Many of us are starting to plan for the big feasts that lie ahead in November and December. As you get ready for the holiday season, it’s worth taking a look at how you can make festive meals healthier for your family and friends. Making the switch to quality stainless steel cookware and bakeware doesn’t just create a superior cooking experience with delicious results, but also eliminates the forever chemicals present in so many popular cookware products. Let’s explore how easy it is to make the switch to chemical-free cooking!
Chemical-Free Cooking for Healthier Holiday Meals
The nonstick cookware brands that are so popular today may seem like the perfect choice for your kitchen, but there’s no need to use pots and pans coated with “forever chemicals”, or PFAS. You want your holiday home to be filled with family and friends, not the dangerous fumes wafting off the cookware you use to prepare your meals!
PTFE-coated cookware, commonly known as Teflon, contains toxic chemicals that can cause what is known as “Teflon flu”, with symptoms including fever and headaches. This is especially likely when the cookware is exposed to high heat, which is required for many cooking techniques.
That’s quite aside from the danger of chemicals leaching into food from scratches or the worn surface of a nonstick pan, whether it’s Teflon or the “safer” nonstick ceramic pans, which may also have toxic chemicals in their coating. It’s recommended that all nonstick pans be replaced at least every 5 years, or when they become scratched or chipped. However, those toxins may be released even with no visible damage to the coating, so it’s best to avoid their use altogether.
On the other hand, stainless steel cookware and bakeware have no coating to degrade; the cooking surface is high-quality surgical steel, which contains no toxic chemicals and thus is a much healthier alternative to trendy nonstick brands. A bonus is that you won’t have to replace your stainless steel pots and pans in a few years, as they will stay in excellent condition for decades of holiday meals.
Entrees
Whether the star of your holiday table is a luscious prime rib, a turkey with crackling brown skin, or a tender ham, stainless steel is the only way to go.
Ham
If you’re serving ham, there are a couple of different ways that you can serve up a juicy, flavorful result to your guests. A smaller ham can be accommodated in our 6-quart slow cooker set, freeing up your oven for other entrees or side dishes. One of the easiest ways to cook a ham is by putting a layer of brown sugar on the bottom of the slow cooker stockpot, placing the ham on top, and then sprinkling it with more brown sugar. Put on the Vapor © Cooking lid, place it on the Slow-Cooker base set on low, and tuck it out of the way until you’re ready to start slicing!
For a larger ham, you can use the 12-quart stock pot in the oven, with the Vapor © Cooking lid locking in the moisture for a perfect baked ham.
Turkey
It’s hard to imagine a Thanksgiving meal without a roast turkey as the centerpiece of the dinner table. You can tuck a 15-pound turkey into our large roast pan with handles for oven roasting, and after removing the finished bird to a carving board, set the stainless steel pan on a burner to make the gravy. Our 3-ply stainless steel pans move seamlessly from oven to stovetop. And if you like to make turkey soup with the carcass, using one of our stock pots with the Vapor © Cooking lid is the best way to get a rich, flavorful broth.
Roast Beef
If prime rib is on the menu for Christmas or New Year’s, one of our stainless steel roast pans will ensure perfect results. Whether you’re a fan of the low and slow cooking process, or prefer a high temperature for the first hour to create a flavorful crust, the thick, heavy 3-ply construction of our stainless steel pans can take the heat.
Sides
No holiday meal is complete without side dishes. 360 Cookware has the right pans for every one!
Oven Casseroles
Making bean or sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving? While any of our roasting pans are ideal for preparing a side dish for a large crowd, our 9” round cake pan is a perfect size for a smaller guest list. Don’t be fooled by its name: it’s made from the same quality stainless steel as our roast pans!
Stovetop Veggies
Depending on the number of servings, we’ve got a stockpot that will handle all the potatoes you need for mashing. Meanwhile, if you’re preparing a simple side dish of sliced carrots, use one of our sauté pans to bathe them in butter until tender.
Slow Cooker Stuffing
A slow cooker is a great way to free up a spot on the stovetop or in the oven on the big day, and stuffing cooked in a slow cooker stays moist and flavorful without drying out. You can assemble it early in the day, and let it cook slowly until it’s time to serve dinner. And if mac and cheese is a must-have with Thanksgiving dinner, the slow cooker is the best way to achieve the ultimate creamy, cheesy side dish!
Dessert
For some of your guests, it’s all about the dessert. Use 360 Bakeware for the best pies and cakes of the holiday season!
Pies
Pumpkin pie is usually a non-negotiable for Thanksgiving dinner, but apple or pecan also have their fans. Whatever you choose, the generous size of our stainless steel pie pan provides plenty of slices, and you can count on its 3-ply construction, with a layer of aluminum sandwiched between 2 layers of high-quality stainless steel, to deliver a flaky crust.
Cakes
For people who prefer a cake to top off their meal, our 3-ply stainless steel cake pans ensure even heat distribution. Create a brown butter apple cake or rich caramel pecan creation for a delicious finish to a holiday meal. If you want to make a Buche de Noel for Christmas dinner, our jelly roll pan will get you off to the right start. Or maybe start a new tradition by making a giant chocolate chip cookie in our round brownie pan!
Cookies
For young and old alike, a plate of festive cookies is always welcome. Our cookie cutters are available in Thanksgiving and Christmas shapes. Made in the USA of high-quality stainless steel, they’ll last for years and become a new holiday tradition!
Enjoy care-free holiday Cooking
As the dangers of ‘forever chemicals’ become more clear, it’s worth investing in cookware and bakeware that will keep them out of your family’s diet. 360 Cookware’s high-quality stainless steel pots and pans are not only chemical-free, but also provide superior cooking results, and will continue to perform flawlessly in your kitchen for decades to come. Start a new holiday tradition with chemical-free cooking for your family.
