Steeling Your Heart: How To Cook With Stainless Steel Cookware

Let’s address the elephant in the (very well-equipped) kitchen:

GreenPan has spent years lovingly, passionately, and unapologetically championing our revolutionary ceramic non-stick cookware. We’ve written about it. Cooked on it. Tested it. Compared it. Defended it.

So, you could be forgiven for asking why we’re now writing about stainless steel cookware?

No, we haven’t changed our stripes and abandoned non-stick ceramic. Fear not! Our commitment to PFAS-Free cooking has not waned one iota!

The simple answer is that when it comes to the pots and pans you use everyday in your kitchen, the surface is, well, just the surface. Beautiful design, attractive colour schemes, perfect weight and balance, superior performance, and a host of other factors go into creating the culinary weapons we love to wield at the stovetop.

As one of Australia’s highest-rated cookware brands, we listen to cooks with an enormous spectrum of tastes and preferences. Hugely popular items such as our best-selling Padova range and the extraordinarily rated Stanley Tucci collection have received incredible responses from customers and reviewers alike. However, to ensure we’re catering to everyone’s priorities, we’re now offering these and other products in Stainless Steel. This allows users who love the way our cookware looks and feels but are curious to enjoy the best of both worlds.

If that sounds like you, and you’ve been waiting to try your favourite GreenPan style with an elegant, high-performance Stainless Steel surface, this guide is definitely for you..

What We Love About GreenPan Stainless Steel Cookware

They might look different, but like fraternal twins who look nothing alike, our Stainless Steel range shares many of the same qualities that have made our non-stick ceramic products so enormously popular. This significant overlap is why we’re so excited to expand our product reach and offer Stainless Steel cookware that aligns so closely with our core values and mission.

Let’s take a look at where these two heroes of the hob intersect:

1. It is Naturally Non-Toxic & PFAS-Free

There’s no coating. No synthetic surface. No chemical treatment required to make stainless steel safe, healthy and eco-friendly. High-quality stainless steel is inherently free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, cadmium, and other chemicals harmful to humans and the natural environment. This characteristic aligns perfectly with our non-toxic philosophy.

2. It is Built to Last

Cookware should not be disposable. It should go the distance and continue helping you produce spectacular creations many years after it emerges from the box. Just like our much-sought-after nonstick ceramic cookware and appliances, stainless steel is famously durable. It resists corrosion, warping, flaking, and degradation over time, giving you years, if not decades, of yeoman’s service.

3. It Encourages Strong Cooking Technique

When used correctly, stainless steel develops natural release properties through proper preheating and oil management. Unlike inferior nonstick coatings that degrade over time, stainless steel’s nonstick properties improve with age and proper cooking techniques. Stainless may be somewhat less forgiving and grant you a smaller margin for error. Still, it rewards attention and superior cooking technique, helping to sharpen your skills and making you a more deliberate cook.

4. It Expands What’s Possible

Stainless steel devotees and a who’s who of professional and celebrity chefs all swear by stainless steel in their kitchens. There are some techniques that it has a particular affinity for. Many of these are classical advanced techniques that, if mastered, can transform your cooking to MasterChef standard:

• High-heat searing
• Pan sauces built from fond (the brown caramelised pieces remaining in the pan after searing protein)
• Deglazing
• Browning proteins properly
• Acidic reductions

With all these exceptional features, it should be becoming clear why, alongside our ceramic non-stick range, we also carry stainless steel and ceramic/stainless hybrid options. Cooking isn’t one-dimensional. Your cookware shouldn’t be either.

Each of these criteria reflects a core value that makes GreenPan one of Australia’s fastest-growing and most-awarded cookware brands.

Why Do So Many Professional Chefs Use Stainless Steel?

Walk into a commercial kitchen, and there’s a strong likelihood that you’ll see rows of gleaming, silvery vessels gracing the stovetops. Clearly, the people who work in these places know what they are doing, right?

We’ll always believe that, aside from a precocious few outliers, our signature cookware is the perfect solution for virtually every day-to-day kitchen job. However, clearly, if the pros are into it, stainless steel must have some pretty persuasive reasoning for choosing it as their go-to.

Here’s why:

1. It Handles High Heat Without Flinching

Stainless steel thrives at temperatures that would cause many coated pans to blush and potentially degrade. When a dish demands high heat, stainless steel stands up to it like a champion.

