Cookware FAQ

When making a buying decision on cookware, you need to compare (3) very important features: Grade of Metal, Distribution of Heat and lastly Temperature Control. Regarding the metal, most cookware sold in stores is an 18/10 grade of steel at best. Also known as 304 very common in retail outfits and some direct marketing selling. The problem with this gage of metal is that because of the softness of this grade of metal, when heated the porous on the pan expands and can then leach chromium, nickel and aluminum into the foods and can cause troublesome conditions. Also the food sticks to the pan and you are then forced to cook with oil and the pan becomes difficult to clean. In addition the natural acids and salts contained in our foods can create a chemical reaction with inferior cooking surfaces. Cookware sold in retail stores generally have a slab of aluminum or copper fused to the bottom of the pan. This gives good heat conduction, only on the bottom of the pot and because of the uneven heat, one must constantly watch and stir the food or it scorches, furthermore it doesn’t cook uniformly and prolongs cooking time. In the end, you have to work harder to cook your foods. Also vitamins and minerals are sensitive to heat so the nutrition of our food can be damaged by high heat, temperature control becomes another important factor to consider when shopping for cookware. All our stoves and fridges have a means of controlling temperature, why doesn’t our cookware have one? Without an accurate system to notify you when the internal temperature of your pan reaches a specific point, you would always be stuck in the kitchen, watching your pot so it doesn’t boil over.

Some pans have steam vents, but if your vegetables are exposed to the high temperature of steam (232° F), you will destroy the life giving properties of your food. Life begets life. So keep your food alive when you cook below 200°F.

It’s fine for serving your food, but it’s the very worst heat conductor of all cookware materials (even the manufacture admits that glass cookware has a cold spot in the center of the pan.  That means poor cooking results and unnecessary energy losses. There are other limitations and inconveniences associated with glass cookware. It won’t melt but it will break! If it is exposed to hot and cold, it can literally explode into thousands of tiny pieces. A quick reading of the instructions will alert you to these potential drawbacks in these types of pans. Health Professionals are also concerned about the use of lead in these pans. Studies have shown that lead, is a heavy metal that if consumed can cause damaging conditions overtime.

“Non-stick” pans can cook with little oil, but there are disadvantages and hazards to using them. To start with, the coating wears off into the food, a little bit, every time you cook. Manufacturers tell you to dispose of the pan once it’s chipped, meaning you continually have to buy them over and over. Some sets of non-stick pans can be hundreds of dollars. This can get expensive over time.

If you are cooking on any chipped, non-stick pans, your food is directly exposed to the aluminum cooking surface… there is also a lot of controversy regarding consuming aluminum. If you read the back of a non-stick pan’s label it will warn you not to have birds in the kitchen, as fumes released from an overheated non-stick coated pan can kill birds. Furthermore, the fumes can also give you “polymer fume fever.” At 500ºF (6) different carcinogenic gases can be released from a non-stick pan. If inhaled, you can get flu-like symptoms, such as body aches, fever and nausea. A chemical found in non-stick pans called C-8 has also been linked to cancer in laboratory animals.

The last thing that touches our food in the cooking cycle is our cookware. Doesn’t it make sense it should be clean and safe.

THERE IS A LOT OF SPECULATION THAT ALUMINUM CAUSES VARIOUS HEALTH AILMENTS. The jury is still out on this one. The sale of aluminum cookware is prohibited in Germany, France, Belgium, Gr. Britain Switzerland, Hungary and Brazil. The FDA also forbids the use of aluminum utensils to store dairy products. Aluminum is quite porous and the chemical reactions that take place while cooking make it more pitted with age. In addition, all vegetables cooked in aluminum produce hydroxide poison, which neutralizes the digestive juices, robbing them of their value to digest food, producing stomach and gastrointestinal trouble, such as stomach ulcers and colitis. Source experts are now stating that the way you cook your food and what you cook your food on CAN and are just as important as what you eat.

Overheating. If food sticks to your pan, the heat was too high and you lost the moisture in the pan. Reduce the heat. Our recipes and cooking DVD are Awesome!

Rinse out any food particles and wash with hot soapy water. Your cookware is also dishwasher safe.  If you burned the food, just boil water and it should lift off.  Glo cookware cleaner is a recommended cleaner.

