The recipes we brought to you by Mark Dodson and Great British Chefs for our summer feature have been so enthusiastically received that we thought we would ask the experts at Amathus Drinks to recommend three wines to accompany each of the dishes.
The wines have been carefully selected to compliment each of the dishes and also to fit any budget.
This wine has a powerful smell with aromas of eucalyptus, black fruits and toased notes. It’s around and concentrated wine, with a nice balance of spice and fruit, a woody nuance and good length.
Golden delicious apple, pear, pineapple, honey, graham cracker. biscotti. almond and vanilla with citrus, lemon cream, green apple, pear, mineral, toasty oak and vanilla.
Fresh and intense. Mineral aftertaste, vibrant acidity and salinity that, along with the carbonic remains, make the wine fresh and young without being aggressive.
Château De Chausse AOP Côtes De Provence Rosé 2017 – £19.95
Pale pink colour. This very beautiful cuvée reveals elegant aromas of white fruit, enhanced by pure minerality. Delicate and aromatic.
Vintages with hotter conditions stand out for the honey-like, floral and muscatel aromas. However, in fresher vintages, the characteristics of the wine remind of tropical fruits, white flowers and high acidity.
This delicious sweet wine balances flavours of baked peach, vanilla and grapefruit with a delicate, lingering sweetness that never overpowers.
Château Hout-Mayne Sauternes 2011 – £38.80
The nose is mineral with a hint of citrus fruit. The mouth is rich but well- balanced with candied fruits and peach aromas. Long length with subtle spices flavours.
We have all been there, standing in the wine aisle at your local supermarket, hundreds of different bottles staring expectantly back at you, beckoning for your attention. You glance in your basket for inspiration. ‘Prawns… a white then… that one is on offer… it’ll do’. You get home and find the juggernaut of a Californian chardonnay you bought because it was a quid cheaper than usual, stomps all over your fresh, fragrant bowl of prawn linguine. It’s too big; rich and creamy on the palate, with enough oak to build an ark it leaves your dinner crushed and cowering in it’s wake. Evening ruined.
This, however, needn’t happen. We have come up with a few simple rules to help you pick a wine that will compliment what you are eating and lift it to unprecedented heights. Take note and enjoy!
The Rules
Match the wine to the sauce, not the protein.
The protein in a dish is often the star of the show and is therefore important. However, when trying to pick a wine to compliment what you are eating, consider the sauce in which the protein is served. For example, with baked cod in tomato and chorizo sauce, try a juicy pinot noir. Soft, well rounded and not too heavy with medium levels of tannin. This will be able to stand up to the sauce without overshadowing the fish. Likewise, a juicy sirloin with a generous helping of béarnaise sauce can work wonderfully with a robust, layered white. A weighty chenin blanc with well-balanced minerality and a vibrant streak of acidity to cut through the richness of the sauce will work a treat.
Read the label This sounds obvious but winemakers often provide tasting notes and pairing guidelines on the bottle (supermarkets are have begun to do this on price labels too). When browsing the supermarket shelves it can be easy to get sucked in to buying a marked down bottle or simply grabbing one with a pretty label but if you take a moment to read the information given to you it can often result in a better decision.
Match like with like Put simply, match the characteristics of the food with that of the wine. With a light hors d’oeuvre such as salmon mousse blinis go for a delicate, crisp and dry sparkling rosé. Earthy foods like wild mushrooms work well with earthy wines such as cabernet franc. Rich, sweet foods like dark chocolate go beautifully with a rich, sweet crusted port. You get the idea.
Making a Start
To give you a rolling start, we have selected three recipes from our blog and paired them up with a great bottle of vino, any of which would make for the perfect night in.
This little known grape has been hailed as “Sicily’s answer to Malbec” by The Guardian’s Fiona Beckett and this example is fresh and vibrant with a savoury kick of black pepper. A solid, fruity red that would work well with almost all tomato based dishes that represents outstanding value for money.
