Stainless Steel - Professional and Modern Kitchens

But there is more to it than the chrome shine and modern, neutral texture, especially when you consider the alternative materials available to the industry.That’s why stainless steel is so popular; hot cupboards and ovens that are light enough to load into vans but large enough to be useful for massive catered events; pots and pans that can be wiped clean thoroughly and easily; knives, spoons and spatulas that are durable, light and strong; from huge bowls and electric whisks to sauteing pans. Even plate racks and fridge shelves are available in this most hygienic of materials.As the name suggests, stainless steel doesn’t stain. It’s easily cleaned with any number of cleaners or even just household vinegar with water. Smeared grease or spots of food that might have gone unnoticed are easy to spot on the shiny surface. The entire kitchen, from work surfaces to knife blocks, can be wiped down and polished until it shines.Before stainless steel, kitchen appliances were made of enameled iron or steel. These days it seem charming and vintage, but enamel has the disadvantage of chipping and eroding over time. The iron beneath the thin, fragile surface is heavy and clumsy. It quickly corrodes in the damp, steamy, warm environment of a kitchen. Even old-fashioned steel degrades quite quickly and becomes colored by the fossilized remains of old meals, when compared to the alloys and finishes used in modern stainless steel.The only modern competitor is plastic, but it's obviously impractical to make ovens, hotplates, hobs or fryers out of a material that melts so easily. Plastic ladles and spatulas are cheap and light, but if you leave them on a hot surface or lying inside a hot saucepan the results will be literally disastrous. You could end up with melted tools, ruined pots or surfaces and meals destroyed, with fumes from melted plastic floating through the kitchen. The same is true of wooden spoons that stain or blacken easily, especially when they’re pale or new. Sometimes these stains can even carry a trace that might ruin a delicate flavor, or even diseases and bacteria that penetrated the grain of the wood to spread into every sauce, soup and stomach.Stainless steel also conducts heat more readily – being stronger, it doesn’t need to be as thick or heavy so there’s less mass to heat up. This means that pots, pans, hot-cupboards and heat lamps are more efficient. Since it is so durable, you won’t often need to replace an item. With this increased lifetime the savings on power and energy may even offset the original cost.This is why professionals and even competent amateurs all use this durable and also hygienic material - from stainless steel tables to sinks: because when you think about it, there really isn't a sensible alternative.