More than a million synthetic pots and pans are thrown into landfills each year. These nonstick wonders don’t seem to last very long, 3-5 years is common. If you’re reinvesting in new cookware, consider replacing your Teflon with a much more cost-effective solution. Consider the value of stainless steel waterless cookware.
The investment
Comparably priced ($150-$250) nonstick stainless steel waterless cookware will save you a great deal of money over the years. These quality pots and pans are guaranteed to last. your life.
the bargain
Durability is a good measure of value. If the cookware doesn’t last, it’s not a bargain. Also, it is better to cook on a non-stick surface that is free of toxicity. Fuming, peeling, and erosion of Teflon pose a serious health hazard, as does seepage from soft metal cooking surfaces such as copper, aluminum, cast iron, and others.
Stainless steel waterless cookware safely provides the ideal nonstick cooking surface free of toxic hazards or continual ‘seasoning’ to control rust, “…the closest thing we have to the ideal chemically inert yet thermally sensitive pansays Harold McGee in On food and cooking: the science and tradition of cooking: Scribner 2004, page 791. (Search ‘Waterless Cookware: Hype or Real for more information on McGee).
the bonus
Imagine the value of having a lifetime to explore and enjoy the most hygienic, responsive, food-safe, cook-safe, eco-friendly, and health-friendly pots and pans set you can own. Yes, ‘friendly’ because cooks, food and cookware are best served when they are engaged in a supportive relationship, one of constant service and celebration, learning and triumph.
Included in this friendship are family, friends and another very important member to be invited, seated and served at the dining table, one of robust flavor and aroma, of natural nutrients and energy, of wholesome vitality and healing health. There is no substitute for nature’s honest foods, no ‘fortified’ stuff worthy of the name ‘whole food’ (search ‘cookware without water, the healthy option‘).
The value
It’s no secret that much of today’s food has evolved for convenience, not nutrition. The composition and function of modern cookware has also evolved, and not for the better. For example, synthetic or ceramic coatings on the interior and colored enamel coatings on the exterior do not reflect the value of cookware, good health, or common sense. Coatings are cosmetic at best, ‘coatings’ applied to lower grades of steel used in manufacturing. Look under the skin for a lifetime of value.
Let’s review the purpose of food (and the cookware that cooks it) to better appreciate the value of quality stainless steel waterless cookware:
Cooking is actually a moment of truth, the culmination of nature’s food cycle, a time when the vital stash of earth’s nutrient goodness is tastefully enhanced or sadly wasted. A pot or pan is more than an appliance for heating processed foods or boiling off nature’s precious minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants. Real food deserves better. There is simply more to the enriching soils of organic vegetables and free-range meats, more to captivate the palate, the nose, the eyes, more to taste, and certainly more to invigorate and invigorate. We are, after all, only as healthy as the health of what we eat. To that end, pots and pans contribute greatly to the nutritional and flavorful fate of food. Much can be gained or lost in the simple act of cooking.
Stainless Steel Waterless Cookware honors and retains the goodness of nature’s honest efforts. As with good friends, marriage, or other mature relationships, an association with food and cooking takes time to appreciate and thrive. It is useful to have cookware that is reliable, stable, dependable, capable of ideal cooking conditions in a simple way and easy to master. Cooking is for life. We could also nurture a friendship with cookware durable and worthy enough to nurture and maintain this type of relationship.
The return on investment
Your grandmother probably used similar pots and pans a long time ago. Stainless steel cookware isn’t new, but Grandma’s originals lacked many of today’s waterless features:
– Multi-layer stainless steel construction, 5, 7 or 9-ply 18/10 chrome/nickel construction for quality
– Encapsulated heat-conducting elements (copper, aluminum, etc.) for unequaled low-temperature cooking
– Steam Control Coatings to fully preserve and retain nourishing vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants
– Efficient, thermally sensitive cookware for faster, safer, more even and more economical cooking
These and many other improvements now make today’s waterless cookware capable of cooking food the way it was meant to be cooked, the way Mother Nature intended her vegetables and meats to be served – fully appreciated, fully valued, fully themselves. Serving anything less is not a bargain, it’s a wasted opportunity for everyone involved, especially the food.
When experiencing real food (cooked as Mother Nature intended), one tends to develop an honest taste and steadfast loyalty. My personal preference gained from 30 years as a family cook, and business specialty, is waterless stainless steel pots and pans. Being in business, I’m sure I speak for others in this specialty when I share this fact: not a day goes by that I don’t hear from people looking to replace a pot handle or lid knob on their cookware. These little accessories, as durable as they are, eventually wear out. Here’s a sample of today’s customer requests from ChoiceCookery’s online Contact Us page:
“I have a Flavor-Seal by Cory cookware set that I bought in 1963. I need to replace the handles on the large skillet. Are these available?”
“My mom has a set of Miracle Maid skillets she bought when she got married. She loves them, but the cord to the electric skillet has a short and we’d like to buy a new one. Can you help us?”
“I need to replace the vented knobs on my Royal Queen waterless cookware. I’ve had them for 27 years and love them, but over time the knobs have started to lose their ability to seal in moisture. Can you give me some information on how to fix them?” order? Thanks in advance.”
“I can’t find Nutri-Seal anywhere. Can you help me? I need a new handle on my 8 qt stockpot.”
“I’d like to order a vent knob for my appliance, the Maxam KT17. It’s been thirty years since I brought these home, many kitchen mishaps along the way, and my toaster handle finally broke. Please give me a call.”
we call. And yes, all of these cooks were relieved to learn that replacements are still available.
1) Trust a brand that is here to stay. Maxam, the brand we represent, has been innovating and manufacturing stainless steel waterless cookware for over 60 years.
2) For businesses like ours, there’s a beautiful irony here. Unlike disposable cookware, our pots and pans last a lifetime. Our customers return, of course, usually to buy a cookware set for their grown children or grandson’s wedding, perhaps a handle or knob for them (a $12 replacement that snaps on easily, adding other 30 years of service and value to kitchen utensils). These people tend to share the good news with family and friends. Plus, they’re experiencing a cookware association they’re not willing to give up! Loyalty is honestly earned and yes, it is priceless.
The bottom line
Look beyond 3 to 5 years. Invest in cookware that matures your relationship with food and cooking. For me, it’s about two hats I wear and a bond between them, a hat I experience every day as a family cook, and a friendship with customers who embrace the simple joys and lifetime value of pots and pans without water.
Your friendship with food and cooking simply cannot be explored, experimented and enjoyed using less capable cookware than stainless steel waterless pots and pans. Bargain prices and cosmetic glitter just can’t appreciate in value. Consider cookware you’ll never have to (or want to) replace. The real value is maintained throughout its life, but that is only our guarantee. Cook healthy, eat honestly and prosper.