Staying in Sicily, this time an organically cultivated blend of Grillo (70%) and Chardonnay (30%) that produces aromas of lemon and pineapple. The combination of grape varieties gives this wine a weight that allows it to handle a stew (albeit a light one) without loosing any of that clean acidity that marries so well with the fresh tomato salad.
This Californian red is a blend of four grape varieties; Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Velvety on the pallet with ripe dark fruit and hints of vanilla giving a touch of sweetness make it a perfect tipple with chocolate.
waitrose.com
One more thing…
You don’t have to spend a lot for quality This is not specific to paring wine with food but it’s good to know. A common approach to buying wine is that you get what you pay for. Sometimes true. I once had the pleasure of tasting a 2006 Krug Brut (to save you from asking, around £200) and the only way I can describe it was like walking in to a Parisian bakery on a sunny Saturday morning and hitting a wall of toasty brioche gorgeousness. That said, you can often find good solid wines without breaking the bank. With supermarkets really upping their game in recent years it is easily achievable to get something really special for less than a tenner (£8 if you look hard enough).
Paul Welburn from Michellin Star Restaurant The Oxford Kitchen has created this fabulous recipe of roasted partridge with grapes, gnocchi and mushrooms! It is flavourful, creamy comfort food with delightful bursts of freshness. Served in the pan for the ultimate oven-to-table dish it is perfect for sunny early-Autumn days. Herb gnocchi and some sautéed wild mushrooms complete the dish perfectly. Together with Great British Chefs this recipe is part of our celebration of all things game.
Partridge is delicate, tender and relatively quick as well as easy to cook. It benefits from being full flavoured but at the same time not tasting too ‘gamey’. Another great benefit is that each partridge is the perfectly sized portion, one per person is ideal. This recipe combines the ease of cooking partridge with an exciting and refreshing array of flavours in the accompaniment. We hope you enjoy!
To begin, prepare the gnocchi. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
Prick the potatoes all over and bake whole in the oven until the flesh is completely soft. While still hot, scoop the flesh out of the skins and pass through a potato ricer (or use a masher.)
Mix the egg, egg yolk and flour in a bowl to combine, then lightly mix into the potato – do not over-mix. When just combined, add the herbs and roll into long logs measuring 2cm in diameter.
Cut the logs into individual gnocchi and heat a large pan of water until almost boiling. Add a batch of the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface – it’s best to do a smaller test batch at first to make sure you have enough flour in the mixture. If they don’t float, mix again with a sprinkling more flour and re-roll and cut.
Drain and plunge into iced water to chill quickly. Repeat in batches with the remaining gnocchi. When all of the gnocchi have been cooked and chilled, place in the fridge until required.
For the partridge
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
To cook the partridges, add a dash of oil and knob of butter to a large saucepan and allow to heat up. Once the butter is foaming, add the partridges and colour all over, until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the carrots and onions to the same pan and cook until tender and golden. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any residue.
Add the chicken stock and thyme, return the birds to the pan and cover with a lid. Place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove the partridges from the pan and allow to rest in a warm place. Add the cream to the pan and bring to the simmer. Season well, add the grapes and herbs and place the birds back in the pan. Keep warm.
To finish
Add a dash of oil to a non-stick pan and when hot, add the gnocchi. Pan-roast on all sides until golden, then add to the pan with the partridges.
Add a knob of butter to another non-stick pan and place over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic clove and mushrooms and roast for 1 minute until lightly golden. Stir in the parsley, season then sprinkle the mushrooms over the partridges.
Serve in the pan at the table for everyone to dig in.
Last Thursday the ProWare team enjoyed an 8 course tasting menu at Jöro. The open kitchen is quite unique which creates a relaxed and entertaining atmosphere. Seeing the talent and expertise of the chefs in action makes it an exciting experience. There must be an element of showmanship about it but whilst it was a very lively and busy evening in the restaurant there was an incredible air of control coming from that open kitchen. Head Chef Luke and the team delivered a wonderful and varied set of dishes. We were left not knowing which was our favourite. What we did leave with is an appreciation of unique tastes, ingredients and a memorable evening dining out at what is easily Sheffield’s best restaurant. In addition to the fabulous food, it was a treat to see our Stainless Steel Tri-ply pans and Copper Tri-ply Mini Pan in use during service.
