Best Cookware - Stainless Steel or Non-Stick?
How to Choose the Best Skillet or Fry Pan For You
Nov 10, 2009
Consumers looking to buy a basic frypan or skillet today are faced with many options. Should the home cook choose a stainless steel or a non-stick pan? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Advantages and Health Risks of Non-stick Cookware
The non-stick Teflon coating on a non-stick fry pan makes nonstick cookware easy and convenient to cook and clean, especially for sticky foods such as eggs.
Fortunately for the consumer, cheap nonstick pans can perform comparably to higher-end ones, as the Teflon coating prevents burning and sticking. Therefore even a cheap fry pan will do well. It is good that a nonstick pan does not require much of an investment, as the nonstick coating doesn't last very long anyway. Many nonstick pans come in beginner cookware sets, making them convenient when outfitting a kitchen.
However, nonstick cookware has recently been garnering controversy as to possible negative health effects. When heated to very high temperatures, the Teflon coating releases gases that can be toxic to humans as well as pets, especially pet birds. For this reason, woks, which must be heated to high temperatures during stir-frying, are not generally nonstick. While some proponents of nonstick cookware say that home stoves cannot reach the high temperatures at which Teflon releases toxins, some consumers prefer not to take the risk. In addition, scratching and wear can cause the Teflon to flake off, possibly ending up in food.
Another drawback of nonstick cookware is a much shorter lifespan than stainless steel and cast iron pans. The coating on nonstick pans begins to wear out, scratch, and lose its nonstick properties after just a year or two of use.
Is Stainless Steel Cookware Better than Non-Stick Cookware?
A good quality stainless steel pan can last for years, and can withstand abuse that nonstick pans cannot. Stainless steel is non-reactive and durable, allowing cooks to use steel implements without worrying about scratching the pan, and like nonstick pans, allow home chefs to cook acidic foods and sauces. Stainless steel pans are usually oven-safe, while nonstick pans are not.
Users of stainless steel pans may have some difficulty with food sticking to the pan, and therefore more cooking oil is required. Sticking can be desirable, however, as the brown bits sticking to the pan can be deglazed and used to make sauces and gravies.
Some home cooks may find the extra effort required to clean their stainless steel pan a disadvantage. Stuck-on food must be deglazed in the pan, or physically scrubbed off. Stainless steel pans can also lose their shine and discolor over time, requiring the use of a cleaning product like Barkeeper's Friend to restore their original finish.
Buying a stainless steel pan represents more of an investment than buying a Teflon coated pan, because cheap stainless pans can heat unevenly without the added compensation of a nonstick coating. Look for stainless steel pans with an aluminium or copper core sandwiched between two stainless steel layers, from reputable manufacturers such as Calphalon and All Clad.
The Bottom Line: Stainless Steel or Non-Stick Cookware?
Whether cooks choose a Teflon-coated pan or a stainless steel one depends on their priorities. If convenience is the most important to them, they rarely cook with high heat, and they don’t mind replacing your nonstick cookware every couple of years, they may choose to disregard the health risks and buy a nonstick pan.
If, however, their health is their first priority, the health risks of using Teflon may cause them to prefer stainless steel, with added benefits of long-term durability and better browning ability. Alternatively, home cooks may consider using a stainless steel pan as their primary cookware, while owning an inexpensive nonstick pan for those sticky or delicate foods, such as eggs or fish.
Informed consumers may also want to consider other options besides stainless steel and nonstick cookware. Cast iron cookware is now making a comeback among serious home cooks, with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
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