For the casual home cook, few pieces of cookware are as mysterious or intimidating as stainless steel pots and pans. Depending on where you shop they can be either wildly expensive or suspiciously cheap, and non-stick cookware just seems easier for many people.
However, stainless steel cookware can give you much better and more consistent results with your cooking than non-stick depending on the dish. Plus if you treat it right—and buy the right stuff—it will last a lifetime. With just a little bit of practical know-how, and an eye for quality and construction, you'll be buying and using stainless steel cookware for decades to come.
Construction Is Key
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is simply figuring out whether a product is made well. This breaks down into three essential categories: the cladding, the material and the handle.
For the best quality, look for cookware that's "fully clad," a type of construction made famous by All-Clad.
"In general, cookware is about retention and distribution," says Omar Rada, co-founder of the cookware manufacturer Misen. Fully clad cookware was born out of the understanding that different metals conduct heat differently. For the best results you want a cooking surface that heats evenly and retains heat well. You know how some of your pots and pans get really hot in some spots but stay cool in others? That's because of poor heat conduction, which makes getting an even sear on your steak more difficult.
Fully clad cookware avoids this problem by taking different materials and sandwiching them together in alternating layers. Make a pot out of aluminum and you'll end up with a vessel that heats quickly and evenly, but has poor heat retention, is flimsy and is prone to ugly discoloration. Conversely, stainless steel is extremely durable, retains heat well and looks nice, but conducts heat poorly. By layering different metals, fully-clad cookware blends together the best characteristics of different materials for an improved cooking surface. Less expensive cookware is often "bottom clad," meaning there's a disc of aluminum in the base of the cookware but not in the sides. This is still a big step up from no cladding at all, but fully clad is better.
Built to Last
Chef Bruce Mattel, senior associate dean of culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America, says, "I prefer riveted handles as opposed to spot welded. If you bang those pans around enough a handle will come off." He also prefers cookware with stainless steel handles, which are suitable for being put inside the oven.
If a piece of stainless steel cookware seems light or flimsy there's a good chance it's low quality. Examine the handles: Are they firmly attached with visible rivets? Does the bottom of the pan feel solid and sturdy? If you put the pan on a flat surface does it sit still and not wobble? If the answer is no to any of these questions, you aren't looking at a well-constructed pan. Mattel also says that it's good to look for cookware that isn't overly ornate. Grease will get into nooks and crannies, making it harder to keep clean.
Easy to Use
Perhaps the biggest barrier for most people is that stainless steel cookware seems hard to use. "As a maker of cookware, I didn't fully appreciate that myself until I started putting our products into people's hands and realizing how uncomfortable they were," says Rada.
One issue that beginner cooks might encounter is foods sticking to the pan. "Seasoning, which is commonly associated with cast iron skillets, is actually a process which can be applied to any pan," says Rada. "You can even make a stainless steel pan almost perfectly non-stick, which helps with easy cleanup."
As Rada explains, "Preheat your pan for a few minutes at medium-high heat and get a fat, generally a high smoke point oil, and swish it around the pan until it starts to smoke. Dump the oil out and take a paper towel and rub it around the pan. Once you're done you should have a glossy mirror finish which, if you've done it perfectly, you should be able to see your reflection in. It should be pretty darn non-stick and the cleanup should be a breeze."
It's Pricey, but Worth It
There's (almost) no getting around it: stainless steel cookware can be pricey. All-Clad, often considered to be the gold standard, is one of the most expensive brands available. Same goes for the French brand Mauviel, which is historically known for its copper cookware but also makes fantastic stainless steel pieces. A single piece of cookware from either company could easily cost upwards of a hundred dollars, making it expensive to outfit a kitchen.
For those in search of something more affordable, there are some less expensive brands making excellent products, such as Misen. Rada says the company has kept prices down by existing in the direct-to-consumer space. Tramontina's products are also noticeably less expensive and can be found at stores like Costco and Walmart.
But If you're looking for a real bargain, savvy shoppers should keep an eye out for sales at "off-price" department stores like Marshalls, T.J.Maxx, and HomeGoods. You can sometimes find heavily discount stainless steel cookware, especially leading up to and immediately after the winter holidays.
There’s a reason stainless steel frying pans are beloved in both home and professional kitchens across the globe. From their unparalleled heat control to their long-lasting durability, these pans excel at all parts of the cooking process, from frying to finishing.
If you don’t have one already, this guide will walk you through every aspect of shopping for a stainless pan so you know exactly what to expect before committing to the purchase. Follow along to find out why these pans are right for you.
Stainless steel is an alloy composed of multiple metals, generally iron, nickel, and chromium. Chromium hardens steel and prevents corrosion, while nickel provides the signature polish and shine of stainless steel.
18/10 stainless steel indicates it’s composed of 18% chromium and 10% nickel, while 18/8 stainless indicates 18% chromium, 8% nickel. The higher nickel content in stainless steel results in a more attractive, high-end grade that’s typically used for flatware and pans (like ours).
Stainless Clad refers to the “cladding” process, where different metals are layered and then bonded together to form a single, new sheet of metal. Our Stainless Clad Cookware is 5-ply, meaning it’s composed of 5 sheets of 4 different metals. The four metals it contains are 304-grade 18/10 Stainless Steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, and high-grade ferritic 403.
Our Stainless Clad starts with an aluminum and aluminum alloy core that provides excellent heat conduction capabilities and even heating across the surface of the pan. This core is then enveloped with the 5-ply of different metals. This all results in an incredibly durable, induction-compatible pan that’s corrosion- and rust-resistant, and responsive to heat.
