I sometimes see marketing claims about “surgical” stainless steel, which is a meaningless term. I’ve even seen regular 304 stainless steel being advertised as “surgical” before. 316 stainless is just more corrosion resistant than 304; it’s not worth paying a premium for it unless you are a commercial kitchen or cook a LOT of acidic/salty meals. You can also find nickel-free stainless, but unless you suffer from nickel allergies, that’s not worth a premium. And titanium, while nice as a hardening agent, is unnecessary for cookware.)
Then there are companies out there that promote their cookware as “waterless,” when really they just mean “steaming without a steamer basket, like a low-tech pressure cooker without the pressure.” If you have a decent-quality pot with heavy-enough lid, you can steam food without a steamer basket if you measure the water very carefully so that most of the water is water vapor during cooking and so there is very little water at the end of the cooking process. I’d rather have a larger margin for error, so I use steamer baskets instead.
None of this means that so-called waterless cookware is bad. In fact, some waterless cookware is quite good. But oftentimes you can get similar performance for a lot less money. Generally speaking, think twice about buying from companies that:
– Use the term “surgical stainless.” The term is meaningless.
– Have no mainstream retail channels, but instead pay hosts/hostesses to socially pressure friends/family into buying products.
If you find yourself being pressured to buy cookware you didn’t want, there is a little-known FTC regulation that gives you the right to cancel orders under certain conditions at homes or temporary business locations.
If you buy something at a store and later change your mind, you may not be able to return the merchandise. But if you buy an item in your home or at a location that is not the seller’s permanent place of business, you may have the option. The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) Cooling-Off Rule gives you three days to cancel purchases of $25 or more. Under the Cooling-Off Rule, your right to cancel for a full refund extends until midnight of the third business day after the sale.
The Cooling-Off Rule applies to sales at the buyer’s home, workplace or dormitory, or at facilities rented by the seller on a temporary or short-term basis, such as hotel or motel rooms, convention centers, fairgrounds and restaurants. The Cooling-Off Rule applies even when you invite the salesperson to make a presentation in your home.
Under the Cooling-Off Rule, the salesperson must tell you about your cancellation rights at the time of sale. The salesperson also must give you two copies of a cancellation form (one to keep and one to send) and a copy of your contract or receipt. The contract or receipt should be dated, show the name and address of the seller, and explain your right to cancel. The contract or receipt must be in the same language that’s used in the sales presentation.