The evening started with a series of amuse-bouches and some freshly made bread. Each dish was expertly explained by our host/sommelier who was a delight. He answered our haphazard questions with charm and interesting tidbits of information including where they forage for some of the food on their menu.
The most popular dishes of the evening were the Cod with chevril as well as the Cumbrian Herdwick Hogget with wild garlic, jersey royal & mint pictured below.
And of course, the Browned Butter Parfait which is one of the recipes Chef Luke shared with us for Christmas. Check out the recipe here.
To read more about Jöro check out our blog here and read more below to find out about how Luke got to the place where he is now.
Meet the Chef – Luke French
Starting Out
Beginning as a kitchen porter at The White Pheasant pub in Fordham, Cambridgeshire, Luke French worked hard to climb up the kitchen ranks, going on to become part of the catering team at the University of Cambridge. Over the following two years he amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience, thanks in part to the wide variety of events that he was tasked with catering, from student meals to large scale banquets, to fine dining for delegates and government officials. He also had the opportunity to try his hand at a great number of international cuisines, expanding his knowledge and refining his skills along the way allowing him to reach a height of Junior Sous Chef.
From here, he went on to work at a selection of high end restaurants such as Aliemtum, Graffiti, Hotel Felix and Gonville Hotel. During this time of working in AA Rosette and Michelin Star establishments, Luke also gained experience working with pastry, an area which had thus far remained unexplored.
Following this, in the months prior to embarking on a global travel adventure, he worked at The Fat Duck. With three Michelin stars and a recipient of the esteemed title of Best Restaurant in the World, Heston Blumenthal’s eatery is noted for its wildly inventive food, multi-sensory cooking and unorthodox flavour combinations.
Luke travelled first to India, on to Thailand, then Vietnam, Burma and finishing in Cambodia. Enjoying the street food on offer and immersing himself in the vibrant cultures introduced him to new, local ingredients. This time, he says, has become a rich source of inspiration for the food he is cooking today.
Upon his return to the UK, he spent some time in Cambridge, working as Head Chef, giving him free reign to develop his own distinctive style of cooking. He eventually moved to Sheffield and joined the team at local gastro pub, The Milestone, where he worked as a sectional chef for two years. A head chef vacancy opened up, an opportunity to which Luke jumped and a position he subsequently achieved.
On the Way Up
Alongside his duties as head chef, Luke worked with Stacy and Mat (Jöro co-owners) to open Craft and Dough, who serve indulgent, innovative pizzas with the finest craft beers available. This formula has proved successful, resulting in the three Craft and Dough restaurants opening in Sheffield and Luke acquiring invaluable experience.
While cooking at event hosted for a group of architects working on a new development, located just around the corner from The Milestone, Luke first heard about Krynkl. Twenty-nine shipping containers, combined to produce “a revolutionary new space created to showcase the best and most exciting independent start-ups and businesses from Sheffield, where they can share space, skills and ideas. A space built for work and play”. After the warm reception received by several pop-ups, hosted at The Milestone, it became apparent that Sheffield was ready for Joro to set up a permanent home. The restaurant opened at Krynkl in November 2017.
A New Direction
With the opening of Jöro, Luke set about redefining Sheffield’s culinary scene with his nature-inspired food, channelling the ethos widely adopted in Denmark and Norway; that cooking should be kept simple to really get the best out of quality ingredients.
“A meal made of many small plates” is the message that greets with you when opening the Joro website.
We can wholeheartedly say that everyone experience a meal at Jöro. We left the restaurant with full bellies and our taste buds tingling. We would like to say a big thank you to Luke and the whole team at Jöro for a wonderful evening. Also we’d like to credit Tom Kahler for the featured image about of Luke.
