Ceramic vs. Stainless Steel Cookware: Which Is Better?
Whether you want a perfectly seared protein or beautifully crispy skin on your fish, you need the best brand of cooking pans to ensure your meals look delightful and taste delicious. But before you settle on a brand, you have to weigh in on the great culinary debate: ceramic vs. stainless steel.
If you’re a home cook who values high-quality cookware and enjoys spending time whipping up culinary delights in the kitchen, you simply want to know the facts. As fun as trends may be, you’re more interested in how pots and pans perform than you are in the latest fad.
So if you want details on the differences between ceramic and stainless steel cookware, this post is for you. With our guide, you can make an informed decision about which type of cookware makes the best choice for your kitchen and cooking preferences.
Benefits of Stainless Steel Cookware
When it comes to cookware, skilled home cooks want high-performing pots and pans, which is why most people look to professional chefs for inspiration, not just for recipes and techniques, but also for cookware.
Found in professional kitchens everywhere, stainless steel cookware offers several benefits for the experienced cook:
- Durability: Stainless steel offers unparalleled durability. Unlike other types of cookware, you can safely use all your favorite kitchen utensils—whether metal, silicone, or bamboo—without worrying about scratching your pans. Its resistance to corrosion is just one reason why you find stainless steel in professional kitchens. When serious cooks invest in a good set of cookware, they expect high value and longevity, and stainless steel, with little maintenance, can last a lifetime.
- Safety: One of the safest materials for cooking, stainless steel is safe for cooking a range of foods, including those that are acidic. From sauces made from tomatoes to foods containing vinegar or lemon juice, stainless steel is non-reactive, which means it won’t leach into the food you’re cooking and affect its flavor and color.
- Adaptability: You can be confident that you’ll get consistent results by cooking with stainless steel, which is another reason you’ll find it in professional kitchens. The same stainless steel pan you use at high heat to perfectly sear a steak can be placed into the oven without worrying about whether the material can handle these culinary maneuvers.
- Versatility: No matter what methods you use, your stainless steel cookware is up to the task. It offers unmatched versatility in the kitchen, and Hestan stainless steel cookware amplifies the versatility by allowing you to utilize your cookware on all stove types, including induction.
- Easy maintenance: Unlike other materials, stainless steel cookware doesn’t require seasoning or intensive cleaning. It’s both easy to use and simple to maintain.
Is Ceramic Better Than Stainless Steel Cookware?
Some cooks rely on ceramic cookware because of its non-stick properties, but for the seasoned home cook, ceramic lacks the durability and versatility of stainless steel cookware.
To best understand how ceramic compares to stainless steel, consider the pros and cons.
Pros:
- Nonstick properties: Perhaps the biggest reason people look at ceramic cookware is to use pots and pans with nonstick features. While the ceramic coating does offer nonstick properties, the strength of those properties fades each time you heat up your pan, leading to a short lifespan for your cookware. Plus, experienced home cooks need not worry about nonstick properties as simple techniques with stainless steel cookware ensure your food doesn’t stick.
- Comes in a variety of colors: Ceramic is known for offering a diverse range of colors so that you can coordinate your look with your kitchen aesthetic. However, for experienced home cooks, performance is a higher priority, especially since you want cookware that will last despite how often you change your kitchen’s style.
Cons:
- Lack of longevity: While it may look cute in your kitchen, ceramic cookware doesn’t last as long as stainless steel. It’s prone to scratches that ruin the nonstick properties ceramic offers. The ceramic coating is to blame for the shorter lifespan of ceramic pots and pans. Heating the cookware causes the coating to release until eventually properties of ceramic you enjoyed, such as it being nonstick, actually wear out.
- Not induction friendly: With so many kitchens moving to induction stovetops, having cookware that is induction friendly is a must. Pots and pans that are
- Higher maintenance: You have to be vigilant with ceramic cookware, ensuring that no one uses metal utensils or abrasive cleaners that could scratch the ceramic surface. Even rinsing or soaking a warm ceramic pan in cooler water could damage the ceramic surface, and while some ceramic cookware is said to be dishwasher safe, for longevity, hand washing is recommended. On the other hand, Hestan ProBond cookware can safely and effectively be placed in a dishwasher, making cleanup simple, efficient, and effective.
- Unable to use high heat: The ceramic coating on cookware is brittle, making it too delicate to use over high heat. So you can’t perform basic, necessary tasks, such as getting that sear you need on your protein as exposure to high heat causes the ceramic to break down quicker.
How to Choose the Best Brand for Cooking Pans
When it comes to finding the best pots and pans, you have to narrow down your choice by first selecting the right material and then finding the best brand. When it comes to ceramic versus stainless steel cookware, you can decide which type works best for you by prioritizing your needs.
You might want ceramic cookware if
- You want pots and pans that match the colors in your kitchen, and you don’t mind swapping them out when your style changes.
- You’re new to cooking or use very simple techniques.
- You don’t require cooking at high heat.
- You don’t mind cookware that has a short lifespan.
You might prefer stainless steel cookware if
- You’re looking for high-quality, high-performance pots and pans.
- You’re an experienced cook who uses a wide variety of culinary techniques.
- You want cookware that is versatile enough to hold up to high heat and go from stovetop to oven.
- You’re searching for cookware that professionals use.
- You want pots and pans that offer a lot of value but are also easy to maintain and will last a long time.
For the serious home cook, the superiority of stainless steel cookware is clear. From its durability, performance, and versatility in the kitchen, only stainless steel offers the high performance and value you expect from your cookware.
High-quality pots and pans can handle the diversity of dishes and techniques you when cooking and can inspire you to push your talent in the kitchen even further. If you want to elevate your culinary experience and unleash a world of possibilities in the kitchen, you need to find the best brand of cookware made from stainless steel. With Hestan ProBond stainless steel cookware, you can cook like a professional, using the same brand that pros use in Michelin-star restaurants around the world.
Not only will you love cooking with Hestan ProBond stainless steel cookware, but you’ll also appreciate how this high-quality cookware can go into your dishwasher and be cleaned with ease. Handcrafted in Italy and with a lifetime warranty, Hestan gives you the confidence to push your culinary skills further with its high-quality, long-lasting cookware.