Metal dishes: types and features of choice

Metal dishes have enjoyed unchanged popularity for more than one century. Nowadays, the range of products is great - the products of the most various purposes, produced from various materials with different types of coating, are on sale. It is worthwhile to dwell in more detail on the features of metal dishes.

Metal utensils are often used in everyday life as well as at catering points due to their exceptionally high functional, ergonomic and aesthetic characteristics. The ware from metal possesses the following features:

• metal products are durable - with proper care, they can be used for more than a decade, keeping their appearance and technical and operational parameters unchanged;
• environmental friendliness - high-quality metals used for the manufacture of dishes do not emit harmful and toxic substances, hazardous chemical elements in the process of cooking, they do not contain radiation, and therefore are completely safe for domestic use;
• reliability - metal kitchen utensils are characterized by increased strength, resistance to temperature extremes and deformations;
• ease of care - the use of dishes made of steel, aluminum, cast iron and other alloys does not require specialized detergents, cleaning products can be made with the most common gels for washing dishes and a sponge;
• aesthetics - usually dishes from metals have a beautiful, noble shine or can be treated with decorative coatings, thanks to which they harmoniously fit into any interiors;
• persistence is probably the only option that can withstand daily use for a long period of time;
• cost - if you compare metal products with other kitchen items, their price will be much more profitable, especially if you consider the cost from the standpoint of price and quality.

Of the minuses, we can note the high thermal conductivity - metal objects quickly heat up even from cooked food and drinks, which means that you can get burned during lunch.

For the manufacture of kitchen utensils are used a variety of metals - dishes made from tin, brass, steel, nickel, aluminum, in the shops you can find iron, tin, as well as bronze and silver products. Steel utensils include all enameled, galvanized, painted and "black" products, as well as stainless steel utensils and non-stick coated pans. It is presented as dishes that come into contact with food (plates, bowls, as well as cups, salad bowls, various forks, spoons, knives, and others), or not (pots, cans, cans, or buckets).

The disadvantages of such devices include reduced mechanical protection of the applied coating.So, galvanized dishes are not used for contact with food products, since zinc can react with alkalis and acids, therefore, water tanks are mainly made from this material. Painted dishes are most often used for the production of containers intended for the movement of water supplies.

Steel products are made without coating - it is called "black" and is represented by a variety of items: pans, pots, trays and baking pans.

The stainless steel tableware is characterized by exceptionally high performance properties. It has a strictly “grocery” purpose and is more expensive than other types of steel cookware - pots are made from it, as well as pans, pots, plates, cocotte, bowls and many other products.

Devices made of cast iron in the mass are represented by cooking vessels - pots, massive pots, pans and braziers. Such dishes are characterized by low thermal conductivity, the food does not burn in it, while the heat inside the container is retained for a long time, which makes the dish “reach” and is especially tasty.

In the manufacture of dishes from non-ferrous metals, as a rule, use aluminum, copper and various alloys with the application of a mandatory protective layer. Such kitchen utensils look very impressive and stylish, but if the integrity of the protective layer is damaged, harmful substances will start to enter food, so it is not recommended to store food in such a container, and when cleaning you should use only soft washing gels, you should not use hard brushes and abrasive powders.

Utensils made of copper alloys are represented in most cases of brass and nickel silver products. These are stylish and expensive utensils that are used for direct contact with food products - kettles, glasses, glasses, milk jugs, salad bowls, ikornitsy, ice cream bowls and all kinds of sauceboats.

Silver and more rarely gold, as well as enamels, varnishes and glazes are most often used to cover sets and kitchen utensils. Chrome and nickel-plated utensils are widely spread. The most popular dishes with nonstick coating. It is designed for cooking without the use of vegetable oils and other fats, respectively, the finished dish does not contain additional calories and carcinogens. Such food is considered more tasty and useful.

