Stainless Steel Pots

The evolution of modern cooking vessels like stainless steel pots could be traced with the development pottery. While cooking food by roasting was simple enough to be easily discovered by early humans, boiling water is relatively a more complex problem to them. During the Stone Age, water was heated by dipping hot stones into a water vessel like big carved stone, turtle backs, or dried gourd. Until the discovery of pottery, boiling water remained a difficult task as no water vessel could withstand fire without burning. Boiling water became faster when metal pots or cauldrons were invented. Metal is a more efficient conductor than clay or ceramics, hence, doubling the pace to reach water's boiling point.

Stainless steel pots now replaced carbon steel made pans and cauldrons in modern kitchens save for some Chinese woks that remained in use today. Stainless steel pots are free from rush and corrosion and thus, could outlive carbon steel cooking vessels. Other stainless metals used in manufacturing stainless steel pots include pure aluminum and some are bronze alloys.

Stainless steel pots are made of iron alloy that contain 11.5% chromium. There are alloy mixtures containing 18% chromium and 8% nickel or what are widely known as 18/8 stainless steel pots. Iron alloys with 18% chromium and 10% nickel content used to manufacture what are called 18/10 stainless steel pots.

Stainless steel pots, aside from their resistance to rust or corrosion, do not react with alkaline or acidic substances present in the food being cooked. Stainless steel pots do not get dented or scratched easily. But the disadvantage is, compared to other metal pots like aluminum, stainless steel pots are poorer heat conductors. Copper or aluminum plates or disk are integrated in the base of stainless steel pots to help conduct heat from the bottom.

Some stainless steel pots are coated to prevent food from sticking. The most popular coating used to prevent food from sticking is a Teflon coating, which is made while the pot is manufactured. To avoid food sticking in your pot, make sure it is very hot before pouring in oil. Let the oil spread evenly onto the stainless steel pots before putting in meat or other food to cook. Wait until the meat turns brown before lifting it out or mixing it with other ingredients. As such, you won't get the meat sticking into the bottom of the stainless steel pot.

Care and maintenance of your stainless steel pots should be ensured to have a longer lifespan. Avoid scratching steel wool to removed sticky food, just fill the stainless steel pots with warm water to soak the sticky food until it detaches itself from the pots.