cookware: non stick vs. stainless

[janinegirly]

i''m working on purchasing some remaining items from our registry and trying to educate myself more on cookware (i''m not much of a cook..yet at least!).
we''ve got a non-stick set but need a saute pan. I''m trying to figure out the advantages of a non-stick pan vs. a stainless steel one, or is it good to have one of each? are there certain pieces where it''s better to have a stainless steel alternative?

thanks!

 

[surfgirl]

I''ve always heard that cheap non stick is bad for your health - the kind that chips off after time...I have one non stick Calphalon flat griddle that we use for grilled cheese and pancakes and we wash it with a non scrubby thing and its perfect. The rest of our cookware is S/S All Clad. You just cant kill that stuff. Easy to keep clean, safe for cooking, etc. Perfect. I highly recommend it!

 

[janinegirly]

well our non stick set is anolon advanced, so not the cheap kind, but I''d love to add some All Clad S/S pieces--i''ve heard such great things about them!

since you have the set, can you let me know the all clad pieces you use the most and/or are your favorites? thanks!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I LOVE out Anolon Advance. We got a great deal on them at BB&B. So easy to clean and they are fine for your health (different material than teflon). Love the rubber handles and glass lids. All Clad are the best but I am not a big enough cook to justify that kind of purchase.

 

[appletini]

I have the all-clad stainless steel and I love it, but I also cook a lot and watch lots of food network, and this is what most of their chefs use.

However you do need to have a few good nonstick skillets for cooking eggs, and various other things when occassionally non-stick is preferred. As for your other cookware items, ss is just fine. Another thing to keep in mind is that non-stick must be handwashed and cannot be used with metal utensils.

Also for cleaning spots on SS, get some barkeepers friend, it will make your pots and pans look like they are brand new.

 

[door knob solitaire]

The only thing I don''t like about non stick, is you have to be careful what utensil you are using. Sometimes you reach for what you have and don''t have the time or care if it is the correct one for the pan...as along as it gets the job done is all I want to be thinking of.

I spent my early cooking days in family restaurant where speed and efficiency was key. My kitchen today is ran the same way. Usually grabbing what I can without thinking. There are many techniques you can learn to avoid sticking foods. Once you know all the tricks...it doesn''t matter what pan you use.

Hard choice...best advice...quality. I would rather have one real quality piece of a set of matched any day.

DKS

tip: hot pan, cold oil...food won''t stick---sorta like I before E except after C

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Good thread - my husband and I were just talking about this earlier this week! My SIL sells Pampered Chef stuff and convinced my husband to buy some stuff from her. He does most of the cooking so I left it up to him. He ordered a small set of each - stainless and non-stick. I was pretty much sold on the non-stick (despite it being more $$) because that''s what I''m used to but he wanted to try both. We''ll see how it works out!

~Jess~

 

[BrightSpot]

We have all-clad SS (MC2 set) & like it. We do have one all-clad saute pan in nonstick, which is really useful. We bought the MC2 because it was a bit cheaper & we thought the outside wouldn''t get fingerprints on it (which it doesn''t) but we didn''t realize that the outside gets streaked when you run it through the dishwasher. I''d recommend going for the kind with the shiny finish--I wish we had.

There are definitely times you''d want to use a SS over a nonstick & vice versa (DH could speak to this better than I!), but I''m glad we have both. I was really resistant to getting a SS set over a non-stick one, but now I like both.

A nice thing about the all-clad is the lids slide over the handles so you can keep them together if you have a pot rack.

As for the pieces, the one we use the most is the 2 qt. saute with lid, probably followed by the nonstick skillet. We also have a small & larger sauce pan, a multi cooker, a small skillet, a multi cooker (don''t use this one too often) & dutch oven. We bought all of the pieces separately, rather than getting the set.

Good luck!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 10/31/2007 1:57:03 PM
Author: appletini
Another thing to keep in mind is that non-stick must be handwashed

Actually now many brands make their nonstick safe for the dishwasher.

 

[somethingshiny]

My non-stick can''t be put in the dishwasher but you can use metal on them. I''ve had them for two years and haven''t had one problem. I use them on the stove and in the oven. They''re Cooks Essentials brand. Also, if you like to make a lot of sauces in your pan after you''ve cooked the meat or whatever, you''ll need just a stainless pan. That way some of your bits get "stuck" on and develop the flavor and carmelize. Then you use your deglazing liquid to remove the "stuck" pieces and they mix in with your sauce.

Never never never buy cheap non-stick. I made mac and cheese at my mom''s the other day for my little boy. Somehow, I managed to get hundreds of little black pieces all mixed in. Gross.

 

[marcy]

I have Cuisinart SS and love it. They clean up great and I don''t have to worry about the non stick starting to get nasty or flaking off. I can run it all through my dishwasher too.

 

[asscherisme]

I got rid of all my teflon (cheapie nonstick) years ago because iwas worried about chemical health effects. I got cuisinart SS and love it. It looks just like all clad stuff, I think they tried to rip off their style. Its really heavy great quality stuff. I have had it for 6 years now and love it. It cleans really well and cooks great.

