Cooking With Stainless Steel Cookware

Many people have questions about cooking with stainless steel cookware. What temperature should I cook at? Why does my food stick? If you have never used stainless steel cookware, that's understandable. When we are comparing ways to cook, SS is an entirely different medium. High quality stainless steel cookware is a sandwich of SS inside and out, with either an aluminum or copper core. This core is what allows the heat to spread out quickly and evenly throughout the cookware. Muti-ply stainless steel cookware can have as many as 12 layers, one key layer if you have a conductive cook top, is a carbon steel layer. This layer will allow the magnetism of a conductive cook top to work at its best. Another advantage, is heat retention, multi-layer stainless steel cookware will be heavier and will hold the heat longer. The pans will also contact the stoves heating elements fully, so you have no loss of heat transfer.

Now to the first question, what temperature do I cook at? With stainless steel cookware you will want to cook at low to med heat, and you will need to preheat your pans. Never cook on high heat, even if you need to boil, start on med and slowly raise the temp. until you get a boil. I've read to many articles that state," Just cook it on high." Resist the temptation.

The second question is a little harder to answer. In stainless steel cookware, food will always stick at first, but if you let it cook without moving it around, the food, especially meat, will sear. When this happens, a thin caramelized crust will form, this crust will actually release the food from your pan. How do you get the food to that point? You have to preheat the pans. To test the temperature, tap the top of the pan with the palm of your hand, if it's warm, OK, if it's hot, pull the pan off the heat to let it cool a bit. Now that you have achieved the best temperature, you can add a little oil to your pan, just enough to get light layer, or butter if you prefer. Add your food, you should get a sizzle when it hits the pan, if it crackles your heat is too high. Let you food cook till you get the desired doneness, and flip it over to cook the other side. When finished it should come right out with no problems. If you cook steaks or pork chops, the little pieces in the pan can make a great sauce or gravy, if you should like one. Stainless steel cookware will allow you to conserve energy and get more energy out of your food.

Wayne Graff has been cooking using all types of cookware for over 30 years. He has recently opened his online store thecookwarecenter.com. For more information on cooking techniques and stainless steel cookware in particular, go to thecookwarecenter.com

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Cooking Vegetables With Waterless Cookware - Part 2

Cooking vegetables correctly does not have to be a guessing situation. By following a few simple directions, you can insure that your fresh or frozen vegetables will turn out tasty, appealing and cooked to perfection every time.

Cooking Fresh Vegetables

Cook Steak

To cook fresh vegetables, place the vegetables in a pan that is almost completely full once vegetables are inserted. When cooking with waterless cookware, cooking vegetables in too large a pan for the quantity you are cooking can be a problem. Then rinse your vegetables with cold water and pour the excess water off. The water that clings to the vegetables plus the vegetable's own natural moisture will provide enough moisture for cooking the waterless way.

Cover the pan, close the vent and cook over medium-low heat. When the cover spins freely on a cushion of water, the vapor seal has formed. Cook according to the time chart that follows: Do not peek. Doing so not only lengthens the cooking time but also increases the risk of burning your vegetables because the vapor seal is broken. When finished cooking, test for doneness with a fork.  If not done, cover the pan, close the vent and add 2 to 3 Tbsp. of water to the rim to reestablish the vapor seal. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Cooking Frozen Vegetables

Do not defrost the vegetables. Again the size of pan used for cooking the vegetables is important. Once the vegetables have been placed in the pan, your pan should be almost completely full. Rinse your vegetables with cold water and pour the excess water off. The water that clings to the vegetables plus its own natural moisture will provide enough moisture for cooking.

Cover the pan, close the vent and cook over medium-low heat. When the cover spins freely on a cushion of water, the vapor seal has formed. Cook according to the time chart. Do not peek. Removing the cover will destroy the vapor seal, lengthen the cooking time, and possibly cause the vegetables to burn.

Cooking Times for Vegetables:

Artichokes (whole) (30 to 45)

Artichoke hearts (10 to 15)

Asparagus (10 to 15)

Beans, green (fresh, cut) (15 to 20)

Beans, green (fresh, French cut) (10 to 15)

Beans, green (frozen) (10 to 12)

Beans, Lima (fresh) (30 to 35)

Beans, Lima (frozen) (10 to 12)

Beets (whole) (35 to 40)

Broccoli (15 to 20)

Brussels Sprouts (15 to 20)

Cabbage, shredded (10 to 15)

Carrots, sliced (15 to 20)

Cauliflower (10 to 15)

Corn (fresh) (15 to 20)

Corn (frozen) (10 to 12)

Eggplant (5 to 8)

Greens (10 to 12)

Leeks (12 to 15)

Mushrooms (5 to 10)

Okra (15 to 20)

Onions (whole) (15 to 20)

Parsnips (sliced) (15 to 20)

Peas (frozen) (5 to 7)

Potatoes (quartered) (20 to 25)

Potatoes (whole) (30 to 35)

Potatoes, sweet (30 to 35)

Spinach (frozen) (8 to 10)

Spinach (fresh) (15 to 20)

Squash, summer (yellow) 15 to 20)

Squash, winter (25 to 30)

Squash, zucchini (20 to 25)

Tomatoes (10 to 15)

Turnips and rutabagas (25 to 30)

*Cooking times reflect the time after the vapor seal is formed, which usually takes 3 to 5 minutes. Note: To keep your vegetables hot and ready to serve, keep the cover on and the vent closed. The vegetables will stay hot in the pan for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Don't let the concept of cooking waterless scare you. When you try it, you will soon discover how easy it is to actually use waterless cookware if you follow the above principles. Yes, cooking with waterless cookware is healthy because vegetables cook in their own natural juices, but you will soon discover how tasty and uniquely flavorful your prepared meals actually are. The Gourmets Cookware offers a wide variety of quality waterless stainless steel products along with tips and healthy recipes that can be easily adapted to your waterless cookware.

Cooking Vegetables With Waterless Cookware - Part 2

Marcia Klun is an experienced cook as well as the owner and webmaster of [http://www.thegourmetscookware.com], a site that offers quality stainless steel products, such as waterless cookware sets, stockpots, cutlery, skillets, flatware, and other gourmet cooking essentials. In addition, the site offers relevant information about waterless cooking and provides a variety of healthy recipes that can be adapted to waterless cookware.

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