There is a clear upsurge in the demand by consumers for stainless steel frying pans and kadhais. Many Indians are opting to pick stainless steel cookware when it is time to change their pots and pans. Stainless steel cookware is easy to use, easy to clean, is fairly good looking, and without a doubt, a healthier option in the long run. That said, stainless steel cookware is definitely more expensive than aluminum and iron cookware. And this makes the decision of picking the best one even more critical. We decided to test and review 7 stainless steel kadhais over 6 weeks of deep frying, sauteing, stir-frying to find the best ones. Here are our top recommendations.
We cooked extensively in our test kitchen for nearly 2 months. Each kadhai was used again and again, for different types of cooking. We noticed how even the cooking was, did the pan heat up too easily? Do the handles become too hot to touch? How easy were these to clean, and did the oil stains come off easily? These were some of the observations we made during our 6-week review. Based on our experience, we recommend 4 brands that came out tops on all parameters. All these are quality products, that will last you for a long time. They are all easy to maintain and provide even cooking. Ultimately, you may base your decision on which one appeals better to you, or perhaps you would choose to go for a brand that you have had a good experience with, in the past. In our review, the following 4 products emerged best.
Mishry Reviews: Best Stainless Steel Kadhai
Bergner Stainless Steel Wok With Lid
Table of Contents
Mishry Reviews: Best Stainless Steel Kadhai
Bergner Stainless Steel Wok With Lid
Bergner Stainless Steel Wok With Lid
- Stay-cool handles
- Induction and gas stove compatible
- Stainless steel lid for better heat retention
Size: 3.5 liters, Price: Rs. 3725*
*At the time of review
Vinod Kadai With SAS Metal
- SS 304 Food Grade stainless steel and SS 430 stainless steel
- Induction and gas stove compatible
- Thick handles to make them heat resistant
Size: 3.7 liters, Price: Rs. 3620*
*At the time of review
Alda Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Wok
Alda Tri Ply Stainless Steel Wok
- Super thick handles so they don’t heat up for a long time
- SS 430 Stainless Steel prevents hot spots when used for conventional cooking
- Even cooking
Size: 28 cm, Price: Rs. 4190*
*At the time of review
Wonderchef Stanton Stainless Steel Wok
Wonderchef Stanton Stainless Steel Wok
- Rubber casing on the handle and lid handle
- Doesn’t stain or scar on extensive cooking
Size: 3.4 Liters, Price: Rs. 5000*
*At the time of review
Our Review Process
Stainless steel saucepan, frying pans, and kadhai, etc. can be used for multiple purposes. While we have reviewed stainless steel frying pans earlier, we got many requests to review stainless steel kadhais (woks).
Our process started by shortlisting a range of these kadhais and then buying them for our review (we buy our review samples, and don’t take free samples from brands).
We tested each kadhai for 6 weeks across different types of cooking styles.
Stainless steel kadhai cost more than their aluminum counterparts, but they also last a lifetime. You must have seen some ‘pateelas’ in your parents’ kitchen for decades, and they still work just as effectively as they did when you were a toddler. For our review too, we wanted to test each product for a reasonable amount of time, and also across different types of cooking styles.
We believe when you buy a stainless steel kadhai, you would want to use these for multiple things like deep-frying, stir-frying, , sautéing, cooking vegetables, or even cook fried rice in it. We did all of this, multiple times, over a 6 week period. Each kadhai was used multiple times and washed multiple times.
The Brands We Picked
Wonderchef Stanton Stainless Steel Wok (Buy On Amazon)
Vinod Kadai With SAS Metal (Buy On Amazon)
Alda Tri Ply Stainless Steel Wok (Buy On Amazon)
Bergner Stainless Steel Wok With Lid (Buy On Amazon)
Solimo Stainless Steel Kadhai (Buy On Amazon)
Borosil Stainless Steel Deep Kadhai (Buy On Amazon)
TTK Prestige Platina Stainless Steel Kadhai
Who Is This Review For?
Cookware is an essential part of any kitchen; however, to have good quality, durable and sturdy cookware is even more important. Having a good set of SS kadhai would not only make your frying, stir-frying and sauteing experience better but would also last long and always keep up its efficient work, no matter how extensively you use it.
This review is for people who are planning to change their cookware, especially kadhai, because their old cookware has worn out or simply because of health purposes. Moreover, it is for people who love cooking and like to upgrade their kitchen with new and durable, and safe-to-use products.
Why Stainless Steel Cookware?
It has long been suggested to avoid cookware made with aluminum as it leeches into your food over prolonged usage. So, it may not be the best idea to cook food in the same aluminum cookware over many years. Iron cookware, on the other hand, is great to use; however, it is very expensive, needs a lot of care, and is very heavy. It may be difficult for any person to use it on a daily basis. Then comes stainless steel cookware, which generally resists wear and tear, which is stronger and definitely long-lasting.
High-quality stainless steel cookware would never react with food, or leach harmful chemicals in your food. Moreover, they do not crack or get scratched easily and are very durable. Easy to clean, stainless steel is also environment-friendly.
Nowadays, most brands are coming up with a newer technology called Stainless Steel-Aluminum-Stainless Steel (SAS) technology, a.k.a. Tri-Ply technology. Basically, aluminum is sandwiched between stainless steel layers of the utensil. This technology helps in even heat distribution for a better cooking experience.
The Parameters
A good stainless steel kadhai should be durable, easy to use, sturdy and should be able to cook evenly. We closely looked at the following parameters and decided on our top recommendations.
Comfort- Comfort in using the product is an essential factor here. It all depends on how big/small the kadhai is, how sturdy do the handles feel, and how easy it is to use the product while cooking.
Safety- Cooking, especially deep frying needs a lot of caution, and good quality cookware to keep the safety factor in check. In fact, the handles of the kadhai determine, to a large extent, how safe the cookware is. Handles should not only be sturdy, but they must also be heat resistant, so they do not burn your fingers while picking or holding the kadhai while cooking.
The handles should be sturdy and heat resistant.
Lid- Nowadays, most stainless steel kadhais come with a lid, making it easier for the person to use it while cooking vegetables in them. Also, the lid could become a cook and serve cookware too!
Cooking Experience- Another very important factor includes the overall cooking experience. Nobody wants to spend money on cookware that doesn’t fry or cook food evenly.
Ease of cleaning and maintenance- You don’t want to keep scrubbing the life out of a kadhai while trying to clean it. You’d need easy-to-clean cookware that will not wear out easily.
The Result Of Our Review
Over four weeks of trials, we found that Alda stainless steel kadhai, Vinod stainless steel kadhai, Bergner SS kadhai, and Wonderchef stainless steel kadhai were the best ones and fulfilled all the parameters. They cooked food evenly, their handles didn’t heat up, they didn’t leave any scars and stains despite extensive cooking, and were easy to handle. Moreover, all of them have lids that do not heat up and make for a great set altogether.
The ones that did not win had drawbacks such as:
- One of them did not have a lid
- Handles of some were heating up quickly, making it unsafe for us to hold the kadhais.
- In some cases, rubber covers on the handles were flimsy. They would move and shift while holding the kadhai which could increase the risk of cooking mishaps.
- Some just turned black while deep frying, indicating that they are heating up way too much, too quickly.
* If you do agree with our review, please give it a thumbs up! And, tell us which one is your favorite from this list. If you don’t, please tell us why!
* Food & Beverage is a constantly evolving segment with new products launched daily. Our endeavor here is to help shoppers buy better. If there’s a product you would like us to review tell us by clicking here.
* Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.
* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne by us.
