First ...
Of course, the first thing you'll want to do before using your new cookware is to wash each piece thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinse with hot water and dry completely with a towel. This will remove any oils that may have been collected during the manufacturing process. Many of our customers have reported that they have rubbed vinegar into their cookware after the initial cleaning, and that this seems to prevent sticking and also aids in cleaning the utensils after use.
Minimum Moisture Cooking Method
Although your cookware can be used for all types of cooking, it is specially designed to use the Minimum Moisture Method, also known as waterless cooking. This is a unique way of cooking foods at lower temperatures in their own natural moisture, with little or no additional water.
Heat Tinting
A bluish tinting may appear on any surgical stainless steel utensil. This is a natural occurrence with surgical stainless steel and is in no way harmful.
The tinting forms when surgical stainless steel is heated. The heat-tint is related to the oxidation of the steel. This heat tint or blushing which is formed is caused by the progressive thickening of the oxide layer on the surface of the utensils when it is heated and so, as the temperature of the utensil increases, the colors will normally change.
The fact is that surgical stainless steel owes its corrosion resistance to its ability to readily oxidate and therefore form this protective film.
All of this is simply to say that the blushing or tinting is not harmful, either to you or to the utensil itself and is actually a plus.
Directions for Waterless Cooking
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1. Use the Correct Pan Choosing the correct sized pan for the amount of food you are preparing is very important.
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2. Rinse Vegetables Rinse your vegetables in cold water, and drain slightly before placing into cookware. Add about
1/4 inch of water into pan to activate the steam. |
3. Control the Heat Control the temperature throughout the cooking process. The control should never set higher than medium, and for most stoves, low works perfectly. |
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4. During Cooking Start the cooking process with steam control valve on "open". Then, when steam begins to vigorously escape from the valve, close the vent and turn the heat down to low and finish cooking. During the cooking process, to know if you are using the correct temperature and that the food inside the utensil is cooking correctly, the lid of the pot should spin freely during cooking. If the lid feels 'locked' onto the pot, then the temperature is too low. On the other hand, if the lid is 'bouncing' and a lot of water and/or steam is escaping from around the lid, then your temperature is too high.
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5. Resist Peeking Resist the urge to open the lid to peek inside. When the cover is
removed while cooking, you're allowing heat, steam, and valuable minerals to escape. Doing this also lengthens
the cooking time and dries out your food. |
6. Vacuum Release If you find that the lid feels locked on at the end of the cooking time, simply
open the steam release valve to release the vacuum. Once the pressure is released, the lid may be easily removed. |
When cooking steaks or roasting meat or chicken on your stove-top, drop a single drop of water onto the surface of a heated pan, if the drop of water 'dances' and beads up, then the pan is hot enough to start the cooking process. Be sure to wait until your steak has browned sufficiently before turning. The way to tell if it has is to attempt sliding your spatula under the steak, if it slides under easily, the steak has browned enough for turning. If the spatula does not slide easily under the steak, then you will need to allow it to brown further. After the meat has browned, then you can finish cooking the meat to the desired consistency. Whether or not you place a lid on the pan when making a steak depends on how long you wish the steak to cook. When using a slower cooking time, you can certainly use the lid.
Approximate cooking times are below. The times vary because we realize that some of our customers may prefer their vegetables crisper than others. The times may be adjusted depending on the degree of doneness one desires:
Asparagus........................12-15 min. Beans-Green....................10-35 min. Broccoli............................20-30 min. Brussels Sprouts..............10-20 min. Cabbage (shredded)..........10-15 min. Cauliflower (whole).............20-30 min. Carrots (1/2 in. cuts).........15-20 min. Cut Corn..........................10-12 min. Corn on Cob.....................15-25 min. Lima Beans......................25-35 min. Peas...............................10-15 min. Potatoes (quartered)..........20-25 min. Potatoes (whole-sm.)........35-40 min. Spinach...........................15-20 min. Squash............................15-20 min. Turnips (whole).................20-25 min.