Stainless Steel Pans are some of the safest on the market, especially when constructed of high-grade stainless steel like 18/10 or 304-grade. Since our Stainless Clad Cookware is nonreactive, this also means you don’t have to worry about chemicals leaching into your food or the metal reacting to acidic ingredients.
If you have more questions or concerns about our Stainless Clad Cookware, check out our dedicated guide to whether Stainless Steel is safe.
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Choosing the right size stainless steel frying pan comes down to what you need from it. Pan sizes vary across brands, but common sizes (from smallest to largest) include 6", 8"-, 10", and 12" options. We cover the differences and what each size is best suited for in our guide to frying pan sizes, but at a glance:
The most important factor to keep in mind when cooking with stainless pans is temperature. Getting these pans properly heated is key for a cooking experience free from stuck-on food.
To ensure your pan is thoroughly preheated, heat it to your desired temperature, then add a few drops of water. If the water “dances” around the pan, it’s ready. If the water stays still it’s not heated enough yet, and if the water evaporates immediately it’s too hot and should be cooled a bit before adding oil and food.
Trusting your pan is also essential when cooking with stainless—the beauty of these pans is that the food releases from the surface when it’s cooked, similar to what occurs during a Maillard reaction. Once you’ve practiced a few times, you’ll easily be able to cook ingredients like skin-on chicken or more delicate cuts of fish.
For more advice, check out our guide to successful cooking with Stainless Steel.
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One of the biggest concerns people have when cooking with stainless pans is their food sticking to the surface and burning. While it’s true these pans don’t have the coated, no-stick surface of non stick pans or the built-up seasoning of carbon steel, keeping food from sticking to the surface of a stainless pan isn’t as fussy as it may seem.
There are a few reasons food sticks to stainless steel pans—and most of them have to do with heat. Too much heat, too little, or placing cold food into a hot pan can all cause the microscopic pores in the metal to expand and then shrink, which causes the food to stick.
To prevent this from happening, you need to regulate the heat as much as possible. Ensuring your food is tempered (at room temperature), the pan is preheated with cooking fat, and not blasting or lowering the temperature drastically when food is added can all ensure properly cooked food instead of a sticky, burnt mess.
Once you’ve perfected cooking with stainless steel, the options of what to cook with it are nearly endless. You can sear a hearty protein like steak, sauté a delicate ingredient like mushrooms, or create a tasty pan sauce with any leftover fond—your options are endless.
There are only a few dishes you should stay away from cooking with stainless. Generally, the more delicate the ingredient, the more difficult it will be to cook. While it’s entirely possible to cook dishes like scrambled eggs or flaky fish in Stainless Steel, you may have a better end result if you use a naturally non-stick pan like carbon steel or non stick.
Caring for stainless pans is actually very simple. As with other materials, let your cookware cool completely before placing in the sink and clean with mild dish soap and the soft side of a sponge. If you have some tough debris, a rainbow stain, or just need some extra help, use our Make It New Cleaner or Bar Keepers Friend.
To maintain the shine of your stainless frying pan for years to come, here are some additional maintenance tips:
For more ways to keep your pans shiny and at optimal performance for years to come, check out our complete guide to maintaining Stainless Clad Cookware.
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If you already have a variety of other pans, you may wonder what sets stainless steel apart from the others in your kitchen and if it's worth adding to your collection. Here’s how it stacks up, and why we think it’s a must-have.
From an aesthetic standpoint, it can be hard to discern between Stainless Steel and aluminum pans. Both are shiny, silver, metallic pans without a coating—but that’s about where their similarities end. While aluminum is a great heat conductor, pure aluminum pans are cheap to purchase and even cheaper to produce, which results in pans that wear out quickly and need to be replaced often.
Meanwhile, 18/10 stainless steel is extremely durable and can last for years when properly maintained. We highly recommend Stainless Steel over aluminum—it may be more costly upfront, but you won’t have to replace your pan after 2 years. For more information on why we recommend one over the other, check out our guide to Aluminum vs. Stainless Steel Cookware.
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Since carbon steel pans are described as a combination of the best parts of cast iron and stainless steel, it’s worth wondering if these are both necessary to own. Especially considering the similarities don't stop there—carbon steel and stainless steel are both oven safe, boast incredible heat retention, are induction-compatible, and can handle anything from slow sautés to high-heat sears.
These pans have similar advantages, but that doesn’t mean they can replace one another. We recommend using both these pans as building blocks of your cookware collection, and thinking of them like complements instead of competitors. You can find out more about how these two compare in our guide to carbon steel vs. stainless steel cookware.
Of the materials that stainless steel is compared to, non stick is the one with the least similarities. Non stick has a durable no-stick coating to provide its signature slick surface, while stainless steel has no coating and its cooking surface is the metal itself.
Non stick should be used for more delicate foods, like scrambled eggs or fish, while stainless can handle just about anything else.
You shouldn’t feel like you have to choose between these pans—they serve vastly different purposes in the kitchen. We cover more of them in our guide to non stick vs. stainless steel cookware.
Depending on the construction materials and quality, a stainless steel pan can range anywhere from $50 to upwards of $200 or more. Since these pans last for years with proper maintenance, think of them as an investment piece that will serve you well for many, many meals to come.
Now that you’re equipped with everything you need to know about buying a stainless steel pan, all that’s left to do is actually purchase one.
Our Stainless Clad Pans are what landed us in some of the world’s best kitchens, and once you join the over 16,000 home cooks who have added it to their cookware collection, you’re sure to see why.
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