However, some scholars argue that Teflon coating is potentially unsafe for humans.. When heated to +220 degrees, the coating begins to release benzene and other harmful substances, so these pans and pots are not recommended for baking in the oven. At elevated temperatures there will be no benefit from such a dish. Great harm can be caused to a person by a worn out or damaged non-stick coating, therefore such dishes should be bought only in trusted stores and give preference to well-known brands.

Enamel-coated dishes have been loved by many housewives for several decades. Enamels were designed specifically to protect products from metal ions, which can be released during the heat treatment process. Combined with food, they form harmful salts, the dishes become dangerous to humans. Since enamel serves as a barrier between food and harmful metals, but it is necessary to monitor its integrity - the surface of the coating should remain smooth and glossy, the use of utensils with chips, cracks, signs of haze and oiliness is not allowed.

As we have already mentioned, depending on the characteristics of the use, they release dishes for food and non-food use. The first category includes containers for storing and transporting food and other household needs. The classification of metal food dishes includes the following elements:

• items for heat treatment of food;
• utensils for serving the table and cold dishes;
• food storage containers.

Cookware used for cooking hot dishes, usually involves items such as:

• pans;
• pans;
• pots for baking;
• boilers for cooking on the fire;
• duckwells, as well as goose and fish;
• heat resistant trays;
• teapots and ordinary kettles;
• baking tins;
• tanks for sterilizing cans.

Cutlery for serving cooked dishes include the following:

• dishes of different sizes;
• bowls;
• flowerpots for candy, bread and fruit;
• mugs;
• cooling buckets;
• creamers, as well as bowls;
• ikornitsy;
• sauceboats;
• vases for cakes and pies;
• trays;
• cheese cakes;
• sugar bowls.

The range of products used for transporting and storing food consists of the following elements:

• buckets;
• cans;
• sudok;
• tanks for liquids.

A special place in the classification takes non-food utensils, it includes items such as:

• containers for washing;
• basins and baths for swimming;
• cans;
• all kinds of cans;
• troughs to move non-food products.

Due to the variety of shapes, as well as sizes, decor items, device handles, covers and types of board, the maximum breadth of the range is achieved. So, the handles are cast, hollow or stamped. Lids of kitchenware are onboard, as well as overhead or supplementary. There are also different ways to decorate dishes - the most popular are stencil and decal. The engraving and continuous covering is widespread. According to the production method, forged and cast dishes are distinguished.

When choosing metal utensils It is necessary to take into account several recommendations.

• Pots designed for electric cookers must have a thick bottom - not less than 2 mm. The bottom of this dish is usually in close contact with the surface of the burner, so it should be no less than its diameter.
• It is not recommended to buy dishes with such defects as a violation of the smoothness of the coating, unevenness, bumps, vesicles and lumen of the enamel, as well as "fish scales". But defects in the drawings of decorated kitchen utensils (fuzzy contours, light burnout, erosion of paint) do not affect the performance properties of kitchen appliances.
• In accordance with the quality requirements, the inner enamel can be blue, white, black, beige or grayish blue. All other dyes used to create enamelled coating create high concentrations of potassium and manganese salts. When they come in contact with a hot dish, they become food, leading to serious illnesses.

Metal dishes unpretentious in cleaning. To keep her original gloss at home, The following rules should be followed:

• it is very simple to return the shine to the tarnished aluminum cookware - all you need to do is boil water with vinegar or apple peel in it; if the product is blackened - it can be poured over with whey or brine overnight;
• Nickel products clean solutions of apple cider vinegar and salt, taken in a ratio of 1: 1;
• tarnished stainless steel appliances should be placed in a potato broth for a quarter of an hour, then wiped dry;
• rust on the knives perfectly removes the usual laundry soap;
• New trays are smeared with vegetable oil and calcined in a hot oven - thanks to this treatment, a thin fatty film is formed on the surface, which will further protect the material from corrosion;
• a burnt pot should be soaked overnight in a concentrated saline solution - in the morning all the carbon can be easily cleaned;
• after washing the metal dishes must be wiped dry with a rag or a soft towel.

For more on the features of metal cookware, see the next video.