The Essential Guide to Stainless Steel Cookware, According to Professional Chefs

Cookware options are endless: ceramic, copper, nonstick, cast iron — they all have their place in the kitchen. But stainless steel cookware is the most prized and frequently sought-after by professional chefs and serious home cooks alike. Known for its durability and high heat retention, it can achieve an excellent sear or perfect sauté. And it can last a lifetime.

What Is Stainless Steel?

Stainless steel is an alloy, or mixture, of several metals. The primary component is iron, prized for its strength and longevity, mixed with small amounts of other metals, mainly chromium and trace amounts of carbon, manganese, copper, and nickel. 

These supplementary metals are added to manipulate specific characteristics of the final product, like tensile strength, heat retention, magnetism, and protection against corrosion. The exact ratio varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and usually depends on the metal's intended use. When it comes to cookware, brands favor mixtures that increase heat retention and are as corrosion-resistant as possible. Carbon increases the strength, while chromium and nickel help protect against corrosion. Copper increases heat retention, and manganese allows the metal to be more malleable during the construction process.

Why Cook with Stainless Steel?

For one, stainless steel is considered one of the safest materials for cookware. It’s non-porous, has no coating that can scratch or chip off, and won’t react to high-acid foods. These properties make it the most versatile material for cookware.

Rachel Klein of Miss Rachel’s Pantry, an all-vegan supper club-style fine dining restaurant in Philadelphia, often reaches for stainless steel cookware. “Stainless steel stands up to high heat cooking and requires very little maintenance,” she says.

Stainless steel can also handle ultra-high heat that nonstick and other materials simply can’t. Not only can you easily sear a steak on a blistering hot stainless pan, but you can also go from the burner to the oven. Cast iron pans can do these things, but it’s notorious for delivering uneven heat, something stainless steel isn’t guilty of. 

Stainless steel is also much lighter than cast iron, making it easier and safer to maneuver. In addition, it is an extremely durable material: The steel can take a beating and doesn’t require seasoning. Unlike nonstick, it isn’t prone to chipping, and unlike copper, it doesn’t require hyper-sensitive cleaning to maintain. Stainless steel can take on markings from overheated oil, but any stains are purely cosmetic and don't interfere with its functionality. If pans do become stained, you can easily scrub them clean without worrying about the surface, something that cannot happen with coated cookware like nonstick, ceramic, or cast iron.

What to Look for in Stainless Steel Cookware

All stainless steel cookware is made with food-grade stainless steel, which requires a minimum of 16% chromium to ensure the highest corrosion resistance and increase the material's safety. Within food-grade stainless steel, the NSF requires manufacturers to adhere to the 200, 300, or 400 series guidelines, though 200 and 300 make up the vast majority of stainless cookware. 

200 series stainless steel is the lowest grade and is usually found in cheaper, lower-quality cookware. It is also usually not induction-compatible as it is not magnetic. 

300 series is the most common and includes the 304 and 316 series, also sometimes called 18/8 and 18/10, from which most of the stainless steel cookware you’ve handled is made. The ratio refers to the ratio of chromium to nickel. Functionally, these are effectively the same material. Their only difference is the small amounts of other metals added to the recipe that increase corrosion resistance. 316, or 18/10, is the highest grade with the most durability and corrosion resistance. Either type of the 300 series is an excellent choice for stainless steel cookware.

Meanwhile, other stainless steel cookware isn’t all steel. Some brands, like the chef-favorite All-Clad, have an aluminum core. This is because aluminum is a great conductor, and adding it to the layers of metal gives the steel more even heat distribution and retention. However, aluminum is a reactive metal and non-magnetic, so adding the layers of steel gives you the best of both worlds. Copper is also a common material in the “core” of stainless cookware. Like aluminum, copper is a great conductor and helps the steel heat more evenly. If your budget allows for it, cookware with aluminum or copper cores is a great investment and makes stainless cookware all the more luxurious.

What Does 3- and 5-Ply Mean?

Higher-end cookware often uses 3-ply or 5-ply construction, meaning there are several layers of metal: the core material and the stainless layers wrapped around it. Most clad cookware is 3-ply, but some include extra layers of the core material or feature dual cores. Both higher-quality steel and core materials can make cookware heavier. Extra layers usually mean heavier cookware, even if your core material is ultra-light aluminum.

When it comes to stainless steel, heavier generally means higher quality. Thick layers of heavy steel mean durable construction, more additives in the steel recipe to increase strength and corrosion resistance, and more layers for better heat retention.

