Although stainless steel cooks well, the question still comes to mind as to whether or not it is actually the best metal for cookware. The truth may be found by looking into the past. If you look at the antiques from some of the greatest restaurants in the past you will find that the cookware was made from two metals, not just one. It is said that adding a copper bottom to a steel or tin pan for cooking will give it a more even heat.
It has been proven that copper does indeed give a more even distribution of heat. And the pots have fewer burns than some others do. The problem with a copper cooking pot or pan is that there is a chemical reaction between the food that is being cooked and the copper that it is being prepared in. Thus using copper is a no go for cooking.
The only criteria for cooking utensils are that they heat evenly and that they do not leave behind that metal taste. Now we get to the real meat of this matter with aluminum and stainless steel the choices got better but still not the best. The cast iron skillet, although one of the best tools for frying is not suited for all food preparation.
The introduction of aluminum cookware took the heaviness out of cooking, with its lightweight, but food burns all too easily on a piece of aluminum cookware. It also has a chemical reaction to food as we saw in the case of the copper. Through research manufacturers have been able to do away with the reaction but they can do nothing with the fact that aluminum just gets too hot too fast.
Stainless steel has no chemical reactions but it is lacking in conductivity. That is why they came up with the idea to combine the non-chemical reactant stainless steel with a copper base to conduct the heat. These are by far some of the best pieces of equipment for cooking on the market today.
To answer the question, is stainless steel the best for cookware? The answer is a mixed, yes and no. Though it does a good job on its own combine it with copper on the heating surface and you have yourself a far superior piece of cooking equipment than any one metal alone.
You can even find aluminum cookware now featuring the copper bottoms as well as the galvanized steel. The possibilities in cookware are many, in the end it all boils down to what the cook thinks. Most cooks have pans made from different metals for cooking different things. It is personal preference that makes the final decision.
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