Replace the cover, turn the heat to medium, open the valve and wait for the whistle/vent to sound and then close the valve and turn the heat to low. If there is no moisture in the pan, add two tablespoons of water before turning heat back to medium.

Go to our recipe page – It includes information on how to maximize the benefits of your cookware investment, updated recipes are added monthly. 

No, it will not. You need a layer of ferritic steel to activate the stove.

The most common and least expensive cleaners can be found on our products page  – Our Glo cookware cleaner work great. If you have an old frying pan loaded with grease, here is an easy solution: spray the pan with Easy Off (yes, the oven cleaner), wrap it in a plastic bag, leave the bag outside for the night. The next morning just rinse it off and wash.

Yes our cookware is stackable. It does build a pyramid for space saving purposes. The covers can also be used as a trivet to rest your utensil on the table. You can store the leftovers in the fridge and reheat the next day. Remember, surgical stainless steel is safe.

Yes, they are safe up to 437 Degrees in the oven. However, 7-ply 316L surgical stainless steel is designed to be used on top of the stove: it is faster, less expensive on the electric or gas bill.

No, the silicone oil is sealed permanently in the utensil. It is the best performing oil core skillet on the market.

Yes, you can but expect to pay a bit more. It is better to start out with a small set and add pieces as you can afford them. Remember, when you invest in a top notch set of surgical stainless steel cookware, you are also adopting a new system of cooking. You will be cooking at a lower temperature, use less or no fat. It is convenient to have matching pieces that cook the same way.

Yes, we do so for sets stolen or part of a house fire. We just ask for proof of some type. Even a newspaper clipping will do. You can also replace your set, our pieces thereof, at 1/2 off price after 25 years of use.

The Dutch did not have oven attached to their stove and discovered that if you use a heavy cast iron pot that the heat would spread evenly and that you could roast that way.

Quality cookware will use less heat, keep your minerals and vitamins in your food, take less time and energy to cook, keep you healthier. Eat right, live better and live longer. It is permanent and pays for itself in record time.

Numerous studies show that it peels off, chips and flakes and does not digest. It is a suspected cancer agent. It definitely is not a permanent type of cookware, good for a year or two. It is not an appetizing looking cooking utensil. They use these coatings to make a cheap utensil perform better. Fumes from overheating can be harmful. Most are not dishwasher safe and can leach chemicals in your food. All coatings wear off.

Metals expand and contract. Someone (not you, of course) probably put the utensil under very cold water while it was hot. We replace them. It is covered by our guarantee.

You have created a vacuum and it happens from time to time. Just put the utensil back on the stove for a minute and it should lift off. With FreshBonAppetit we have a hole in the cover. Just open it up and the problem is solved.

No need to buy them. FreshBonAppetit replaces them free of charge. Just mail them in and we send out replacements within 2 working days. If you threw them out then you must purchase them for a nominal fee.

You bet you can. The leanest meat still has a fat content. Preheat heat your utensil to 350*. Use a piece of paper in the utensil. When it turns a golden brown it is at 350*. Put in the meat (chicken filets for example). It will stick. In about 4 minutes it will loosen up, turn it over and do side 2. Allow enough time. Anywhere from 7 minutes to 9 minutes depending on thickness.

Yes, you can. Let hot foods cool off before you store them in the refrigerator.

Our cover system allows for a true semi-vacuum.  Our whistle-lock-vent knob eliminates pot watching and allows for lower temperature cooking.

Yes, it does. The name is misleading. In all other languages, it is called “rust free”. In French, Spanish, etc. it is called inoxydable. In German, it is called rostfrei. The basic virtue is that it will not rust and it is totally sanitary, especially when it is 316 or higher (% of chromium and nickel). Other alloys are also added, your top grade being a 316L, referred to as a surgical stainless steel, good enough to make surgical instruments.

Stainless steel is a very poor heat conductor. Your single ply cookware, or very thin cookware, does not conduct the heat evenly and you end up with hot spots. On an electric stove, you will have the heat where the rings of the burner are. You need cookware of a certain gauge, with the right heat conducting inner cores to prevent this.

There are so many claims. Your best source for that kind of information are a dietitian, The Cancer Society, Diabetes Associations, your local Health Unit, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

We do not think so. We provide amazing recipes and a DVD with our cookware sets. We also provide you with local cooking classes in Dallas, TX & FortWorth, TX and also access to our office for free advice or coaching:  817.382,0020