 

[Eva17]

For me, Stainless all the way! I loathe any kind of non stick surface. They can be highly toxic, not only when they chip, but when they get heated over a certain temp, the chemicals leach into the food you are cooking. Should never be rinsed or cleaned while the pot is hot. It needs to be cool before it is cleaned.

I am am pretty picky about kitchen stuff, glass only, never plastic, stainless steel, never nonstick. Now I see these new rubber cupcake trays, OMG it''s rubber. Any rubber/plastic product that has been heated, leaches. Not good. I know, I feel like I am ranting, but I feel very stongly about this stuff.

I would much rather use a bit more butter for those times when we make eggs, than cook on nonstick. Plus S/S is so easy to wash.

 

[janinegirly]

thanks for all the feedback, very helpful!

i still think we'll go with combo of non stick and SS. The non stick will be (anolon) hard anondized aluminum which is from what i hear, not teflon so maybe not the same risks?

i do love the look of All Clad SS but still worry about the extra clean up work for skillets in particular. I'm sold on the saucepans and maybe one sautepan/skillet for browning. looks like i'll be making a visit to macys at lunch to browse more (scary that I enjoy doing that now!!

)

 

[Beacon]

I used to have non stick and got rid of all of it. I keep birds and if you heat non stick too hot it will release chemicals in the air that kill birds. I figured if those chemicals will kill birds, I really don''t want to eat or breathe them either.

I love the SS. It is very easy to clean if you do things a certain way. Here is how: Say you are making scrambled eggs. You first heat the pan with nothing in it. Once it is hot, add some oil. After the oil gets hot, add your eggs. When you are done those eggs will come right off and it is easy to clean.

As long as it goes in this order the SS is very easy to clean up. I would never go back to non stick.

 

[pennquaker09]

I''ve always found it hard to cook with SS. I don''t have much in the way of cookware, but what I have is all Calphalon hard annodized. I plan on getting a lot more cause I''m so tired of eating out. I guess it''s time to take a trip to Macy''s.

 

[lyra]

Date: 10/31/2007 1:32:22 PM
Author: surfgirl
I've always heard that cheap non stick is bad for your health - the kind that chips off after time...I have one non stick Calphalon flat griddle that we use for grilled cheese and pancakes and we wash it with a non scrubby thing and its perfect. The rest of our cookware is S/S All Clad. You just cant kill that stuff. Easy to keep clean, safe for cooking, etc. Perfect. I highly recommend it!

I agree about the non-stick, although even with the best care, it will have to be replaced.

I beg to differ on the s/s all clad. This is just a cautionary note. Twice, yes *twice*, my husband has melted these pots onto our stove!!!

You know how he did that? By allowing the water in them to boil completely out. This caused the bottoms to separate from the pot, and if that happens, there can be melting believe it or not. I didn't think that possible, but I've seen it twice. We had to replace the pots and of course couldn't match our original set, so now we have a mix match set. On the bright side, the damage to the stovetop has helped my husband decide it was time to get a new stove.

Hope that helps.

ETA: my husband the chef recommends and loves Le Crueset (sp?) cookware. I find it too heavy to lift, but that is his favourite, and he is a connoiseur.

 

[pennquaker09]

Le Creuset is so expensive, but it''s great. I registered for a few pieces.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

i have a very expanded set of analon advanced which i love but i also have 1 all clad stainless piece, it's the 12quart multi pot. omg, amazing! i make a full batch of tomato sauce at least 1 per month and it comes in handy! it also comes with a pasta insert and a veggie steamer insert so it more or less always stays on the stove! it costs about $100 bux but it's well worth it!

 

[marcy]

Date: 11/1/2007 10:57:09 AM
Author: Eva17
For me, Stainless all the way! I loathe any kind of non stick surface. They can be highly toxic, not only when they chip, but when they get heated over a certain temp, the chemicals leach into the food you are cooking. Should never be rinsed or cleaned while the pot is hot. It needs to be cool before it is cleaned.

I am am pretty picky about kitchen stuff, glass only, never plastic, stainless steel, never nonstick. Now I see these new rubber cupcake trays, OMG it''s rubber. Any rubber/plastic product that has been heated, leaches. Not good. I know, I feel like I am ranting, but I feel very stongly about this stuff.

I would much rather use a bit more butter for those times when we make eggs, than cook on nonstick. Plus S/S is so easy to wash.

I am so with you on this Eva. I got a bunch of the rubber stuff for Christmas last year and it either got handed off to people at work or got thrown out. I am not comfortable with eating cookies, muffins , cake etc baked in rubber.

 

[appletini]

If you get any Le Crueset here are my recommendations b/c of the cost. Get a large dutch oven great for soups, braising, etc(I got the 7.25 qt but I love making big batches of soup to freeze for lunches)...a great multipurpose piece and in fun colors. The le creuset stoneware baking pieces are great too and much more reasonably priced ranging around $25-$30 each on amazon and also comes in a ton of fun colors.