Stainless steel pans are everywhere these days, and for good reason, they’re extremely lightweight and durable, whilst looking great all at the same time.
But are they durable enough to put in the oven? In this article, we’ll be exploring if stainless steel pans are fine to put in your oven, why this might or might not be the case, and taking a look at some other advantages of using stainless steel pans, so without further ado let’s get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stainless steel pans are exactly what they say on the tin, they’re stainless. Because of this, there’s no coating on them whatsoever, when you’re cooking with a stainless steel pan it’s just the metal that the pan is made of.
It’s because of this that they’re as durable as they are, which also means that yes, they can go in the oven. Within reason though.
Stainless steel is an incredibly durable material, in fact, it’s the most commonly used type of pan in restaurants for exactly this reason, they’re relatively inexpensive, and can really take a beating.
Your oven would have to be ridiculously hot in order to damage your stainless steel pan, roughly between 500-600°F and you’d find it hard to do that in your oven at home, so whatever you’re cooking you shouldn’t be afraid to put whatever stainless steel pots or pans you’re using inside of your oven.
Whilst stainless steel is always going to be one of your best bets for oven-safe cooking, you might occasionally run into issues, depending on what sort of stainless steel pan you’re using to cook with.
This is because some stainless steel pans have handles made from baking silicone, which is much more likely to burn than any other part of your pan, resulting in both a ruined pan and an inedible meal.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, baking silicone is heat resistant and oven safe at temperatures up to 428°F (220°F) so as long as you’re cooking under that temperature then you’re not going to experience any problems, it is called baking silicone after all!
So long as the correct composition of metals is in the pan itself, which you’ll find 99% of pans have.
This is really important too because you’ll be saving money on using induction cooktops instead of gas and electric, Induction cooktops are 20% better at transferring heat to your food than electric cooktops, and a huge 52% better than gas, so you’ll be cooking food faster with your pots and pans getting hotter quicker.
There are really no large downsides to stainless steel, but one of its self-proclaimed downsides is actually one of its greatest strengths.
If you’re conscious about the environment too then stainless steel is an excellent environmental performer and can deliver an almost endless life cycle with its 100% recyclability.
Stainless steel objects will rarely become waste at the end of their useful life; it is actively repurposed without any significant loss of material quality and today, at least 60% of all new stainless steel is made from recycled material.
So you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that you’re not doing any damage to the environment with your choice of cookware.
You’re also going to be spending the least amount of money in a life cycle cost comparison, this is because whilst stainless steel pots and pans can be more expensive than other types, they’re extremely durable, and won’t be letting you down during their life cycle.
If you buy yourself a stainless steel pan then you won’t be throwing it away because it’s ruined for a long amount of time, and even when you do you know that it can easily be recycled.
Overview Of Stainless Steel
- Durable
- Always look great
- Resistant to corrosion
- The cheapest option in a lifecycle comparison
- Works on induction cooktops
- Gives the ability to deglaze the pan
- Lightweight
Conclusion
So there we have it, stainless steel is a great material to use in your kitchen, it’s perfectly oven safe, and even with baking silicone handles, you’re still going to be able to use them in the oven within limits. So if you’re looking for a new pan, you should definitely consider going for stainless steel!