Some cookware can be too heavy, depending on your preferences and strength. When shopping, look for the weight in the product description and compare that to the weight of cookware you already own to get an idea.

Tips for Cooking on Stainless Steel 

Nonstick cookware makes cooking things like eggs stress-free since there’s no worry that there’ll be a big, stuck-on mess. But did you know that your stainless steel cookware is capable of a nearly nonstick surface as well? With the proper heat control and maintenance, your stainless pan can be just as slick of an egg pan as your nonstick cookware, which requires a fraction of the high maintenance care required for nonstick cookware. Stainless steel is beloved by restaurant chefs for its ability to get ripping hot, but a pan that is too hot or cold can cause things like fish skin or eggs to adhere in a way that seems like they’re superglued to the pan. 

• Heat your pan over medium-high heat without oil. After about 3-5 minutes of heating over medium-high heat, depending on how your stove runs, you can test the pan to see if it’s preheated. Simply drop about a teaspoon of water into the pan. If the water bubbles, spatters, and quickly evaporates, it’s not quite ready. If the water beads up and dances around the pan in a formed droplet, it’s ready. Blot out the water, add your oil or fat, and you're ready to go once the oil begins to shimmer but not smoke. Adding cold food to the pan will drastically drop the temperature, so you may need to adjust the heat at the beginning to keep the pan's temperature up.
• The food will tell you when it’s ready to be flipped, especially when it comes to things like achieving crispy chicken skin or a golden brown pancake. Chicken and fish skin contain water, which needs time to evaporate. If the skin seems bonded to the pan, give it a minute. If your pan is correctly heated up, it should begin to release itself when it’s ready, and a metal fish spatula can easily free it up the rest of the way without too much elbow grease. To hedge your bets, pat all meat dry before placing it in your pan; moisture causes things to stick, so the drier, the better. Of course, moisture is unavoidable in foods like an omelet. In that case, just take extra care in heating and lubricating the pan before cooking. 
• Let food — especially meat — sit out of the fridge for 20 minutes before preparing it for the pan. Temperature is also a factor. Cold food straight from the fridge can cause the metal to contract, which is not only bad for the cookware, but bad news for your dreams of crispy skin or an unstuck egg. Cold food also causes the temperature of the pan to dip, and a cold pan leads to sticking.

How To Clean and Maintain Stainless Steel Over Time

Though stainless steel cookware is lauded for its durability, it still needs some care to ensure longevity. Klein recommends gentle cleaning: “Even though it’s called “stainless steel,” you’ll want to treat your pans with care to keep the surface nice and prevent corrosion. Instead of leaving them to soak in the sink overnight, try to clean them right away with the least abrasive scrubber you have and a mild soap.” 

Even if the tag or box says it’s dishwasher-safe, the single easiest way to prolong the life of your pans is to handwash them. Always wait until they’re completely cooled; hot steel can warp if it comes into contact with cool water. Scrub with a sponge's soft or scrubby side, and avoid steel wool, as it can scratch the metal. 

For stuck-on messes, briefly soak the cookware in hot, soapy water to release any cooked-on food. If you’re dealing with a really stubborn mess, reach for Bar Keepers Friend, a strong, powdered solvent that will make quick work of nearly any mess, even tarnish and mineral deposits. Using Bar Keepers Friend semi-regularly will help maintain your cookware and keep it in good shape for years to come. 

Once your cookware is shiny and clean, give it a quick wipe down with a clean kitchen towel to soak up any leftover water, then set it out to dry the rest of the way before putting it away.

Stainless Steel Versus Carbon Steel 

Carbon steel pans are often referred to as a cross between stainless steel and cast iron pans. Some stainless steel pans include carbon in their recipe, but carbon steel always has it, and in higher concentrations than you’d find in regular stainless steel. They borrow their material makeup from cast iron and, thus, share some characteristics. They both require seasoning to maintain the surface and nether like acidic ingredients as these can erode the surface. Both pans can easily be made nonstick through seasoning. 

But unlike cast iron, carbon steel is light like stainless steel and shares its versatility. However, carbon steel isn’t corrosion-resistant like stainless steel, so extra care must be taken when cleaning and maintaining carbon steel cookware. While they share some similarities and differences, a well-stocked kitchen should include both stainless steel and carbon steel cookware, as they have strengths and weaknesses that complement one another. 

