Cookware Gallery
Archive for July, 2010
What’s in a Ply?
Multiple layers (or plies) of #304 surgical stainless steel (18/10 chromium/nickel blend) represent a unique feature of quality waterless cookware. Ply count less than five is generally indicative of cookware incapable of waterless cooking performance. More than five plies (7-ply, 9-ply for example) add weight and heat retention but only marginally improve waterless performance.
Many brands (Calphalon, All-Clad, Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Rachael Ray to name a few) offer ‘Tri-Ply’ stainless cookware which is inadequate for waterless performance. There are other deficiencies in these brands as well—lack of vapor-seal/steam/temperature control lids and absent a critical design feature—the horizontal ‘lip’ or ‘well’ of true waterless pots and pans upon which the lid rests.
Synthetic or glass coated cookware (Teflon and ceramics) generally sport single ply construction and simply fail to meet waterless cooking fundamentals.
Multiple ply stainless steel construction is only part of what makes quality waterless cookware both unique and superior among all other types.
Compressed between plies are ‘elements’ or layers of heat-conductive metals (copper, aluminum, titanium—up to 12 elements or distinct metal layers are commonly available). Stainless Steel retains heat better than any other metal; but doesn’t transfer heat as efficiently as some metals. For this reason, efficient heat-conductive ‘elements’ are sandwiched between plies during fabrication. The result is unparalleled, user-friendly, food-friendly performance. Of this construction, Harold McGee says “…these hybrids are the closest thing we have to the ideal chemically inert but thermally responsive pan.” (page 791, On Food and Cooking: the Science and Lore of the Kitchen: 2004 Scribner edition).
What’s in a Ply? …the waterless difference! …and that difference is chemically inert, thermally responsive cookware—the only nonstick, non-toxic cookware capable of true waterless cooking performance.
Vegetables: the Minerals of Health
“The importance of mineral elements in the constructive processes and functional activities of the body is now well recognized. Calcium, phosphorus, and iron are (critical) elements most likely deficient in an average diet. If intake of these elements is calculated from existing tables of analyses, the result may be quite incorrect; not only does the percentage vary with soil conditions under which the plant was grown but large losses may take place in the preparation of the food. Numerous tables are available which give the composition of raw food (from soil depletion) but none which furnish information about the cooked article.” Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Wisconsin
This quote introduces landmark research that assesses vegetable mineral loss based on the way vegetables are cooked, a seminal study authored by W.H.Peterson and C.A.Hoppert.
No surprise the study found Waterless Cooking preserves and retains 40% more nutrient value than other cooking methods—boiling for example.
What may surprise is that this research is dated 1925, a brief period of time when research was independent of business tampering (that is, science was publicly funded). At the time, nutrient deficiencies of factory-farmed soils was evident and of significant health concern (see blog post of July 26 – Veggie Wars) but methods of ‘cooking’ vegetables was also contributing to critical nutrient deficiencies in the diet—the science is indisputable. 
In the late 1930’s West Bend responded to cooking concerns with America’s first Waterless pot. From this original utensil evolved improvements rendering today’s Waterless Cookware the most nutrient friendly, cook-friendly, earth-friendly pots and pans you can buy.
We’re genuinely pleased to represent today’s advances in cookware because whole food nutrition is essential to achieving whole body health. To cook vegetables the waterless way, click this link: Waterless Stainless Cookware
Superior Rated Cookware
Looking to replace your worn-out cookware? Today’s variety (metal compositions, coatings, styles, brands, features) is expansive, vast, overwhelming really. Add to the mix celebrity and chef endorsements, TV infomercials, shopping networks, rating reviews and testimonials. Determining the best of the best can quickly turn daunting.
In such a state, it’s common to replace failing cookware with more of the same, bringing home yet another set of Teflon for example, or opting for colorful enamel-coated cookware, adding a decorative splash to kitchen ambience. But these pots & pans don’t last. Worse, they lure the family cook farther and farther away from the honest marriage of food, cooking and cookware.
We’re all busy, so let’s cut to the chase. Reputable independent product testing agencies, cook savvy periodicals and seasoned home cooks alike consistently affirm the unmatched performance of nonstick stainless steel cookware to be superior overall—in the lab, on the kitchen stove and when serving its uncompromised goodness at the dining table.
This blog is pa
ssionate about all three venues—lab, kitchen, table. We make every effort to inform, to do so with integrity, a dash of humor, a dollop of insight and the essential good sense to appreciate value in all its variety.
