How to Take Care of Stainless Steel Cookware

Learning how to care for something properly is integral to getting as much out of it as you can. Whether it’s a vehicle, a house, or your pots and pans, knowing the best way to take care of your items will help them last longer. When it comes to stainless steel cookware proper maintenance can make stainless steel pots and pans last a lifetime. This means that outside of pure desire, or an upgrade in technology, one set of steel pans could serve you for as long as you’re able and willing to cook, and maybe even longer. 

There are a few easy cleaning and maintenance techniques that make extending the lifetime of stainless steel pots and pans as simple as it could possibly be. From keeping their shine looking brand-new, to making sure that stainless truly means stain-free, these cleaning and care tips will keep your cookware in pristine condition.  

Hand Washing With Hot and Soapy Water

When it comes to general cleaning the best bet is hot soapy water. This is gentle on the stainless steel finish, and generally doesn’t take that much effort. A keynote to keep in mind when it comes to hand-washing stainless steel is to use a plastic or nylon scrubber. This is important because steel-wool or other abrasive scour-pads will scrape and scratch the stainless steel finish. 

This is important beyond the strict aesthetic of the pots and pans, but is important in regards to their functionality as well. Due to the fact that stainless steel is a poor heat-conductor, almost all stainless steel cookware has a core heating layer composed of a different metal. Most often, this is a layer of aluminum, but in some instances is made of copper. An easy way to know if the stainless steel pots and pans you’re looking at are made with aluminum or copper is in the price point. Copper is a better conductive element than aluminum, which makes it more valuable and hikes up the price of the pots and pans manufactured with a copper core. 

Regardless of the core-metal responsible for the heat conduction and distribution across the pan, scratching, chipping, and scraping the stainless steel finish can expose this underlying metal-core, which can cause complications.

Getting Rid of Hard Water Spots

While hand-washing stainless steel in hot-soapy water is typically a pretty easy task, there can be instances that make hand-washing seem ineffective. This is mostly the case when it comes to hard water spots. Hard water spots are often the result of tap-water that has an excessive amount of trace minerals. These minerals harden on the surface of the stainless steel being washed and make it unsightly and a bit inconvenient. 

While the gut instinct might be to take the stainless steel to the dishwasher, this is a point of debate in the stainless steel care community. While some stainless steel brands claim to be dishwasher safe, many suspect that the harsh temperatures and detergents involved in dishwasher use will wear down the stainless steel finish and decrease the life-span of the pots and pans.

To get rid of hard water spots without turning to the dishwasher, the washer can fill the pot or pan with 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Bring this mixture to a boil, let it cool to a touch, and then re-wash with hot-and-soapy water. 

This should get rid of the hard-water marks without decreasing the lifespan of your stainless steel.

In Case of Burnt-On Food

Burnt-on-food is another instance that might need a little more than a simple hand washing with hot-and-soapy water. Although, they’re still the main ingredient here. When it comes to food that’s been burnt-onto stainless steel, you’ll want to fill the pot or pan with enough hot and soapy water to cover the burnt-on-gunk.

Let this sit for 45 minutes to an hour. Afterward, bring the soapy water to a boil for 10 minutes or so, let the water cool, and wash as normal. You can repeat this if necessary for any residue as well.

Bringing Back The Shine

Finally, even if you’re hand-washing your stainless steel after each and every use, you may notice that after some time, that shine is just a little bit dull. However, there’s no need to fret, as there are easy ways to bring back that shine and make it look brand new once again. All you’ll need is a little baking soda and a non-abrasive scour pad. 

Wet the surface of the stainless steel cookware, sprinkle some baking soda on there, and gently scrub with the non-abrasive scouring pad. This will have your stainless steel cookware shining like it just came off the shelf. 

By taking care of your stainless steel cookware, washing it gently, re-shining it occasionally, and storing it properly, it really can last a lifetime.