2. It Creates Fond

Those caramelised brown bits stuck to the pan after searing that we mentioned earlier? They’re not a failure or a mere by-product. They’re flavour. Deep, rich and delectable. Deglaze them with wine or stock, and you’ve built the foundation of a superlative sauce that will have your family or guests in raptures.

3. It’s Durable Under Pressure

The word “Teflon” may be a euphemism for an item or person to whom nothing sticks. That may sound wonderful in theory, but scratch the surface - literally - and you’ll find that the lifespan of your cookware drops as fast as a clumsy tourist with a selfie stick on the lip of the Grand Canyon. No such issues with stainless. Metal utensils, aggressive stirring, rapid heat changes - throw your worst kitchen behaviour at it and it will stand up to the test.

4. It Doesn’t React With Acidic Foods

Unlike some materials, high-quality stainless steel won’t react with tomato, citrus, vinegar, or wine reductions. This means no telltale metallic taste imparted to acidic foods, no leaching of toxins, no corrosion and easy cleaning. That’s a pretty impressive list of benefits!

5. It’s Versatile Across Heat Sources

Gas. Electric. Induction. Oven. Stainless steel transitions seamlessly, meaning it’ll work with whatever equipment you have in your kitchen.

Professionals value control. Stainless steel gives it to them.

Does that mean you should be abandoning ceramic like a sinking ship? Absolutely not. Professionals earn that moniker by pushing their skills and gear to the limits of possibility. The rest of us mere mortals will find that GreenPan’s non-stick ceramic will do an outstanding job of handling virtually any cooking task we ask of it.

Five Essential Tips On How To Use Stainless Steel Cookware

The key to successful cookware parenting is to recognise that stainless steel is not non-stick and needs appropriate handling. Like any high-quality tool, there are plenty of dos and don’ts to help you get the most out of them.

Fortunately, most of these are relatively straightforward and intuitive, so this guide is as simple to follow as it is to implement.

Let’s get started, so you’ll know everything you need to know about how to cook with stainless steel cookware:

1. Preheat First. Always.

Cold pan + cold oil + cold food = sticking.

If you’re the kind of person who thinks that there’s no harm in throwing your food into the pot before it’s heated up to the appropriate temperature, we’ve got news for you. Cooking is science, and those of us who remember only too well the acrid aroma of errant hair singed by the Bunsen burners in high school chemistry lab know that heat is a crucial part of the process. We’re not just talking about how much heat to apply, but also when to apply it.

Before you embark on your next stovetop chemistry experiment, make sure to heat your stainless steel cookware to the correct temperature. This will enhance the natural non-stick properties and promote optimal cooking.

2. Let the Food Release Naturally

If your protein sticks, it’s not ready.

This seems counterintuitive, but it’s a critical factor to keep in mind when working the stovetop. Your brain may be screaming at you to pry the food loose, but exercise your utmost self-control and resist the urge. Failure to do so will invariably result in a hot mess of ruined food.

When properly seared, meat will naturally release once a crust has formed. Confused? It’s all thanks to that incredible quirk of cooking chemistry known as the Maillard Reaction. The same phenomenon that gives perfectly cooked food its crisp texture and mouthwatering golden-brown colour also defies logic and ensures your protein comes away effortlessly from the pan once a fine crust has formed on the surface.

3. Use Enough Fat

Most stainless steel cookware marketing lauds its “naturally non-stick” properties. Such claims may lull the unsuspecting consumer into a false sense of security, leading them to believe they can cook with little or no oil or fat.

Divest yourself of such misconceptions before you wield a stainless steel pan in anger. A generous dollop of oil is crucial for achieving optimal results. We’re not talking about oceans, here: just enough to cover the pan well. Get this step right, and the surface will do the rest for you.

If you have any lingering anxiety about food sticking to your pan, you still have options. Hybrid systems like GreenPan’s Stanley Tucci cookware collection include cookware sets with a stunning stainless steel substrate merged with our state-of-the-art non-stick, non-toxic ceramic coating to deliver the very best of both worlds. You can revel in all the exceptional conductivity, uniform heat distribution and durability of stainless steel with the easy-glide, durable, PFAS-free properties of our diamond-reinforced ThermolonTM ceramic coating.

