Not all Stainless Steel is 'Stainless'!
Did you know that not all stainless steel is actually stainless and that some manufacturers claim a product to be 'stainless' steel when it is not.
24/11/2019
Imagine my confusion when my stainless steel cutlery set started to get stains all over the knives, forks and spoons. The marks looked like black blemishes and were getting larger every time they were cleaned. Now, I will admit that when I bought the set they weren't the most expensive set in the store, but the packaging did clearly state 'Stainless Steel' and so I bought it.
It's been six months since I purchased the cutlery set and now I need to buy a brand new one and toss the old one in the bin. What an absolute waste of money!
Having done a bit of research, and thinking the exact opposite, I now find that 18/10 graded stainless steel is not absolutely resistant to corrosion and not as high quality as food grade stainless steel. I was always under the impression that 18/10 stainless steel was a quality grade.
Shame I didn't do the research before I rushed out and bought a more expensive cutlery set, which is of course 18/10 stainless steel. I can only hope that the previous set I bought was not 18/10 and hence the stains that appeared over time. If not, looks like I will be buying a new cutlery set shortly.
The bottom line of this short story, check what you buy. For any cookware, and that includes pots and pans and cutlery, don't settle for anything less than 304 or 316 graded stainless steel. And keep in mind that, despite being labelled as 'stainless' steel, not all is stainless.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are numerous grades for stainless steel, such as 18/0, 18/8 and 18/10. The number '18' in the grading refers to the chromium content, and it is this that gives cutlery its rust-resistance properties. The '0', '8' or '10' applies to the amount of nickel and this gives the finished product its shine.