Stainless Steel Versus Hard Anodized 

Some stainless steel cookware has an aluminum core since aluminum has excellent heat retention. In contrast, hard anodized cookware is mostly aluminum with a thin layer of oxidization on the outside, which can be nonstick but not as slick as most dedicated nonstick or ceramic-coated cookware. While stainless sets can sometimes include aluminum encased in steel, hard anodized cookware is all aluminum with a small amount of other materials on the outside. 

Compared to fully aluminum cookware sets, anodized aluminum is more durable and usually heavier because of the additional coating. Compared to stainless steel, however, anodized pans are usually much lighter, and while the coating adds an extra layer of protection, they are less durable since they can easily chip off. Like all other aluminum cookware, hard anodized pots and pans are not induction-compatible as they are not magnetic.

Stainless steel cookware is better suited for high-heat cooking, while anodized pans excel at more gentle cooking. They’re also unable to transition from the stove to the oven like stainless steel. Anodized aluminum is a much better conductor than stainless steel, so an anodized pan will provide even, consistent heat that takes a fraction of the time to heat up compared to stainless steel. Just like stainless steel and carbon steel cookware have their strengths and weaknesses, anodized does as well and has a spot in your kitchen to pick up where stainless steel leaves off.

Induction Compatibility 

Induction ranges use magnets to conduct the heat in the burners, so the cookware suitable for induction burners must be magnetic. Lucky for us, iron is the main ingredient in stainless steel and is known to be highly magnetic. This makes stainless steel cookware ideal for induction cooktops. The bottom of stainless steel cookware is usually always smooth, so you don't have to worry about scratching your cooktop like other pans, such as cast iron. Stainless steel also heats more evenly and will be more responsive to the slight changes in heat you can achieve with induction burners, making it much easier to control the heat in your pan.

One thing to note is that aluminum is not magnetic and, therefore, is not induction-compatible. Almost all aluminum-clad stainless steel cookware has a layer of steel on the bottom, making it induction-compatible. However, save yourself the potential headache, and before shelling out for a brand new set of aluminum-clad cookware to use on your induction cooktop, double-check that the bottoms of the pans are stainless-clad and have no exposed aluminum.

Stainless Steel Cookware We Love 

All Clad D3 Stainless 3 Ply Bonded Cookware Set

$690 at Amazon $700 at Williams Sonoma $700 at Wayfair

If you’re looking to overhaul your cookware and replace it with all-new stainless steel, we recommend this All-Clad set. All-Clad is a trusted brand loved by chefs. After multiple rounds of lab testing and long-term tests, we crowned this set the best overall stainless steel cookware set.

During our tests, the pots and pans from this set showed unrivaled heating ability; the temperature was consistent across the pan's surface, and each piece held the heat beautifully. The secret to All-Clad's famous heat retention is an aluminum core sandwich between ultra-durable 18/10 steel, but what sets these pans apart is the aluminum layer isn't just on the bottom; it goes all the way up the sides. This allows the heat to disburse even more evenly, giving us a perfectly seared steak in our tests.

The extra metal doesn't weigh this set down. We were pleased with how easy these were to maneuver, even when pulling them hot from the oven and full to the brim. All-Clad pans come with a hefty price tag, but we loved these pans so much during testing that we think they're more than worth the money.

Made In Stainless Clad Frying Pan

$120 at Amazon $139 at Walmart View on Madeincookware.com

Stainless steel skillets are essential cookware items. We especially like this 10-inch frying pan from Made in. The sleek, ergonomic design instantly grabbed our eye. But don't worry; this pan is form and function. During testing, we loved the thoughtful features that made this pan so easy to use: sloped sides, a handle hole for hanging storage, and a flared lip for seamless flipping and worry-free pouring.

When we measured the pan's temperature, we were thrilled with how quickly and easily it heated up and how seamlessly it held the temperature. When we adjusted the heat, we noticed this pan was particularly responsive to heat fluctuations, making it easy to control for even the most precise cooking.

We didn’t have a single complaint about this pan. We were especially impressed by its durability during testing; we put it through the wringer, and it came out nearly unscathed — this pan will last you for years to come.

Our Expertise

Nick DeSimone wrote this piece. Nick has been a professional cook for nearly a decade, so they know a thing or two about cookware and worked with stainless steel cookware extensively. In addition, Nick has spent the last few years writing for Allrecipes, Food & Wine, Eater, USA Today, Mashed, The Kitchn, and local Philadelphia publications.