So, the best of induction cookwares are pricey and we invest big when we go stainless steel. We know stainless steel is worth the investments we are making; they sure would last a lifetime, perhaps more.
Yet, we are reasonably apprehensive about owning these gleaming pieces of utensils. How would their polished appearance hold up with age? Worried that your cookware would lose its sheen? Here are tips meant just for the purpose.
Caring Tips From Experience
It’s best not to treat home cookwares like commercial cookwares and put them right through the dishwasher. I learnt this piece of advice the hard way.
I was into housekeeping business for over half a decade and if you should imagine it, I sure was supposed to keep everything well maintained, in other words, spick and span. So I went a little over the top, got things overdone and ended up with dreary looking utensils scratched with rough scrubbing materials.
I can assure you that those were not my high points. But I sure hope my experiences will be helpful for your domestic care.
- Do not use high temperature on stainless steel cookwares, unless boiling water. Even when boiling, once it comes to a boil, back the heat down. Stainless steel in fact heats evenly and fries or cooks very well at medium or medium-high temperatures. Note that heating stainless steel dry only gets the surface to change its color from brown to blue to purple to burnt-black residue, which means more trouble polishing it clean again. That’s the way to invite dull scratched cookwares. And besides, it could even damage the cookware. So take care you do not boil dry.
- Allow overly chilled food to warm before the actual cooking begins. Especially if you are picking food items right out of the refrigerator, leave them out for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Overly chilled food do tend to stick to the cookware when heated fast. More trouble again.
- Try Using Plastic or Rubber Spatulas when cooking because hard metal ones, though they seem sturdier, will give ready scratches and they are not overly more effective for use either if considered reasonably. Using steel spatulas? A sure way to make your cookware slightly less attractive. Plastic or rubber material does not leave scratches and are far more homely to the sight. Choose subtle colors that keep your kitchen looking more alive and homely.
- Use oil rather than cooking sprays. It is best not to use cooking sprays either. Take it from experience that cooking sprays are quite difficult to wash off and more often stains the vessel because they contain chemical sprays fairly difficult to remove. Instead, use a dab of oil on paper towel and wipe all around the interior.
- Heat oil before adding food. As it is, oil needs to be rightly heated, not too much and not to less before you add the food items which are to be fried. Start from medium to low heat and gradually increase as you cook but make sure you back down the heat once it heats high enough. It is easier to get temperature control on an induction cooktop due to precise temperature settings. If you overheat the oil, the evaporated oil residue will stain the cookware and if the oil is underheated when adding food items, you risk more sticking. Yes, a little tricky frying but note that stainless steel takes less oil to cook.
- For washing, use liquid cleansers and soft scrubbers. Usually milder than detergent soaps that are far too harsh on the cookwares, opt for soft cleansers. Now, I also know that it is tempting to stash cookwares with tough oily stains in the dishwasher with a little harsher detergent cleanser. But you better keep away from that if you do not want to end up with sorry cookwares like mine. Barkeepers and Magic Jetz are two good products you can check on.
When your professional life requires you to look after the upkeep of utensils and homes, you learn a few hacks here and there on the way.
I learnt early on from my job that I am better off not using anything too harsh, for my own skin, those shiny stainless steel wares, as well as for those polished ceramics.
Go easy on your pans. Let me tell you, these lil tips and tricks proved to be a fairly easy way out of disaster for me.
Good Luck and take care.
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