This is a phrase that is thrown around all over the place these days. Whether its chocolate bars getting smaller or washing machines packing in after just a few years, it is becoming more evident that everyday items are gradually transforming into shadows of their former selves.
The cost of raw materials is increasing. As is the pressure to be competitive in a market saturated with products and outlets. It is therefore understandable that companies are de-spec’ing their products in order to make their production viable and profitable. An unfortunate downside of this is that product quality and longevity suffer, making items less durable in a society that is becoming increasingly throwaway.
Brands that continue to manufacture a product designed to last, who are unwilling to sacrifice quality to participate in a race to be cheapest and are now something of a rarity. We believe ProWare to be an example of such a brand.
Our cookware is used daily in professional kitchens
‘What would we want in our own kitchen?’
When developing our products, we wanted the result to be something we would be willing to buy ourselves, that would satisfy our appetites for quality and value.
For this reason, we went above and beyond when specifying our cookware. The Tri-Ply ranges have a minimum wall thickness of 2.5mm (up to 3mm in the Copper Tri-Ply). This is more than six times that of some commercially available items. The handles on all our pan ranges are cast stainless steel, as are the rivets used to attach them. Securing the handle with stainless steel rivets requires 200 tonnes of pressure and ensures the handle will never loosen. Most manufacturers use aluminium rivets, which are fastened using only 45 tonnes of pressure due to aluminium being a softer metal than stainless steel. This is considered a more cost effective choice but aluminium can deform as a result of sustained stress or frequent jarring. This can cause handles to loosen with time.
Perhaps the most vunerable part of any pot or pan is the interior. It is this surface that will be exposed to the most hostile conditions. The interior of a pan will regularly come in to contact with three potentially destructive elements; moisture, heat and acidity. These can combine to become detrimental to some metals over time so it is essential the correct ones are used. That is why we use 18/10 grade stainless steel for the interiors of all our pans. The name refers to the chromium and nickel contents of the steel. This is considered the highest grade of stainless steel in domestic use and is noted for its excellent resistance to corrosion.
You can find out more about the construction of our pans here.
Buy well, buy once
We are confident in the knowledge that we have done everything possible to make our pans as good as they can be. It is this which allows us to offer a lifetime guarantee across all ranges with the exception of our non-stick items. The non-stick we use is Teflon Platinum Plus, a market leader renowned for its toughness and longevity. As good as it may be, it will not last forever.
We hope you can share our faith in the cookware we produce and that you can make a purchase knowing it will stay with you through decades of use to be passed on to future generations.
Following the success of the Copper Tri-Ply and Copper Base ranges, and with the growing popularity of induction cooking we decided to put our heads together and develop a range that could be used with all hob types to make ProWare accessible to all. The Stainless Steel Tri-Ply range was what we came up with and we couldn’t be happier with it.
Su Sutton, from esteemed bespoke kitchen maker My Father’s Heart, estimates that induction hobs account for around 90% of their hob-top sales. This is frankly an astonishing figure. So what has prompted this sudden surge in popularity? Let’s find out.
Where did it all start?
Much earlier than you may think with the first patents outlining the principle of induction cooking dating back to 1909. Following some exposure at technology fairs in the 1950’s, induction hobs as we know them today were the result of work carried out at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation Research and Development Centre near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the early 1970’s. The first commercially available induction hob was Westinghouse’s Cool Top 2, launched in 1973 priced at $1500 ($8260 in 2017 dollars).
Westinghouse Electric CT-2 1973 (image: Westinghouse Electric Corporation)
How does it work?
Conventional hobs work using thermal convection. In other words they use a heat source, whether it be with a gas flame, a radiant ring or a halogen filament to heat up your pots and pans.
Induction hobs work slightly differently. Instead they use magnetic induction to directly heat the vessel in which you are cooking. An alternating electric current is passed through a coil of copper wire located within the hob beneath your pot (1). This creates an oscillating magnetic field (2) which produces eddy currents within the pot. The pot’s resistance against these currents is what causes it to heat (3).
An induction hob
Why choose induction?
