Best Stainless Steel Kadai Cookware 2020

Before we list out the Best Stainless Steel Kadai Cookware in 2020, Let’s start with a fact:

No matter which cookware you use, some part of it will get into the food that you cook.

If you cook in an iron vessel, a small quantity of iron will seep into your food. The same is true for non-stick pans, brass, copper, steel, clay or any other type of cookware.

If the cookware is rusted – the rust will get into the food you eat.

This is the reason investing money on quality cookware products is essential for good health – it’s even more important if you have kids at home.

Even if you are buying stainless steel, it’s important to buy them from reputed brands. Lower quality products won’t last long and could be harmful to health.

For a product that could last 10 years and sometimes even more, it’s worth paying little more money for quality.

Let’s cover the benefits and negatives.

Benefits of using Stainless Steel Cookware

• Stainless Steel Cookware is long lasting. With a little bit of care, they can last for 10-15 years or more. I.e if you buy in the year 2020, it could last till 2035 or more!
• A Google search will tell you, there have been cookwares that last upto 50 years! So it’s worth investing a little more in quality products.
• They are also lighter when compared to Iron, Brass or Bronze.
• Citrus food items like curd gravy etc, can be cooked in stainless steel utensils. They don’t react.
• These vessels look shiny and classy.
• Quality stainless steel products will not rust over time. It’s important to buy from reputed brands.
• Easy to recycle.
• Will not break even if dropped. Very durable.

Negatives of Stainless Steel Cookware

• Cheap, low-quality stainless steel products might look affordable, but they won’t last long. Unfortunately, most steel products in stores are low in quality.
• Quality stainless steel cookware is expensive. They cost more than Iron, Aluminium and non-stick.
• It’s not very easy to clean. Some food particles can stick to the surface of stainless steel cookware, like when you are sauteing onions or other items. But this should not be a problem once you get used to it.

How to Choose Right Stainless Steel Cookware

• Always remember one important point: The Heavier The Better. The easiest way to identify cheap and low-quality stainless steel cookware is to hold it. If it feels very light and thin, it won’t last long.
• When you are buying online, you can check the weight of the product and compare it to its size. When you are buying in a store, you can hold and feel the difference in weight.
• Buy from reputed brands. Very important. Prestige, Hawkins, Bergner, Vinod, Stahl, Borosil, Meyer, Milton, and Tupperware are some of them.
• Nickel-free is fine, but may not be as durable as those with Nickel. Most people won’t have a problem if there is nickel in stainless steel cookware.

Stainless Steel Cookware Usage Tips

• Try to cook on medium heat, as much as you can. The food will stick less to the bottom surface of the pan. For more on this, read the answer to the 4th question in ‘Frequently asked questions’ (below).  
• After you are done cooking and you find some food has stuck to the surface – wait for the pan to cool, soak it in warm water with liquid soap. It should then be very easy to clean it.
• Do not soak the stainless steel vessel in water for a long period of time.  
• Always allow the pan to cool down after cooking, before soaking or washing it in cold water.

Best Stainless Steel Kadai Cookware

1. Stahl Kadai

What we like:

• Value for money.
• It’s a beautiful product and well-built.
• It is heavy, which is a good thing.
• The bottom of the Kadhai is heavy, food doesn’t stick easily.
• Triply feature – Stainless steel at bottom and top, aluminium (good conductor of heat) in between.
• Comes with stainless steel lid.
• We did not have a problem with cleaning the vessel.
• Compatible with gas stove as well as induction.
• Although, quality-wise, there isn’t much difference between Stahl and Bergner, we have picked this one because it is about 10-20% cheaper then Bergner.
• The product should last a very long time.
• It is made In India.
• 3 years warranty

What we didn’t like:

• While heavy stainless steel products are good, the weight can make it difficult to hold while cleaning or even cooking..
• The handle of the cookware tends to heat up after sometime.

List of Stahl Stainless Steel Kadai Cookware in all available sizes with Amazon links to check the current price.

