Do SS pans differ in ease of cleaning?

[gfweb]

Looking at my collection of pans I see a big difference in the staining of different stainless steel pans,I have some AllClad that are a little blackened on the bottom but the interiors are pristine and some Calphalon that have burned on oil that won't scrub off with steel wool.

Do different stainless alloys clean better than others or was I just more of a slob with the Calphalon? I do use the Calphalon more because the handles fit my hand better.

[Ashen]

yep can differ a bit . 18/10 is the standard I see most 18 % chromium 10 % nickel which is very resistant to staining. 18/0 isn't so common but it does stain more easily without nickel in the mix. I have noticed that 18/10 from different producers also vary in their ability to resist staining. I am not sure if this is a funtion of the other metals in the alloy or if it is a function of the finish of the metal. eg matte , brilliant etc.

[HowardLi]

Surface finish is probably a factor as well.

[Miss Priss]

Surface finish is probably a factor as well.

Agreed. In general, the smoother the finish, the easier the cleanup.

[mgaretz]

Yes. My stainless is mainly All-Clad and it cleans up easily. I have a Sur La Table brand tri-ply stainless roasting pan and its very hard to clean.

[rotuts]

I have nickel lined heavy copper cookware. the pots have never been a problem. the fry and saute pans are a different matter. when no-one is looking ive been known to use easy off. bummer i cant find the paste!

keep this away from aluminum!

I now use a non- stick roasting pan < 350 degrees and it works fine if you take care of it. very inexpensive at Bed and Bath with the obligatory coupon ! for high temp roasting 450 or so I use a heavy jelly-roll pan with a heavy silicone mat that fits it perfectly.

it would be very interesting to see how IKEA saute pans hold up on the induction cook top.

Id bet they are EasyOff dependent.

Edited January 16, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[Porthos]

I use steam table pans in my home oven and have noted the following: Vollrath pans cleans up amazingly easily whereas the Update brand pans need a lot more help. Of course they are both stainless but I'm sure they are of different SS types and I know the finish looks different also.

My stove-top SS pots and pans from various MFGs all seem to clean up well, even my cheap (Target) Good Cooks or whatever it's called 10" fry pan. I guess I'm just lucky. I use that 10" pan for things that start on the stove top and finish in the oven.

I should add that I am a shameless Pam devotee and there is always either Pam or olive oil for whatever I start in both my SS and non-stick fry pans.

[gfweb]

Prowling around on Amazon's reviews of cookwear shows Calphalon to have quite a few complaints about staining and difficult cleaning and AllClad none. Both are stainless, but Calphalon is polished and shiny and AllClad is a brushed surface. Might be the answer.

[HowardLi]

This is moot anyway as long as you have a can of Barkeeper's Friend.