Stainless Steel Components

• Stainless steel is an alloy, which means it is made by mixing several metals together -- commonly iron and either titanium, nickel or molybdenum. High-end stainless steel pots and pans are often made of surgical steel, the purest variety available.
  
  

Safety Issues

• Stainless steel pans with intact surfaces do not react with foods. Scratched cookware, however, may permit trace amounts of metals to bleed into foods high in salt or acidity, but the levels do not generally present health concerns. Persons with allergies to nickel may have adverse reactions to foods cooked in stainless steel cookware.
  
  

Maintenance Advice

• To preserve the interiors of stainless steel pans, avoid using knives to cut foods inside the cookware, and do not poke carving forks into the bottoms of the pots. If pitting or corrosion occurs, discard the pan.