How to Pick the Right Pan for the Task

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a poor conductor, but paired with an inner core or a base of aluminum or copper, it's the wonder metal of cookware. Stainless pots can be used for any kind of cooking, since they're nonreactive (meaning the metal doesn't interact with the food or affect the final flavor). It's incredibly easy to clean them.

How to identify: They're usually the brightest, shiniest ones in the pantry. The more affordable stainless pots have aluminum or copper disks bonded to their bases. (For optimum performance, the disk should cover the entire base.) The most expensive stainless cookware has the layer of aluminum or copper sandwiched between the steel on the base and up the sides. Such a pan's base may be stamped CLAD, which signifies the manufacturing technology, not the brand All-Clad.

When to use: Although you can use stainless pots for almost any kind of cooking, they're especially good for browning or for recipes that require gauging the color of a broth or a sauce. The light metal makes a neutral backdrop for what's going on inside the pot.

When not to use: Boiling water in a stainless stockpot with a heat conducting-disk forged to its base will take longer than boiling in an anodized pot, because the sides never get very hot.

How to clean: Stainless steel can withstand dishwashers and abrasive cleansers without scratching or denting.