Perhaps the main attraction to a society that is becoming increasingly aware of energy consumption and it’s environmental impact is efficiency. Test carried out by the US Department of Energy found induction cooking to have an average of efficiency of around 75%, compared with 70% for electric coil and 44% for gas (read more here). This can be largely attributed to the significantly higher ambient loss attained with cooking methods that use a flame or heating element; compared to induction, which heats the pot directly.
Safety is another factor which falls in its favour. The absence of a direct heat source is of great appeal to families with young children, or for that matter, absent minded adults. Of course your pots and pans will get hot during cooking (that’s the whole point) but the hob-top itself does not emit heat. It will warm up due to heat transfer from your hot pan so caution is still recommended but it doesn’t pose the same risks as a naked flame or hot plate. In fact, Raymond Baxter once demonstrated on the BBC series Tomorrow’s World, that it was possible to cook through a slab of ice (don’t try this at home!).
In addition, many induction hobs are a single flat piece of glass. This means food being burnt on or getting stuck in nooks and crannies doesn’t really happen, so keeping them clean is a doddle. Also, being aesthetically very neat they appeal to those with contemporary tastes.
Are they still expensive?
Yes and no. If you are thinking of installing an induction hob in your new kitchen, it’s true that an entry level one will set you back around double that of the equivalent gas hob. This difference becomes less defined as you increase in spec level. The disparity in initial outlay may not sit well with your wallet, but you may notice benefits in the long run thanks to the increased efficiency of induction. Generally speaking however, they have reduced in price significantly since their introduction. You can get small portable hobs for as little as £30.
Another factor to take in to consideration is whether the cookware you have (or want) is induction compatible. If it isn’t, this will be an added expense in making the transition, which brings us on to our next point.
Are there any drawbacks?
A reliance on magnetism to heat your pans means that almost all induction hobs require the cooking vessel to be made of (or at least contain) a ferromagnetic metal such as cast iron or some stainless steels. Cookware made of copper, glass, non-magnetic stainless steels or aluminium does therefore not work on an induction hob. There are ways around this with the availability of discs that you place on your hob allowing it to function as a conventional hot plate, on which non magnetic cookware can be used. You will, however, forfeit the efficiency gained by opting for induction.
Induction hobs can be noisy. The source of this noise is two fold – it can be generated by the cooling fans housed withing the hob itself; they can also produce an audible electromagnetic noise as a result of cookware being exposed to a high magnetic field. This normally manifests itself as a humming or buzzing but most users find this to be minor and something grown quickly accustomed to.
ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 16cm Saucepan on a BORA induction hob with integrated downdraft technology
What is next for induction?
It would be fair to say that thanks to their efficiency, cleanliness and good looks, induction hobs are here to stay. We asked Su her thoughts on the future of induction and where she sees it going in coming years;
“Leading the way now in terms of induction is downdraft.”
Downdraft refers to a type of extraction system that draws air down and out as opposed to the conventional hoods which draw it up and out.
“BORA is our best-selling hob-top brand with internal extraction within the induction cook-top. They are a relatively new company – being only about 8 years old – but they have changed the way people think about extraction and offer several different models of induction cook-tops that are well-engineered and designed. They are, definitely, one to watch.”
This revolutionary technology doesn’t come cheap with prices starting around £3,000. It does however give us a glimpse of how we all may be cooking in years to come.
Last December we were delighted to launch our Stainless Steel Tri-Ply range. We have now had a couple of months to live with them and see how the pans perform in the real world. The team here at ProWare have had a discussion about what they like most about them and this is what we came up with, we hope you agree!
1 Efficiency
A totally flat base ensures excellent hob contact
These pans are designed with a perfectly flat base to ensure maximum contact with flat hobs and reduce ambient heat loss. This means they are very responsive to changes in heat, quickly achieving a rolling boil or settling down to a simmer. The Tri-Ply construction allows them to perform at their best on all hob tops (find out more here).
