Buying Pots & Pans : Basic Cookware Materials

[GhostPirate6]

That wasn't a steel nonstick pan, that was a Cook's Essential's Hardcoat Enamel Aluminum pan. And it also has an anti-warp base, which explains why it has those ridges on the bottom. And stainless steel does not heat as fast as aluminum. My mother owns a stainless steel tea kettle and it takes about 10 minutes for the water to boil. Compared to the aluminum pot we have which boils water in 4 minutes. It's the clad or encapsulated bottom which helps some stainless steel pots conduct heat faster.