Stainless steel cookware is admired by both food enthusiasts and professional chefs. Stainless steel is a safe cooking material for preparing many recipes.
Stainless steel is both simple to use and long-lasting. Though some premium stainless steel products are pricey, you get what you pay for.
There are various grades of stainless steel, one of which is 18/10 stainless steel. Despite its food-grade certification, is stainless steel 18/10 safe?
Keep an eye on me while we learn about this stainless steel classification.
WHAT IS STAINLESS STEEL?
There are various types of materials used in manufacturing kitchen cookware and utensils. Examples are cast iron, ceramic, clay/porcelain, Aluminum, Carbon steel, copper, and stoneware.
Amongst these cookware materials, one that remains outstanding is Stainless steel. Stainless steel is simply a combination of iron, carbon, nickel, and chromium.
In another way, Stainless steel is an iron alloy. It is actually iron and a mixture of other elements. For example, an iron ally can also be added to chromium, nickel, silicon, manganese, nitrogen, carbon, and even titanium in different proportions.
Stainless steel material is one of the best options for pressure cooker pans, and small and large cookware sets (pots and pans).
The iron in stainless steel is 50% while chromium is between 10-30%. Iron has the tendency to rust in the presence of water and air moisture unless there is a protective coating over it.
Stainless steel cookware requires the presence of oil or water when cooking to prevent sticking. One thing to bear in mind is that with stainless steel, you will experience bluish stains, rainbow stains, heat stains, and hard water stains.
These stains do not indicate that your stainless steel cookware is unsafe or unsuitable for cooking; they are merely the result of oxidation or excessive cooktop heat.
To save iron from corrosion in stainless steel alloys, chromium helps to avoid oxidation to a large extent, while nickel boosts corrosion resistance.
To summarize, stainless steel comes in various grades, and in order to really comprehend the 18/10 stainless steel grade, we must first understand how many there are and their properties.
STAINLESS STEEL GRADE CLASSIFICATION
To begin, there are lots of different grades of stainless steel classification. However, I will minimize this article to the most popular stainless steel grades.
We have the stainless steel Alloy 430, Alloy 304, and Alloy 316. The Alloy 430 is also known as 18/0 stainless steel grade, Alloy 304 is also known as 18/8 stainless steel grade and the Alloy 316 is known as 18/10 stainless steel grade.
We have to note here that all the stainless steel grades mentioned above are food-grade stainless steel materials.
So now let’s understand what is 18/10 stainless steel?
18/10 STAINLESS STEEL
What is 18/10 Stainless steel? What does 18/10 stainless steel mean? What does 18/10 mean in stainless steel?
18/10 stainless steel is a food-grade stainless steel classification that contains 18% of chromium, and 10% of nickel.
So what do these parameters mean to this grade of 18/10 stainless steel, it simply means that the 18/10 stainless steel or Alloy 316 is the highest grade of stainless steel that prevents corrosion and improves chemical resistance ability. Â Â Â
Finally, most 18/10 stainless steel grade actually contains 16% of chromium, 10% Nickel, and 2% Molybdenum. The molybdenum property is for formability.
DOES 18/10 STAINLESS STEEL SCRATCH?
Yes, it does scratch depending on the frequency of use, care, and maintenance of your stainless steel cookware.
BEST 18/10 STAINLESS STEEL COOKWARE
The best 18/10 stainless steel cookware we recommend is the AVACRAFT 18/10 STAINLESS STEEL PREMIUM SAFE MULTICLAD POTS AND PANS SET because it has the following features:
The Avacraft 18/10 stainless steel cookware set is highly resistant to rust, crack, or corrosion.
They are also toxins-free and designed for daily use!
Doesn’t have a heat spot, performs even heat distribution
Perfect for induction, gas, electric, and halogen cooktops.
The Ergonomic handles stay cool during hot.
They are easy to clean and also durable.
18/10 STAINLESS STEEL INDUCTION
There are various brands of 18/10 stainless steel cookware that are suitable for induction cooking. Below are some of the best induction 18/10, 316 stainless steel cookware sets:
- Berghoff 7 Piece 18/10 induction cookware set
- Ciwete 316 stainless steel cookware set
- Kitchara 316 stainless steel cookware set
BERGHOFF ESSENTIALS COMFORT 7 PIECE, 18/10 STAINLESS STEEL INDUCTION COOKWARE SET.
The Berghoff essentials 18/10 stainless steel cookware has the following features;
The Berghoff stainless steel has a 3-layer base that ensures even heat transfer and enables energy-efficient cooking.
The Berghoff stainless steel cookware is designed with a lid that ensures easy, drop-free pouring.
It can withstand daily use, easy to clean up. Suitable for induction, electric, gas, and halogen stovetops.
Dishwasher safe and hand wash recommended.
CIWETE PROFESSIONAL 18/10 STAINLESS STEEL INDUCTION COOKWARE SET
The Ciwete Professional 18/10 stainless steel is designed with a heavy bottom with impacted bonded technology which consists of 2 layers of durable stainless steel and 1 layer of the pure aluminum disc.
