Stainless vs Non stick cookware- Chefs advice

Question

My fiancee bought us a beautiful glass top stove. Now it's time for a new cookware set. I had a Princess house party yesterday and saw their stainless steel set which is absolutely gorgeous. But since I've always used the old style stainless (copper bottomed) and more recently non stick I can't decide which will be better in the long run. Does really good quality stainless hold it's luster? Is it non stick? Will it clean easily? How do I clean it? Will I end up ruining it by lack of knowledge?

Answer 1

I have stashed all my S/S fry pans and have donated them to the thrift stores ..and church rumage sales

S/S pots fine for boiling  canning and sauce.. but fry pans,, any nonstick make life simple..

I have Never cooked on electric,, never will

Answer 2

Honestly you might not need new cookware depending on the state of your old ones. I know a lot of copper bottomed cookware can be of good quality. Only buy them if you feel your old stuff is not heating or cleaning as well, or if it just looks ugly.

However, stainless and nonstick have different advantages and disadvantages. I've found that a good quality stainless sauce pan can hold up in the long term, and looks better than its equivalent. It also tends to heat up somewhat faster. However, it is not notstick and it won't clean as easy as nonstick. You can put it in the dishwasher generally though or clean it normally with soap and water. Its good to have both and use the nonstick for your messier cooking. You won't ruin it by your lack of knowledge though, it isn't too different than any other cookware.