Stainless steel pots versus teflon?

Question

I am starting my gift registry and I have no clue if non stick pans are better than stainless steel. I have noticed with teflon pans that they start to chip easily and that is why I am leaning towards the stainless steel, but also the stainless steel might be hard to clean and can burn the bottom of the pan.

Answer 1

Both

Don't get a set. Get individual pans as you can afford them

Personally I recommend

1 large Le Cruset dutch oven

1 medium cast iron

Stainless sauce pans with copper or aluminum core

1 Stainless fry pan (12 inches) also with copper core

Nonstick 6, 8, 12 inch fry pans

Large stainless for pasta


As another poster indicated, all-clad makes a great pan that will outlast your marriage. You will also pay an arm and a leg to get one. I don't have one yet, but will get one some day. That Le Cruset will also cost you but is worth every penny.

Answer 2

Go for the stainless steel it is all I use in my personal and professional life. They work great and they are not that hard to clean even if you burn stuff on them. Soaking and a little steel wool takes it off. The thing to remember is let the pan heat up and any oil in the pan heat up then put in the ingredients. To often I see people turn the fire on place the pan on the burner, pour in some oil then throw stuff in all inside 30 seconds and wonder why it sticks.
Besides for a registry go for the good stuff on the stainless steel.

Answer 3

i would definately go with all clad. i prefer the stainless pans myself. the only pan I have that is non-stick are my 10 & 12 inch skillets. I only use them when a recipe calls for a non stick skillet.

otherwise I always use stainless. teflon is not good at cooking on very high heat. you can actually cause the non-stick to break down if you cook too hot. especially true on gas stoves.

i have no problem keeping my all clad clean. take a good sos or scrubby pad and clean away.

Another piece of advice, buy open stock cookware and not one of those set things...they charge you a lot of money for pots/pans you may not use. select the pans you would use most.

Answer 4

Stainless steel are awesome. Had some years ago.....later bought a nice expensive Teflon coated cast aluminum set and just never warmed up to them. (no pun intended) Returned to stainless steel and still love them. A good set of stainless is not that hard to clean. But you can't burn the heck out of them. If you over cook teflon it will destroy it. When something sticks to stainless I just let it soak a while and it falls off. Get a good set, triple clad if you can afford it (aluminum core) with a polished interior and you can't go wrong.

Answer 5

Hello jchrist81285,
I appreciate Mark's answer (above). I would only add ...do NOT buy (or put on your registry) teflon pans. They are a pile of !@#$> They are not healthy to use.

Hard anodized non stick fry pans for certain uses (eggs for example) are fine if they are of good quality.

A set of tri-ply stainless steel, plus (as Mark said) a cast iron skillet and a dutch oven or pot would be (should be) a brides dream (All Clad puts a cook near Heaven).

Check the resources below for more info. Best wishes.

Answer 6

non stick pans are good the key to them is NO SPEED cooking-- do not turn your burner over medium heat. Stainless steel pans are good for both Speed Cooking and slow cooking. If I want something done quick or If I need to sear something I use my stainless. if I want to take my time and cook slowly I use the nonstick. My favorite for speed cooking is Cast Iron. I have some of all types of cookware that way I cover all the bases.

Answer 7

I agree, all clad.

IF all clad is too pricy and these are your options...then, it depends upon your experience as a cook and what you want to do with your cookware.

If you want burner to oven capability, then it may be best to ask for stainless steel.

If you don't need burner to oven capability and have an idea that you may burn things a time or two...then non-stick would be best.

Soap pads work great on stainless steel...the trick is to never let the pan go unwashed...wash it as soon as you're done with it and it's safe to (aka: cool enough).

Answer 8

A good quality nonstick is easy for many saute pan tasks. You don't have to add a lot of fat, and it's harder to mess things up if you get distracted.

Stainless is important when you want to get a good, caramelized sear on meat or chicken and get flavorful "brown bits" to pull into a sauce.

I'd recommend registering for a decent quality set of nonstick saute pans, but also registering for one very large, deep stainless fry pan, with a lid (very high quality). That big, lidded pan is great for doing chicken and meat dishes where you brown the meat, then add liquids (e.g. wine), cover and simmer.

If you want the convenience of throwing your sauce pans in the dishwasher, then they should be stainless too.

Answer 9

There are pro's and con's with both. I happen to own stainless steel for my presonal use, and the majority of my professional use. I also have cast iron. I have never had a problem cleaning either type of these. They last a very long time as long as you take care of them. They will cost more then telfon but they are worth every penny. They also cook more even then telfon.
I do not have anything good to say about telfon. Sorry.

Answer 10

Register for the stainless steel set and one nonstick frying pan--you'll be glad you have it when you have to make something that you know is going to stick to the pan. I rarely use mine, but when I do, I'm thankful I have it simply for the easy clean afterward.