Quality stainless steel cookware IS the BEST for practical reasons having little to do with marketing bravado or celebrity. The way we see it, home cooks can do without the noise; home cooking can do without the kitchen clutter.
Back-to-basics enjoys many home-cooked virtues…to name but three: Cook Healthy, Eat Honestly, and Thrive.
Veggie Wars
The term ‘Factory Farm’ was coined mid 1920′s and by 1936, the term found its way to the floor of the United States Senate (document 264). At the time, honest agricultural research (that is, publicly funded research) was showing an alarming reduction in nutrients from vegetables grown on these new ‘farms’.
In the 1930′s, agribusiness and its armada of fertilizers and pesticides was just beginning to billow over vast swathes of America’s farm belt, displacing generations of organic farmers and, as we now know, altering the very nature of whole food.
Today’s fresh vegetables have a much lower concentration of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants than those grown in the 1930′s. Remember that we can’t absorb vitamins without a variety of minerals to begin the digestive process. These minerals come from healthy organic soils, not fertilizers.
Buy local produce from sustainable organic farmers who foster reverence for the land and the natural complexity of its bounty. Freshly picked, ripe veggies have far superior flavor. And if cooked, it’s best to retain the natural sweetness and pure nutrients using waterless cooking methods. There’s just no substitute for nature’s honest efforts, no ‘factory’ material worthy of the name ‘whole food’.
Cook healthy, eat honestly, and thrive.
(…ps: if you haven’t seen this video spoof on the veggie rebellion, it’s worth a 5 minute grin:
The New Joy of Cooking
Home cooking can do without the flourish and flame of culinary bravado. Home cooks have a more satisfying family agenda, serving nature’s honest flavors and wholesome nutrients, tastefully yet effortlessly prepared.
For this reason, let’s celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Irma Rombauer’s Joy Of Cooking . The new Anniversary Edition retains nearly 4000 easy classics and adds over 500 newly seasoned recipes ready and waiting to be served and enjoyed.
This new edition thankfully discards the 1997 edition’s faddish forays into chef-centric cooking that so soured many a home cook. Like many of us, Joy has returned to the fundamentals of family cooking, cook-friendly recipes, healthy foods tastefully prepared with emphasis on cookware that retains nature’s bounty. Joy’s hearty attitude has been restored to its rightful crown of America’s real cookbook.
So if you find yourself in the kitchen wearily facing yet another meal to prepare, if you’re feeling stumped maybe it’s time to refresh. Time to reach for the secret ingredient, the seasoning aid so vital and pleasing, the aromas, flavors and outcomes so trusted, you once again calmly remember why you entered the kitchen.
Take a deep breath. From the simplest of wisdom comes the simplest of joy. When preparing a meal, first find the Joy. Then humorously measure those memorable words Irma spoke to us with so tender and loving a motherly prompt; “Stand facing the stove.” The rest is just a little history.
A Lifetime of Value
One of the joys of waterless cookware is the warranted lifelong service of these quality utensils. For example, here is a sampling of family cook requests from our Contact Us page:
“I have a set of Flavor-Seal by Cory cookware that I bought in 1963. I need to replace the handles on the large fry pan. Are they available?”
“My mom has a set of Miracle Maid pans she got when she was married. She loves them, but the electric fry pan has a short in the cord and we would like to get a new cord. Can you help us?”
“I need to replace the vented knobs on my Royal Queen waterless cookware. I have had it for 27 years and I love it but over time the knobs have begun to lose their ability to seal the moisture in. Could you give me information about how to order? Thank you in advance.”
“I can’t find Nutri-Seal anywhere. Can you help me? I need a new handle on my 8qt stock pot.”
“I’d like to order a vent knob for my set, Maxam KT17. …thirty years since I brought them home, lots of cooking mishaps along the way and the handle on my roaster finally broke. Please call me.”
We called. And yes, all these family cooks were relieved to know knob or handle replacements are both available and easily attached at home.
1) Trust a brand that’s here to stay. Maxam is a brand that has been innovating and manufacturing stainless steel waterless cookware sets for over 60 years.
2) For specialty cookware businesses, there’s a beautiful irony here. Unlike discount store bargain cookware that has to be replaced every 3-to-5 years (the synthetic coatings wear out), stainless steel pots and pans last a lifetime. People return of course, usually to buy a set of cookware for their grown children or a grandchild’s wedding, maybe a handle or knob for themselves ($12), adding another 30 years of cookware service and value to their original purchase.
