sources of stainless steel? Is all-clad a brand name or type of stainless steel? Sorry to hi-jack the thread, muimui80! I looked for a cookware forum and didn't find one and everyone seemed to be on a roll here!

I too have a large collection of AC, much from the semi-annual sale. As a result, I have some pans with the LTD finish, and some with stainless. Despite the manufacturer's warnings, I've *always* put my LTD in the dishwasher, and have never had a problem. Then again, my mother has done the same, and the finish came off of her LTD.

In any event, I love my AC pans, and I heartily recommend the sale for anyone who is in reasonable driving distance. (I've attached a link with a photo and dates, but you can google for more information.)

And to answer neesie's question, I don't use Le Creuset because it's just too heavy to be practical for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

I use both, Le Creuset and stainless. I love the LC for braising.

One way not to get colored spotting on stainless is to be sure if you are boiling water, that you let it come to a full boil before you add your salt.

i have quite a few all-clad (it's a brand name) LTD's, a bunch of le creusets and a good number of lodge cast iron products.

i love them all. i've slowly been ridding myself of the remaining garbage-ware that my wife brought to to our household.

i use them each for different things. i don't generally put the AC into the oven, although i could. le creuset i use for braises that need to go from stovetop to oven. the lodge stuff i use for searing meats on top, then finishing in oven. i also use my lodge pots outside on the grill and smoker.

i've also got a few french steel pans (de buyer) that i'm currently head over heels in love with, but bewarned--they are unfinished carbon steel and will discolor and rust so they need to be seasoned and cleaned the right way. but they conduct heat like nobody's business and the food releases so easily.

to the OP--don't worry about keeping your stainless cookware looking perfect. it's for use, not decoration. and they call it stainless for a reason.

I have *never* worried about keeping my cookware clean and lustrous. It's a tool.

Even so, my cookware looks pretty good. It cleans up well enough.

The secret to keeping food from sticking much is to let the pan get good and warm, even a little hot, BEFORE adding the oil.

And for easy cleaning add water to the pan (when you're done cooking) while it's still warm (but NOT while it's hot; that can warp the pan, even if it's aluminum)

Just use it already! (LOL!)

Another lover of SS aluminum clad cookware here! All my SS goes in the dishwasher, and I use BKF every so often to shine them up. I, too have a couple nonstick pans for eggs, only, and an enameled cast iron lasagna pan.

However, you mention you have the AC Ltd? Isn't that the line that has anodized aluminum on the outside and stainless interiors? Those really shouldn't go in the dw (only the ones that have stainless exterior, too.) I'm sure those pans are lovely to cook with, though. I'm just totally about ease of cleanup!

You don't need Le Creuset for frittatas - get a frittata pan - an oven-safe 2-3-inch tall straight-sided pan with a cover. IMHO, the Le Creusets are best for slow-cooking stews and braises. If you are mainly a stove-top cook, SS-clad (not all-SS) pans (and the couple of nonsticks for eggs) are all you need.

Here's a rundown of common types of cookware. As you see, SS is actually NOT a good heat conductor - that's why the expensive stuff is CLAD in SS but contains bottom and/or side layers of aluminum or copper:

Aluminum

Advantages
excellent heat conductor
relatively light in weight

Disadvantages
porous and relatively soft
dents and scratches easily
difficult to clean
stains easily
reacts to food
oxidizes to a dull gray color
warps easily
requires a "nonstick" coating
----------------------

Stainless Steel

Advantages
extremely durable
non porous, extremely hard
smooth surface, easy to clean
dent and scratch resistant
does not react to foods
easy to maintain mirror finish

Disadvantages
poor heat conductor
----------------------

Cast Iron

Advantages
relatively low cost
holds heat longer

Disadvantages
extremely heavy
rusts easily
reacts to food
----------------------

Copper

Advantages
excellent heat conductor

Disadvantages
relatively high cost
reacts to food (toxic with some foods)
oxidizes, very difficult to maintain finish
dents and scratches easily
must be lined with tin, nickel, or stainless steel
----------------------

Enameled Steel

Advantages
colorful, fashionable

Disadvantages
very poor heat conductor
chips easily
rusts easily when chipped
----------------------

Carbon Steel

Advantages
low cost

Disadvantages
very poor heat conductor
rusts easily
----------------------

Glass

Advantages
can be decorated or plain

Disadvantages
extremely poor heat conductor
heat resistant if tempered

gina w thank you for taking the time to post all that information. I can see now why the aluminum all clad is so popular. It has all those wonderful stainless steel properties going for it and because it uses another metal to conduct heat, overcomes its only shortfall.

This is stuff I just can't learn when browsing through stores looking at boxes! Thanks so much!

One trick that I found works with stainless steel cookware is to heat it up before adding food to it. I've heard that this causes the steel to expand and fill all the nooks and cranies that are present in the steel. Also ensure that you grease the pan with oil before cooking. Another thing to be aware of is to make sure to clean the pan thoroughly before cooking on it again. Check out this article about stainless steel cookware for more detailed information.

Barkeepers friend. Works like a charm.

Another ancient thread resurrected by spam.