surface, and the iron never gets the
opportunity to rust.
This chemical stability is bought at a price.
Stainless steel is more expensive than cast
iron and carbon steel, and it’s an even poorer
heat conductor. The addition of large numbers
of foreign atoms apparently interferes with
electron movement by causing structural and
electrical irregularities in the metal. The
transfer of heat in a stainless pan can be
evened out by coating the underside of the pan
with copper, or by inserting a copper or
aluminum plate in the pan bottom, or by
making the pan out of two or more layers,
with a good conductor just under the surface.
Of course these refinements add further to the
cost of the utensil. Still, these hybrids are the
closest thing we have to the ideal chemically
inert but thermally responsive pan.
Tin