You see, these family cooks enjoy and cherish a partnership with cookware, a friendship they are not about to give up just because a knob or handle broke after 30 years of service! Loyalty is honestly earned and yes, priceless.
Read the original article.
Quality Cookware=Quality Cuisine
Everyone knows that the quality of the food you buy directly affects the flavor of your cuisine, but there are myriad other variables that contribute to the final product which often go neglected; something as simple as cutting your vegetables in uniform pieces can be the difference between a subpar dish and something succulent. And while you may think the pan or skillet you use is irrelevant, it will have a direct impact on your food.
If you have a cheap set that loses heat quickly, for example, it will be hard to achieve a good sear on your meat. Low quality cookware often heats unevenly as well, often leading to suspect results. Always choose quality cookware sets that have a high heat retention and heat evenly. A nonstick surface is also preferable, as food won’t stick to the cookware, ensuring you have an aesthetically pleasing presentation and cleanup is painless.
The $2500 Cookware Set…?
At venues like County Fairs and local Home Demonstrations, folks have witnessed for themselves the unparalleled performance of Stainless Steel Waterless Cookware. These cookware demonstrations are absolutely accurate, credible, truly amazing.
Some folks become so enthused they indulge themselves, and sadly so. With a swipe of their credit card they begin to experience a nagging and disquieting indigestion. The next morning, their discomfort has flowered into a full-blown case of buyer’s remorse. We occasionally hear from these folks, those angry enough to do something about their remorse. Sometimes we can help.
Prevention is still 90% of the cure so let’s be clear. $2500 is not a valid measure of cookware quality and performance. High price is more a matter of three variables having little to do with cooking or the cookware:
- production location
- marketing costs
- the psychology of price as surrogate for quality
To be deemed Waterless, cookware must have Four Fundamental Characteristics. Quality stainless steel waterless cookware sets (from $150 to $300) not only fulfill these Four Fundamentals but exceed all other criteria one can measure when it comes to precision craftmanship, warranted lifelong durability and honest waterless cooking performance.
If near by, try to attend an enlightening cookware demonstration and witness for yourself the amazing capabilities of genuine waterless cookware. Enjoy the show of course, but try to avoid the pricey morning-after remorse.
Cook healthy, Eat honestly, and Thrive.
Waterless Cookware Demonstration Video
No time to attend a County Fair or Home Demonstration of Waterless Cookware? Watch our video instead. Relax and settle in. Enjoy the care-free ease of healthy meal preparation using quality cookware capable of waterless cooking performance. (…16 minutes)
When shopping for a cookware set, it’s important to size or fit the various pots and pans to your specific needs–family size, routine cooking tendencies, variety of foods cooked for each meal, etc. Consider these helpful hints on how to size or choose a set of waterless cookware that is just right for you, your family and your cooking needs.
(…ps: the video is 16 minutes, but internet capacity allows for less than 12 minutes. Our apologies. The entire demonstration is available on DVD.)
Waterless Performance at the end of a Plug
Quality Stainless Steel Electric Skillets deliver cook-friendly, food-friendly waterless cooking conditions with a simple attachment, the kitchen plug: 
- a nonstick, non-toxic, care-free satin-finished cooking surface;
- Multiple #304 surgical stainless steel plies for durability;
- the grace and beauty of stainless wedded to the healthy benefits of waterless performance;
- …and YES… just plug it in.
No hot ring scorching or burning, charring or annoying metal aftertastes. Waterless electric skillets cook evenly from side to side, from base to vapor-sealing lid, creating the ideal conditions necessary to savor nature’s whole nutrients, fully flavored, fully valued, fully themselves.
Bake, roast, fry, stew, boil, sauté, sauce, steam, do it all at a fraction of the energy and cost of stove top, oven and conventional cookware.
Versatile Precise Heat® Electric Skillets come with either vent-knob Steam-Control cover or Dome Cover designed to enable stack cooking. If you’re familiar with stack cooking, then you’ve experienced the energy efficiencies and time-saving capabilities of this easily mastered method for preparing entire meals on a single burner (or in this case, from a single plug).
…all the unique benefits and ideal advantages of stainless steel waterless cooking serving you by the simplest of means…the all-purpose plug.
Follow Us!