Every restaurant kitchen is full of it, and following the trend of recreating the restaurant atmosphere, more people are using stainless steel in their home kitchens than ever before. Sure, it is sleek, modern, and oh-so clean, but there are a few other things about stainless steel that might surprise you to know.
1.) It’s tough like grandpa
The kitchen equivalent to walking to school uphill both ways in the snow, stainless steel is impregnated with roughly 12% chromium. So what does this metallurgic marriage mean to you? Say you scratch the surface of your stainless steel mixing bowls or double-walled beer mug. That chromium combines with oxygen in the air to renew itself and help prevent rusting (a process known as ‘passivation’).
2.) It laughs at granite, marble and wood
Granite and marble countertops – while attractive – are a chore to clean (pun intended). You must be careful of what detergents and cleaners you use, being aware of such brain-occupying things as pH and corrosiveness. Wood is, well, wood, and is porous and susceptible to warping. On the other hand, to clean stainless steel, you can use tougher chemicals like those in 409, or even the granddaddy of them all, bleach. It will not warp, will not stain, and – probably most importantly – cleaning it will not take up too much of your time.
3.) It is better for you
“Bishphenol A (BPA)” sound familiar? It is the latest chemical being touted as dangerous for humans, and is found in hard, bicarbonate plastics like water drinking bottles and food containers. You may already have seen this coming, but stainless steel has no BPA, and is thus perfect for storing things like spices and herbs. Also, light does not penetrate stainless steel, and it is light creeping in to containers that ruins your spices in the cupboard.
4.) It makes you more attractive
Okay, so that may be a bit of an overstatement, but the fact of the matter is stainless steel has long been noted for its ability to remove odors from your hands, specifically those of garlic and onions. You see, garlic and onions are part of the Alium family of plants, and when you break their surfaces, they reach out into the atmosphere to grab things like nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen. Without sounding too ‘geeky,’ it is their combination with these elements that gives them those lasting unpleasant odors that get under your fingertips and can last for days.
Using something like a stainless steel Deos under running water, you can draw out those odors and wash them down the drain. While it is not quite understood why this happens, it is thought that the surface of the stainless steel is just abrasive enough to pull layers of the odorous compounds off your skin, exposing them to the flow of oxygen in the running water. Oxygen is a poison to many things (particularly bacteria), and exposing those compounds to an abundant supply of it neutralizes them.
Plus, Martha Stewart said it works.
So there you have it: four good reasons to work more stainless steel into your everyday life. If you have a kitchen and are looking to add or upgrade to it, stainless steel is the professional’s choice.