Stainless Steel For Kitchen

Stainless Steel is a common name for metal alloys that consist of Nickel, Chromium and Iron. These elements inhibit corrosion from occurring to the metal, and make stainless steel a useful material for commercial uses. Although it is called "stainless", a better term for it is "highly stain resistant". A somewhat dark metal, it looks bright because it reflects light. These different alloys allow fabrication and use possibilities among the different grades. This allows the 300 series is the most widely available and used of all stainless steel grades. There are few types of 300 series that can be found, which are 303, 304, 308, 310 and 316. The series contains different types of stainless steel; however, all types of stainless steel in the series contain about the same amount of nickel, iron and chromium. However, the most popular series that has been in kitchen industry are 304 and 316.

Type 304 stainless steel is one of the most widely used and oldest of the stainless steels. This was originally called 18-8 which stood for its chromium and nickel content. It possesses an excellent combination of strength, corrosion resistance and fabricability. These stainless steels are used in the food and beverage industry, such as Silos, cheese vats, fruit tanks and wine tanks.

Type 316 is an austenitic stainless steel that has an increased molybdenum content to increase its resistance to corrosion when compared to other 300 series alloys. It will resist scaling at temperatures up to 1600 F. This material is used for heat treating applications where hot salt solution is used, and also used in the marine industry because of its resistance to corrosion. And at the same time, it is also used in food and beverage processing and chemical processing applications.

What are the main benefits of stainless steel in kitchen utensils?

•  It is one of the most hygienic surfaces for the preparation of foods and very easy to clean, as its unique surface has no pores or cracks to harbour dirt, grime or bacteria.
• It is very attractive and requires minimal care, since it won't chip or easily rust and it takes little seasoning.
• It will not affect flavour, as it does not react with acidic foods during food preparation or cooking.
• With proper care, it has a useful life expectancy of over 100 years, and it is totally recyclable.