Are you someone who cooks a lot? Spends a lot of time with family in the kitchen? Maybe you just moved into your first place and are looking to buy a kitchen set, or you are getting married and need ideas for your wedding registry. Even if you are not into cooking, maybe you are close to someone who is. Everyone needs functional kitchen utensils, whether a beginner or a trained chef.
Regardless, if you are reading this article, you need some new steel pans. Like most markets, kitchen products are so over-saturated that choosing what is best for your specific needs can be overwhelming. In this article, we will go over the basics of why you need a steel pan, along with discussing some of the best steel pans on the market. This guide is here to help you stop searching and start cooking.
When to Use A Steel Pan
If you are new to cooking, you may be wondering when you should use a stainless steel pan versus when to use a cast iron or nonstick pan. Let’s go over why you would want to use a steel pan. You may not be aware that many professional kitchens exclusively cook with stainless steel kitchenware. Chefs like working with them because of their many benefits. For example, steel pans distribute heat evenly through the base of the pan; they prevent food from sticking to the pan’s surface, pieces of the pan will not flake off into the food itself, and stainless steel is highly durable. All these benefits combined create a perfect cooking utensil that will last for years.
What is impressive about stainless steel pans is that you can cook anything in them. Steel pans are great for cooking meat such as steaks, pork, and chicken. They are also perfect for cooking other foods that need to be seared because they conduct heat well. When shopping for a steel pan, you want to look for one with a copper or aluminium centre. The core of your pan is integral to how much heat your pan will conduct. Stainless steel that is moulded over one of these cores is your best option. These pans distribute heat evenly without hot spots, which is why they are great for cooking meat. Steel pans are also used for cooking perfect eggs and making an excellent vegan stir fry!
A Chef’s Best Kept Secret
Another massive benefit of using stainless steel pans is the sauce that is created while cooking your dish; pan sauce is not something you should throw away! The sauce begins to pool in the pans when you make certain foods that contain fat, such as red meats. When the food is browning, parts of it will collect at the bottom of the pan, and then stick pieces will transform into a sticky residue. This is something you want to happen in your steel pan, called the Maillard reaction. It is a chemical reaction when foods heavy in protein are cooked at around 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The reaction admits hundreds of compounds that make our food taste delicious. Before you clean off your pan, you can collect the sauce and pour it into a jar for later use. The next step is to add herbs and butter, and then poof, you have a magical sauce you can add to future dishes.
Popular Brands to Consider
A popular brand that makes high-quality stainless steel pans is Misen. Their products are well-known because they are high-performing compared to competitors for a reasonable price point. They were created as a direct-to-consumer brand and were launched as an innovative kick-starter campaign. Their pans are also oven and dishwasher-safe. It’s also important to note that most stainless steel pans can be heated up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Another brand you should consider looking into is HexClad. Their pans are constructed with a hybrid design technology, which combines stainless steel and non stick performance. They are unique because they were developed with a laser etching process, and the finished product is created from a series of peaks and valleys. The cliffs are your stainless steel, the aspect of the pan that gives you that amazing golden brown sear. Furthermore, it protects the pan against peeling and flaking. The second part of the design is in the valleys. This aspect of the pans is the nonstick surface, which provides your pan with easy cleanup capabilities and allows you to cook with less butter, grease, and oil. While searching for a new steel pan, remember that hybrid options may work well for your kitchen since they provide proper temperatures and easy cleanup.
The Benefits Speak for Themselves
The numerous benefits of cooking with stainless steel are undeniable. Chefs at high-end restaurants choose to cook with steel pans for a good reason. Every kitchen should be home to at least one stainless steel pan regardless of your skill level.