When developing the Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 14cm Milk Pan and 26cm Frying Pan, we decided to offer the choice of non-stick or not (read more about the benefits of each here). Each has its pros and cons. Consequently, each perform some tasks better than others. If you’re going to use you frying pan for fried eggs and crepes, go for non-stick. Conversely, if you intend to make lots of sauces using a metal whisk, a 14cm saucepan without non-stick would be preferable. Another bonus is that the entire range is oven safe!
3 Durability
Our stainless steel rivets are secured with 200 tonnes of pressure
When we develop a new product, the approach we take when deciding on a specification level is to ask ourselves ‘what would we want in our own kitchen?’ With a wall thickness of 2.5mm and cast stainless steel handles, these pans both look and feel extremely robust. In addition, our handles are secured using stainless steel rivets pressed with 200 tonnes of pressure. Most manufacturers use more cost effective aluminium rivets however, these are softer than stainless steel and can deform if repeatedly banged causing handles to loosen. We offer a lifetime guarantee on every element of the cookware with the exception of the non-stick coating.
4 Aesthetics
Hanging loops mean these pans don’t have to be confined to the cupboard
We have established that there is more to these pans than just a pretty base (get it?…anyone?), but we couldn’t talk about our Stainless Steel Tri-Ply without acknowledging just what handsome devils they are. Classic yet contemporary design combined with the non-tarnishing properties of stainless steel means these pans will come out of the dishwasher looking almost as good as the day you bought them for years to come.
We have incorporated several design aspects in to these pans to make them not only beautiful but dynamically functional. A steep arch in the handle makes the items easier to handle; it keeps the handle away from the heat source; and, allows the pans to nest efficiently in cupboards or drawers. An eyelet where the handle meets the pan body disperses heat to ensure handles don’t get too hot and a hanging loop enables the pans to be elegantly displayed in your kitchen. We also know that larger pans can be very heavy when full. That’s why we have added helper handles to the 18cm and 20cm saucepans, and the 24cm sauté pan.
6 Induction Compatible
Cooking on induction is now possible with ProWare
This is the first complete range we have produced that can be used on an induction hob. The popularity of induction is increasing rapidly due to its wide appeal as a clean, efficient method of cooking.
7 Roast to Perfection
ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Roasting Pan
In February 2018 we launched something entirely new for us. The latest member of the Stainless Steel Tri-Ply family, our 35cm Roasting Pan has the same three-layer construction as the rest of the range meaning it will work on an induction hob too. This stunning piece makes oven-to-table dishes that much more appealing and it is built to last so will see you through decades of roast potatoes!
We would love to hear from you!
If you think we have missed anything or have any feedback about our Stainless Steel Tri-Ply (or any of our other products), please get in touch.
To compare the results achieved from stainless steel alongside non-stick we have devised simple experiment. Heck sausages are a favourite among ProWare staff. Not only are they a lunchtime saviour for us at The GoodFood Show, their range of meat and vegetarian sausages truly has something for everyone. In recent times, they have also ventured out in burgers, veggie balls and even sauerkraut.
It is with great pride that I can announce that Heck’s Chicken Italia sausages will serve as yardstick in this highly scientific endevour!
NB – Both of our Stainless Steel Tri-Ply frying pans are oven safe, however, the non-stick pan is only safe up to 200C, we therefore decided to exploit the advantage of the former for the purpose of this test and used the non-stick pan on the hob only.
The Results
The end results did show a difference between the two pans but in all fairness it was perhaps not as obvious as we had anticipated. The sausages in the stainless steel pan certainly did brown better which gave them a better caramelised flavour; and should you be making bangers and mash, you could have made a stonking onion gravy with the sticky juices left in pan. It would also be within the realms of possibility to add some Yorkshire pudding batter, sling it in the oven and make a toad in the hole.
In the face of this, the non-stick pan performed admirably and held its own. Whereas the final result may not have been quite as good, for those wanting a speedy clean up and to use less oil, this would be the pan to choose.
