Stainless steel saucepans - are they really as good as non stick?

[ScreamingBeans]

There's a total bargain going here: Ingenio Emotion L897SM74 22-Piece Pan Set - Black | Tefal UK Shop
but last time I had stainless steel saucepans, things always stuck to them. Yes I followed the instructions and tempered them first, but they were still never as good as non stick.

Does anyone have any and do they really work? Do you just have to spend shedloads of money on the ones that do? I have an induction hob and have been told that I need stainless steel, not aluminium because of something or other.

Please tell me your opinion/ experiences. Cheers.

Eggs are great in either a cast iron or carbon steel pan - the trick is to get them good and hot before adding the oil/fat (just like a wok). I have a stainless saute pan for stuff involving tomatoes as they are so acidic they strip the seasoning from my cast iron and carbon steel frying pans.

I have stainless steel from John Lewis , 20 years and doing well. My husband brought his le creuset steel to the marriage, there's no difference between them. We also have two non stick pans that are shit and hard to wash up.

love it!

thank you all, I bought them!

We have these pots and pans and absolutely love them. They stack really well together, all the pans are non-stick and the little red dot changes colour when they’re hot enough.

We got them for our new induction hob 6 months ago so I can’t comment on how long they last but I’m a huge fan so far! We got the tefal protectors to go between them when stacked and we only wash by hand, hopefully that’ll help keep them in good condition.

What's the secret to cooking things like scrambled eggs in a stainless steel pan? I use non-stick pans at home and after scrambling an egg the pan just needs a quick wipe out, at work they have expensive stainless steel pans and the egg sticks so badly, even with plenty of butter - I cook it for the same time and temperature as the non stick, but the pan needs soaking and scrubbing afterwards.

I’ve had my stainless steel saucepans since 1987! I bought new handles last year as they wore out, but I didn’t want to replace the saucepans as they’re brilliant!

I do have non stick frying pans for making fried eggs and the like.

My favourite pots and pans have to be my cast iron le crueset, some enamelled and some bare cast iron that has become " seasoned" over time and useage. The enamelled can go through the dishwasher but it's death on the family member that dares put a seasoned cast iron pan in the dishwasher ( you have to start the seasoning from scratch again). The bare pans are not that pretty but have the near to non stick properties as a non stick. They are really heavy too but keep the heat well and evenly too.

My mother in laws stainless steel ones are blackened, chipped, smashed half to bits where people have slammed them shut in cupboard doors, sharp edges, they look like they have been run over by a truck. I can’t eat anything cooked out of them because they honestly look like something rescued from a skip. They won’t replace them as they still “work”. They are shaped like squares now from all the battering.

so while yeah they may be better and will last forever (as evidenced by MIL’s pans which should have been laid to rest in the 80’s) I can’t get past the state of them if not looked after.

I have copper bottom stainless steel saucepans (Revere ware), bought in the US in the 80s and still going strong. I also have enameled cast iron pots and two cast iron frying pans, all from the 80s too. I've got rid of every non-stick pan I've ever bought. They didn't last.

Non stick is awful for the environment!

I wouldn't have non stick. I don't trust they don't leach chemicals into my food. They are definitely not safe if scratched or chipped and at high heat. Even if you don't care about that, the fact they scratch and chip means they don't last as long.

I have Procook triple ply stainless steel pans and they are excellent. I also have a charity shop stainless steel frying pan which uses also excellent.

I don't have any issues with sticking in the pans. Not sure why you would unless burning things?!?

I do get some sticking in the frying pan when frying eggs for example but a metal spatula resolves that. I don't have any issues at all with cooking an omelette or frying mushrooms. Sticking is minimal and only affects certain foods so I'm not really sure why non stick is needed tbh.

Jesus what has she done to them?!?

You'd have to take a hammer to our stainless steel pans to dent them. And hit them really fucking hard! A cupboard door would come off worse in a fight between them I reckon.

Plus they are v v easy to clean. Dishwasher gets off most things. Scrambled egg might take two goes.

Anything else including burning comes off with a bio powered soak.

I got a set of decent quality, so pretty expensive but not crazy priced, stainless steel pans in the 1990s which had a 25 year guarantee.
They are now out of guarantee.

They are still in perfect condition, with shiny stainless steel finishes.
They have been drum sets for toddlers, moved house several times, sat in storage for months, dropped, had stuff burned in them over the years and you would never know it.
I can't imagine how you'd chip a stainless steel pan.
Mine don't have so much as a dent.

I think if you put a brand new stainless steel pan beside them they'd look a little duller until you'd stuck that new one through the dishwasher, but they don't look old or worn at all.

I don't bother with fancy stainless steel cleaners.
I stick them in the dishwasher now, but hand washed them for years without trouble, if something sticks on just soak them overnight.

The frying pan is not part of the set.
It's a cast iron one as it's the only frying pan I have ever found that didn't warp.
It never goes in the dishwasher as it's seasoned so it's non stick and I use that for scrambled eggs.

i only use stainless steel.

I recommend the Steel Pan Guy on tik Tok - watch some of his videos.

I rave about my Scoville neverstick pans and even convinced my sister to get some, I love them, nothing has ever stuck and I’ve had them 5 years now.

I inherited some prestige ss pans 25 years ago, they must be 40 years old now. I've now inherited a second set of my mum's ss pans that I know are exactly 25 years old I was there when she bought them with the same inheritance windfall that I got my original pans from so the prestige ones are on their way out (handles now wonky after dishwashering them, not sure they were dishwasher proof but the ss is immaculate still).

I do buy non-stick frying pans but tend to have to replace every couple of years. The only thing I don't like about ss is cooking scrambled eggs but since I've mastered the poached egg I've never made them.

Are you sure these are not aluminium? Much softer metal.

I've got Le Creuset 3 ply steel and they are fantastic.

The only two pans that have lasted me, looking just the same as when I bought them 30 years ago are stainless steel.

Twenty five quid from Argos.

I've got a set of copper bottomed SS pans that are at least 40yrs old. Brilliant. Yes, you have to do the "water ball" test in frying pan before adding oil but then nothing sticks (heat pan dry until water dropped in turns into little balls, like mercury, instead of fizzing. Then add oil)

If anything does get burnt due to careless cooking then they are easy to scrub clean and it has no lasting impact on the pan.

They get washed in the dishwasher no problem and will probably get fought over by my DC when I go under a bus..

They are steel. I’ve thought about it all day actually because I took a photo last week to send to DH to show that he should just get her a new pan ffs and look for a similar one online.

My conclusion is that they’ve been hit with a hammer or some kind of tool. DH swore to me it was from slamming cupboards shut on them but it just couldn’t happen. I wonder if they been deliberately hit so that MIL would replace them and she just hasn’t.

anyway aside from the actual beaten up shape of them… the blackness is the thing that’s put me off more.