Kitchen Cutlery Guide.com
Comparing Stainless Steel Flatware
Your flatware is an investment
for years to come. It is wise to carefully read
the product packaging to determine whether it
meets international or national standards prior
to purchase.
You will find a wide range in both the quality
and price of stainless steel flatware. A close
look at the product specification on the
packaging will list numbers like 18/10 and 18/0.
It takes careful inspection to find the real
quality flatware, not fall for clever marketing
ploys. Some products don’t even list the
specification, and are probably not even really
stainless steel. Below is a discussion of some
of the difference between different qualities of
stainless steel.
There are different grades of stainless steel,
which are appropriate for different
applications. Stainless steel is really a
combination of different steels, with the main
ingredients being chromium and nickel (which
helps it to resist corrosion).
When looking at packages of stainless steel
products they will usually list the percentages
of chromium to nickel, for example 18/10 means
18% chromium and 10% nickel. The more nickel,
the more corrosion resistance offered by the
product. Higher nickel content will usually lead
to higher prices, so you will probably not want
to pay top prices for stainless steel with a
nickel content of 0%.
You should be aware that some manufactures will
round up the numbers they use for nickel
content. For example, a product that contains
8.3% nickel can legitimately be labeled as
18/10, even though this is not quite accurate.
Be advised that you will find occasional pitting
and corrosion with even the best quality
stainless steel. A good stainless steel cleaner
can usually remove these.
Your best bet is to actually remove the pieces
from the package and hold them prior to
purchasing them. Although they cost more, pieces
constructed using 18/10 steel have a wonderful
feel to them and an elegant polish. Most would
agree that they are worth the additional cost.
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