It has been over 60 years since non-stick cookware was first introduced, and since then its popularity has continued to be widespread and significant. You would likely be hard-pressed to find a household in the UK that doesn’t have at least one non-stick pan. The promise of pancakes gliding effortlessly on to your plate; the prospect of never again being stood at the kitchen sink chiselling burnt food off your favourite frying pan. The appeal was, and still is, obvious. There are some strong arguments, however, in favour of the more traditional stainless steel pans that beg the question – which is better, non-stick or not?
Whatever your feelings are toward non-stick pans, it is difficult to deny their virtues in the realm of frying eggs and making pancakes. The ease with which you can produce perfect fried eggs with nothing but a drop of oil and a delicate touch make them (in our view) worth having, if just for this task alone. Also, cleaning non-stick pans is often a breeze. If you get a decent one sometimes just a wipe with a paper towel does the trick.
ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 24cm Non-Stick Frying Pan
Unfortunately, they do have their limitations. The main one, which every keen cook will race to share, is that when using a non-stick pan, you cannot achieve that lovely golden colour when searing meat or caramelising. For this purpose, stainless steel pans are invaluable. Another area in which stainless steel reigns supreme is the making of gravy and pan sauces, an essential part of some dishes. All the juices that are released during cooking stick to the pan, allowing you to deglaze with the desired liquid.
ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 24cm Frying Pan
Aside from culinary matters, there are also some very practical reasons why stainless steel pans are favourable. Firstly, they are generally considered to be far more durable than their non-stick counterparts due to non-stick coatings often being easily damaged and requiring careful handling (find out more about looking after your non-stick here). To ensure the longevity of our pans we use Teflon Platinum Plus, a market leading, ceramic reinforced coating that we test rigorously (check out the video below). In addition, non-stick pans can’t be preheated in the way a stainless steel one can. This is due to good non-sticks being made up of multiple layers and when a pan is heated while empty the heat has nowhere to be transferred to which can lead to the layers deteriorating.
Many people are deterred from cooking with stainless steel because they think everything will immediately stick, burn and it will all end in a charred, greasy disaster. What they don’t know is that it will only take a bit of confidence, some practice and the right pan for it to become a walk in the park.
A great place to start is buying a quality pan. Pans that are very thin (some basic ones are as thin as 0.4mm), are likely to develop hot-spots and will not heat evenly. It is this which leads to food being burnt in one place and underdone in another. Our ProWare 24cm Stainless Steel Frying Pan has a three-layer construction – two layers of stainless steel sandwiching a core of aluminium. The overall thickness of the pan is 3mm, resulting in a wonderful robust feel and an ability to heat very evenly. It also means, like the rest of the range, this pan is oven safe.
Once you have your pan, the easiest way to ensure effortless, stick free cooking is to season the pan (it is worth noting that this is not essential if you are willing to use oil a bit more liberally). Seasoning will produce a thin layer on the surface of the pan which will allow you to cook without the addition of more oil, and most importantly, without your food sticking. This is how you do it:
Seasoning Stainless Steel
Ensure your pan is thoroughly clean and over a medium heat, allow the pan to heat up for 2-3 minutes.
Add a tablespoon of oil (rapeseed works very well) and swirl around the pan to evenly coat the inside.
Heat the oil until it begins to smoke. Once smoking, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
Pour out the oil and wipe the inside of the pan with paper towel.
Your pan is now seasoned and ready to use.
Another useful tip when it comes to cooking with stainless steel is take your time! Do not rush and resist the temptation to constantly move your food around the pan. For example, when cooking meat, if the pan is properly preheated and the oil is hot when the steak is added you need not move it again until it is time to turn it. The meat will seal beautifully and you will be able to lift it from the pan easily, if you try to move it too soon you run the risk of tearing the flesh.
The Verdict
A conclusion we can draw in the argument of stainless steel versus non-stick, is that they both have their merits and drawbacks but it really depends on what you intend to use it for. For the more ardent cooks amongst you, we would actually recommend having one of each. Use your non-stick for things like eggs, crepes and delicate fish; and the stainless steel for just about everything else.
Covid 19 Update: We're despatching orders as usual with no delays