Kadhai Size	Capacity	Family Size	Buy Link
16 cms	0.8 litres	Very Small	Amazon
18 cms	1.2 litres	Very Small	Amazon
20 cms	1.6 litres	Very Small	Amazon
22 cms	2.0 litres	1-2 people	Amazon
24 cms	2.4 litres	2-4 people	Amazon
26 cms	3.3 litres	4-5 people	Amazon
28 cms	4.4 litres	5-7 people	Amazon
30 cms	4.7 litres	6-8 people	Amazon

2. Bergner Kadai

What we like:

What we didn’t like:

• Expensive, compared to Stahl Kadhai. That’s the reason it’s ranked second.
• The handle does tend to heat up after a while of cooking, but cools quickly too.

List of Bergner Stainless Steel Kadai in all available sizes with Amazon links to check the current price.

Kadai Size	Capacity	Family Size	Link
18 cms	1.3 litres	Very small	Amazon
20 cms	1.5 litres	Very Small	Amazon
22 cms	2.0 litres	1-2 people	Amazon
24 cms	2.5 litres	2-4 people	Amazon
28 cms	3.9 litres	5-6 people	Amazon
32 cms	5.8 litres	Very large	Amazon
36 cms	6.1 litres	Very large	Amazon

3. Meyer Kadai

What we like:

• Excellent product.
• Nickel free.
• Compatible with gas stove, Induction and oven.
• Heavy bottom doesn’t let the food to stick, less oil and gas required to cook.
• The silicon handle on this product is excellent. Even after extensive cooking, the handle doesn’t heat up a lot. Can be held.
• One other big advantage is, it comes with a glass lid – which means you can see the food getting cooked. The Top 2 above comes with stainless steel lids.
• Easy to clean
• 10 years warranty which is another major advantage, so if anything goes wrong you can claim warranty.
• It is made in USA.

What we didn’t like:

• Very very expensive, especially for Indian middle class.

List of Meyer ‘Nickel Free’ Stainless Steel Kadai in all available sizes with Amazon links to check the current price.

Kadai Size	Capacity	Family Size	Link
20 cms	1.5 litres	Very small	Amazon
24 cms	2.5 litres	2-4 people	Amazon
26 cms	3.2 litres	4-5 people	Amazon
30 cms	4.5 litres	6-8 people	Amazon

4. Vinod Kadai

What we like:

• Value for money, cheaper than other products in the list.
• Trusted Indian Brand.
• Comes with Stainless steel lid.
• Compatible with Gas stove and induction.
• Easy to clean.
• 5 years Warranty
• It is made in India

What we didn’t like:

• The handle tends to heat up during cooking, difficult to hold.
• The Vinod cookware does get little dark at the bottom once you start using for a while.

List of Vinod Stainless Steel Kadai in all available sizes with Amazon links to check the current price.

Kadai Size	Capacity	Family Size	Link
22 cms	1.8 litres	1-2 people	Amazon
24 cms	2.5 litres	2-4 people	Amazon
26 cms	3.2 litres	4-5 people	Amazon
28 cms	3.7 litres	5-6 people	Amazon
30 cms	4.5 litres	Very large	Amazon
32 cms	5.2 litres	Very large	Amazon

5. Alda Kadai

What we like:

• This Alda cookware also uses ‘Triply’ – where the inner and outer layer is made of stainless steel and the middle layer (which does not come in contact with food) is made of aluminium.
• The product is strong and heavy.
• Like Meyer, it comes with glass lid so that you can see the food cooking – this is not an important feature, but could be handy for some.
• 5 years warranty.
• The price is fair.

What we didn’t like:

• The handles are made of stainless steel, this could make it hot to hold with bare hands.

List of Alda Stainless Steel Kadai in all available sizes with Amazon links to check the current price.