The encapsulated aluminum core of the Ciwete Professional 316 Alloy stainless steel distributes heat throughout the pan for quick heating.
The tempered glass lids help to monitor the cooking progress. Magnetic stainless steel bottom is compatible with all stovetops including induction, electric, gas, ceramic, glass, and halogen.
Finally, the brushed finished exterior is anti-scratch and easy to clean, which is suit for the dishwasher for convenient cleanup. NOT oven safe. Limited lifetime warranty.
KITCHARA 18/10 STAINLESS STEEL COOKWARE SET
The Kitchara 316 Alloy stainless steel cookware set has the following features;
The Kitchara cookware set is durable, designed with 5 ply and fully clad, with an aluminum core surrounded by 18/10 stainless steel.
Suitable for all cooktops including induction. It is also oven safe 500℉ / 232℃.
This cookware set offers family-size pots and pans for every task.
Kitchara 18/10 stainless steel cookware set is built to provide excellent heat retention and heating.
Easy transition from stove to the oven (up to 500 degrees).
Dishwasher safe but hand wash for best result.
SURGICAL STAINLESS STEEL VS 18/10
As I have highlighted above that there are different grades of stainless steel, we also have to note that it is not just any grade of stainless steel that can be used in manufacturing medical or biomedical applications.
Hence, we can say that surgical stainless steel is a variety of stainless steel used in biomedical applications.
The stainless steel grades usually used for this function are 316 austenitic stainless, martensitic 440, and 420 stainless.
Furthermore, surgical stainless steel is the most corrosion-resistant and expensive type of stainless steel, which is also a quality of 18/10 steel.
As a result, there is no distinction between surgical stainless steel and 18/10 stainless steel because both are utilized in biomedical applications and are highly resistant to corrosion, acidic environments, and strong poisonous chemicals.
IS 18/10 STAINLESS STEEL GOOD FOR KNIVES?
Yes, because 18/10 stainless steel is a top food-grade material that is resistant to rust and corrosion and does not leave residues or odors – a health-safe material. A serrated heavy-duty stainless steel knife is one example.
18/10 CR-NI STAINLESS STEEL
18/10 cr-ni stainless steel simply means 18% chromium and 10% nickel in quantity which is a benchmark for quality.
STAINLESS STEEL 18/10 VS 316
18/10 stainless steel and 316 mean the same thing as stated above. Stainless steel Alloy 316 is the same as 18/10 stainless steel food grade classification.
WHICH IS BETTER 18/8 OR 18/10 STAINLESS STEEL COOKWARE
First, 18/8 is Alloy 304 and the 18/10 is the Alloy 316. Yes, the 18/10 stainless steel is better than the 18/8 stainless steel because the 18/10 stainless steel can withstand corrosion and harsh chemical environment more than the 18/8 or 304 stainless steel Alloy.
IS 18/10 BETTER THAN 18/0
Yes, 18/10 is better than 18/0 because the 18/10 stainless steel classification contains 18% of chromium and 10% nickel while 18/0 contains 18% chromium and 0% nickel meaning 18/10 can prevent corrosion while 18/0 can’t because of the absence of nickel.
Therefore, 18/10 is the highest quality in the stainless steel grade classification while 18/0 is the lowest.
1S 304 STAINLESS STEEL DISHWASHER SAFE?
Yes, stainless steel Alloy 304 or 18/8 cookware is dishwasher safe since it is constructed with exceptional resilience and lifespan and is excellent for gas, induction, camping, outdoors, RVs, and open fire use.
Furthermore, because it is made entirely of food-grade material, 304 stainless steel cookware is completely safe for health. The 8 Piece nonstick Pots & Pans 304 stainless steel cookware is a wonderful example of 304 stainless steel dishwasher-safe cookware.
304 VS STAINLESS STEEL 18/10
Below is the difference between Alloy 304(18/8) stainless steel and 18/10(Alloy 316):
| 304 STAINLESS STEEL | 18/10 (ALLOY 316) STAINLESS STEEL |
| This is the most common grade of stainless steel. It contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel. | This is the highest grade of stainless steel. It contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel. |
| Formability is superior and better than 18/10 or Alloy 316 stainless steel. | Can easily lose formability compared to 304 stainless steel. |
| 304 stainless steel can rust, not suitable for corrosive environments. | 18/10 can resist acids, chloride, salt, oxidation, harsh chemicals, and corrosion. |
| Used in manufacturing kitchen equipment, storage tanks, heat exchangers, and pressure vessels. Etc. | Used in manufacturing Refinery equipment, paper & pulp processing equipment, outdoor electrical enclosures, surgical instrumentation, and pharmaceutical instrumentation. |
| Less durable than the 316(18/10) steel material. | More durable than the 304 stainless steel. |
Finally, if the equipment is going to be submerged in water, we recommend using 18/10 or Stainless steel Alloy 316 rather than stainless steel 304 or 18/8.
In terms of greater corrosion resistance, the 18/10 or 316 stainless steel grade classification outperforms the 304 or 18/8 stainless steel grade classification.