4. Control Your Heat

Medium to medium-high is typically the sweet spot you want to aim for with stainless.

If food is burning before it browns, the heat is too high. Stainless steel distributes and retains heat well, especially if it has an aluminium or copper core. This allows you to exercise a modicum of finesse with your heat; rather than just blasting it with maximum flame from start to finish, you can gently control your cook, locking on your ingredients’ natural flavours and avoiding the dreaded burn.

5. Deglaze for Maximum Flavour

Cooking with stainless steel cookware doesn’t end when the food is removed from the pan. Rather than walking away, take a few moments to drop the heat setting to low and add a generous splash of wine, liquid stock, or water. The next step is to use a spoon to gently scrape the fond away from the surface, allowing it to gradually dissolve into the liquid. The low heat encourages the flavours to slowly merge and meld, creating layers of complexity that result in incredible sauces that can take your food to the next level.

Unintended bonus: You’ve also just pretty much cleaned your pan!

Stainless Steel Quickguide: How To Choose The Best Stainless Steel Cookware

We’ve covered the theory; now it’s time to get to the brass tacks with a quickfire summary of everything you need to consider when augmenting your cookware collection with stainless steel.

If you’ve just added stainless steel cookware to your kitchen, here’s the full primer on how to get the best results.

1. Heat Conductivity

Pure stainless steel isn’t the best heat conductor on its own. That’s why quality cookware features bonded cores. Look for a multi-ply construction with a layer of aluminium sandwiched between the stainless steel. This provides you with all the benefits of the stainless surface, together with:

• Faster, more even heating
• Fewer hot spots
• Better temperature control

2. Induction Compatibility

Most modern stainless steel cookware is induction compatible because it’s magnetic. If a magnet sticks to the base, it will work on induction.

That versatility is a major advantage. If you’re new to this field, you can find out everything you need to know about induction cooking and induction cookware here.

3. Weight and Handling

Stainless steel typically falls into the middle of the road: heavier than most non-stick, but lighter than cast iron. This makes stainless easy to manoeuvre while providing enough sturdy weight for excellent stability and heat retention.

However, balance matters. Well-designed handles and proper distribution make a huge difference in comfort.

4. Durability

Unlike coated pans, stainless steel does not rely on a surface treatment that can wear down. It won’t chip. It won’t peel.

It can discolour from heat over time, but that’s cosmetic, not structural.

5. Cleaning and Care

Importantly, always let the pan cool before washing. Once it’s cool enough to handle comfortably, keeping it clean and well-maintained is simple.

For everyday cleaning:

• Warm water
• Mild dishwashing liquid
• Non-abrasive sponge

For stubborn residue:

• Soak briefly
• Use baking soda paste
• Or a stainless-safe cleaner
• Avoid using steel wool for anything other than the most intractable of jobs.

Many stainless steel pans claim to be dishwasher-safe, but you may find they develop unsightly scratches. It may be a chore, but handwashing extends their aesthetic lifespan.

6. Storage

Stainless steel is tough, but the best practice is to stack your pans with protective liners to prevent surface scratches.

Better still, hang them if you can for a delightfully rustic visual effect in your kitchen. Store them dry to prevent moisture from being trapped.

Price Considerations

High-quality stainless steel can cost more upfront than entry-level non-stick.

But here’s the difference:

Non-stick prioritises ease and convenience. Stainless steel prioritises longevity and performance.

They’re not competitors. They’re complementary tools.

So, Why Are We Talking About Stainless Steel?

Because good cooking is about flexibility, creativity and imagination.

We believe in ceramic non-stick. We stand behind its safety, innovation, and performance. It’s built into the fibre of our being and our mission.

However, we also believe in cooks who want to push their limitations to sear harder, build deeper sauces and experiment boldly.

Once you understand how to use stainless steel cookware and work with its unique properties, it stops feeling intimidating and starts feeling powerful.

That’s why we’ve incorporated high-performance, exceptional quality stainless steel cookware into our product lineup. Spanning from classic stainless steel to ceramic non-stick coated, from individual items to cookware sets, with everything you’ll ever need, our commitment to quality, safety, beauty and performance has never been stronger.

Because at the end of the day, whether you’re reaching for ceramic non-stick or stainless steel, the goal is the same: Cook well. Cook safely. Cook with confidence.