Kadhai Size	Capacity	Family Size	Buy Link
20 cms	1.7 litres	Very Small	Amazon
22 cms	2.2 litres	1-2 people	Amazon
24 cms	2.8 litres	2-4 people	Amazon
26 cms	3.5 litres	4-5 people	Amazon
28 cms	4.3 litres	5-7 people	Amazon
30 cms	4.7 litres	Very large	Amazon
36 cms	9.0 litres	Very large	Amazon

Frequently Asked Questions

It was invented in the year 1913 by Harry Brearley of United Kingdom. He was credited for investing the first ‘true’ stainless steel which had nearly 13% chromium content. It was discovered when Brearley tried to solve the problem of erosion of internal surfaces of gun barrel – which were to be used by the British Army during the First World War.

Well, it isn’t the absolute best. But there is no product that’s best suited for all types of cooking. Different types of food items cook well in different types of cookware. You need to have variety in your kitchen and then figure out which work the best for you.

The major and trusted brands are Prestige, Hawkins, Bergner, Vinod, Stahl, Borosil, Meyer, Milton, and Tupperware to name a few. There are several other imported as well as Indian brands which manufacturer quality products. Avoid buying stainless steel products from unknown or lesser known brands.

Even though stainless steel is excellent for cooking, you will face the problem of food sticking to the bottom surface of the pan. This can be a concern when you are sauteing onion or frying food items.

The issue is heat. Too much heat or too little heat can both be a problem.

Let me explain.

When you put oil on the pan and then drop in some onions. There is a reaction that occurs between the oil and the moisture (water content) in the onions. This causes steam, which lifts the food away from the pan. This helps in preventing the food from sticking.

However, if the heat is too much – the onions will burn. If the heat is too less, there won’t be any reaction between oil and the moisture – hence the food won’t get lifted and it might touch the bottom and stick.

To avoid this, you can use medium flame while sauteing. This should provide it with just enough heat to cook – yet not burn or stick.

Also, medium heat and slow cooking is the best to retain the nutrition in food.

Well, any items cooked in water is excellent. You can use it for boiling potatoes or vegetables, making soups or stews, slight browning of food etc. Curries can be cooked. Stainless steel is also good for making coffee and tea.

The answer is not really, but with time when you learn how to use stainless steel utensils, it should not be a problem.

The easy answer to this is, use of oil. Heat the pan a little and add room-temperature oil. This will make your stainless steel cookware as good as non-stick. Try it.

Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. Since it’s mostly iron, it can rust over a period of time.

To made it stronger and more durable, chromium, nickel and other elements are added to make it stainless steel. This combination can last a lifetime!

It’s called stainless steel because it doesn’t rust or tarnish like normal steel.

304 Stainless Steel is commonly used to make cookware products. You could see labels like 18/10.

If your wondering what is 18/10 stainless steel or what is 18/8 stainless steel, it’s simple. 18% and 10% Nickel. If its 18/8, it means 18% chromium and 8% nickel.

Both 18/10 and 18/8 are good. Doesn’t make much difference. Pick whichever is cheaper.

Some important things to look for:

• More the weight of the product, the better.
• Trusted brand. Very important.
• Avoid buying low-quality products.
• 18/10 or 18/8 variant of 304 Stainless Steel is good enough.
• Nickel free is not very important for most people.
• Triply can be a good feature, because stainless steel by itself is not a good conductor of heat. Aluminium is fantastic, but not ideal for cooking. So if there is a layer of aluminium between top and bottom layer of steel, it’s best of both worlds.

Use these quick tips:

• Allow your pan or vessel to cool off before you wash it.
• Try to cook on medium flame as much as possible.
• You can use vinegar and water to remove difficult to remove marks.
• Don’t keep your cookware in water for too long.

It can be. But make sure you buy quality product from a trusted company. Many products come with support of induction.

Kadhai or Kadai is a bowl-shaped frying pan with two handles, used in cooking Indian word.

Kadai is an Indian word, which is also given to some curries served in a bowl with two handle. Example: Kadai Chicken or Vegetable Kadai.

If you have any other questions, please ask below. We will answer all questions. Thank you for reading.

Last Update: August 2020.