It is important to clean your cookware soon after it has cooled off. This is when it is the easiest to remove any caked-on food. Immerse the pan in water for a few minutes. Use dish washing liquid soap and a stiff bristle brush or scotchbrite pad to wash your pots. Dry off with a dry cloth to keep your pots looking new. If food is sometimes overcooked or burnt unto the pan, a little elbow grease may be required. Avoid immersing your cookware in water for longer than a couple of hours. Salts and/or minerals in your water may damage stainless steel surfaces and leave small white pits. A discoloration or blue-yellowish blemish may sometimes appear after washing. This is usually caused by hard water, oil, or soap residue. A couple of ounces of white vinegar will remove these blemishes. Another product that works like a charm in restoring stainless steel is E-Z KLEEN which is also available from Cuisinox.
Yes. All Cuisinox cookware is oven and broiler safe. Nonstick items are not broiler safe, but can be put in the oven up to 500°F The glass lids are oven-safe up to 400°F
Stainless steel is the absolute best and safest surface to cook with. It is easy to clean, never reacts with food, lasts a lifetime, and looks rich. The 18/10 ratio is the nickel to chromium ratio in the stainless steel. The more nickel is used, the higher the last number (10). Nickel gives stainless steel its durability and stainless property. The Chromium gives it shine and silver-like qualities.
All stainless steel cast handles get a little hotter than the old type black baklite handles. Our cast handles, however, are specially designed to stay warm to the touch. The use of a tea towel, potholders, or oven mitts is sometimes required for longer cooking times (like when cooking a stew). This is absolutely normal with stainless steel handles.
Both Cuisinox Elite and Cuisinox Gourmet may be used on gas stoves. However, many manufactures of gas stoves strongly recommend using Cuisinox Elite which was especially designed for professional use on gas stoves which are standard in most high-end restaurants.
Surround Heat Technology is a heat diffusing system and is the most efficient and modern way to cook. The Cuisinox Elite cookware collection has a thick, 3-ply layer alloy that retains and diffuses heat evenly from the sides as well as the base of the cookware. This creates a uniform and consistent heat eliminating hot spots. There is really no better way to cook.
Yes. Cuisinox Elite and Cuisinox Gourmet and our Deluxe Cookware collections will work on induction cook tops. Our tea kettles and stainless steel espresso makers are also induction ready.
By exposing the pan to intense heat, little white lime scale stains may appear on the base as a consequence of a natural occurrence due to the level of water hardness. Bluish rings due to starch contained in some foods such as pasta and rice may appear too. These stains are easily removed by rubbing the cookware with a soft cloth soaked with lemon juice, white vinegar or special cleaner for stainless steel pans such as our Cuisinox EZ-KLEEN.
The couscoussier, or couscous pot, is a traditional steaming and cooking utensil, used in the preparation of a Moroccan dish called Couscous. Couscous generally refers to semolina or ground wheat that is steamed in the top part, which obviously has holes in its base, and to lamb, beef or other foods cooked in a type of stew in the bottom container. There are many couscous recipes on the web. It is generally recommended to use a maximum of one pound of couscous for each quart of water, keeping in mind that the couscous will double in volume when it steams the second time. A pound will serve about 6 people. It is not usually necessary to use cheese cloth to keep the couscous from falling into the stew. Begin cooking the stew in the bottom pot, then place the steamer top on, with the couscous already in it, and you'll probably only get about a teaspoon of grain in the stew. You can also use this beautiful utensil simply for steaming and cooking your favorite foods.
The quality of the stainless steel is the same 18/10 stainless steel. Cuisinox Elite is a thick 3-ply stainless steel laminate throughout the sides and base whereas the Cuisinox Gourmet has a 3-ply encapsulated base only and a single ply body or sides. Cuisinox Elite also has stainless steel riveted handles as opposed to spot welded handles on the Cuisinox Gourmet collection. Overall, Cuisinox Elite is a more professional cookware whereas Cuisinox Gourmet is a more domestic cookware collection.
When cooking with stainless steel, a preheated pan and lower flames or heat are the key to stick-free cooking. Preheat your pan on low or medium heat for one to two minutes. Pour 2-3 teaspoons of cold oil, butter, or other liquids in your preheated pan-or enough to cover the bottom of the cooking surface. Add your food, making sure that there is an even sizzling sound when your food touches the pan. This indicates that your food is cooking on contact and creating a natural barrier to prevent sticking. Move your food within the pan until the correct doneness is achieved. The natural sugars in your food caramelize on the cooked surface, developing great flavors and lifting your food off of the cooking surface naturally. If the sound your food makes on initial contact with the pan is more of a crackle than a sizzle, your heat is too high and sticking may occur.
A double boiler is a specialized piece of kitchen equipment consisting of two fitted saucepans. The larger saucepan is partially filled with water brought to a simmer or boil. The inner saucepan uses this indirect heat to melt foods such as chocolates, cook custards and sauces, or even melt wax for candle making.
Pressure cooking is cooking food quickly in a pressure cooker, an airtight metal pot, using steam under pressure at a high temperature above the boiling point. Pressure cookers are so effective because food cooked under pressure can be cooked at higher temperatures without burning due to evaporation. Food can be cooked quicker while retaining all their flavors and kept moist at the same time. Pressure cookers take advantage of the fact that water boils at a higher temperature when pressure is increased. The benefits are healthy meals since very little water is used in pressure cooking and because the pressure cooker is a "closed system," few vitamins and minerals are lost to the cooking water or dissipated into the air. Because they are not exposed to oxygen, vegetables not only retain their vitamins and minerals, but their vivid color as well.
Don’t be fooled by the sales schemes of those other brands that advertised 5 or 7 ply. They figure that by saying that they have more plys, you will think you are getting more material and therefore can charge you more money. It is not the quantity of layers but rather the thickness of the whole laminate that makes a difference.
We only use Excalibur™ non-stick from Whitford®, the very best and completely 100% toxic free non-stick for stainless steel cookware. Approved by the FDA and NSF, our non-stick is completely environmentally safe, and outlasts ceramic coatings by 19 times.