Your questions answered
Nöni Stainless Steel FAQs
What is non-nickel stainless steel?
Most commercial stainless steel pans contain nickel. This helps them stay shiny, but the metal usually needs to be built up in ply or multi-clad layers to compensate for nickel’s poor conductivity. We instead use highly conductive non-nickel stainless steel, which is custom made for us in Germany. Rather than layering up the metal and adding a synthetic coating, we use a single solid sheet of 3mm steel to make each pan, making them far more stable and durable. Because the metal is so conductive, it heats quickly and retains its temperature.
My pan is no longer uniformly shiny. Why?
By using non-nickel stainless steel, we are trading shininess off for durability and conductivity. Don’t worry about how they look – our pans are built for performance.
How do I clean my pan?
Only use non-abrasive cleaners and sponges. Coarse scrubbers and harsh cleaning solutions like bleach or household cleaners can scratch your stainless steel and damage its finish. And although baking soda and more abrasive scrubbers (like fine steel wool) can be useful in cleaning a burnished pan, beware that using these products might scratch or deminish the polished finish of your Nöni cookware. Any scratches are only superficial and will not affect performance. There are no sythetic coatings or clad layers to worry about! Do not leave your pan to air dry, dry immediately with a clean tea towel.
Note: We advise against leaving products such as baking soda and vinegar on your nöni™ pan for extended periods of time, as they can gradually corrode the metal.
How do I prevent water spots?
Dry your pot or pan immediately after washing. To clean water spots that do occur, simply dampen the surface of the pot or pan, rub it with a moist sponge that's been sprinkled with baking soda, and rinse as usual.
For cleaning chalky white spots (which can result from calcium buildup in the water): Bring a solution of 1:3 vinegar: water to a boil in the pan, let it cool, and then wash and dry as normal.
For stubborn food bits
Scrub the pot with a non-abrasive sponge to get off any food bits you can, then fill the pot or pan with enough soapy water to cover the food, bring to a boil, and scrape (the food should come away easily).
IMPORTANT: Never submerge a hot stainless steel pan in cold water might as this can cause irreparable warping. Always allow the pan to cool before washing it.
For hard to clean burnt or burnished pans
Barkeeper's Friend (a heavy-duty household cleaner) works wonders on stained metal. Pour a small amount of water in the pan or pot, add a few shakes of Barkeeper's Friend, and create a paste or slurry by mixing the two together. Scrub with a non-abrasive sponge to remove the stains.
If you don't have Barkeeper's Friend: Fill the bottom of the pan with water, then add 1 cup of vinegar and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Empty the pan and scrub (some people even recommend using 0000 very fine steel wool, which should not scratch).
For stubborn spots that still won't budge, you can make a paste of baking soda and water and leave it applied to the problem areas for a few minutes before scrubbing.
Clean after cooking
We recommend cleaning your pans soon after cooking. We do not recommend storing foods in your pans for prolonged periods of time (i.e overnight in the fridge).
How do I dry my pans?
After washing simply dry with a tea towel.
Hand washing is recommend, though Nöni pans are dishwasher safe. If you choose to use a dishwasher, we recommend allowing to dry with an open door after the wash cycle is complete. You will likely experience more spotting if you use a dishwasher but these can always be polished out using the instructions above.
Long periods of storage may also encourage some spotting due to humidity in the air. Ideally, keep using your pans, or store in a dry place free from condensation.
Never add salt to cold water
Wait until it reaches a 'rolling' boil. This can cause pitting corrosion, which leaves small dents at the bottom of your pan.
If small dents appear on your pan, it is perfectly safe to use and will not lose its function or durability. Pitting can occur due to a few different reasons, all of which are variables and something a manufacturer can't control i.e. the cooking method, minerals in liquids, water pH etc. It could be a case of pitting due to minerals that were dissolved in the water or in the water already. The most common culprit of this is sodium chloride, which is found in salt. If you add salt to your water before it's boiling, some of the salt will settle to the bottom of the pan, causing pitting to occur.
Why don't Nöni pans stay as shiny as regular stainless steel cookware?
The reason other manufacturers use austenitic Nickel stainless steels (then make ply or multi-clad layers to compensate for its poor conductivity) is that these Nickel stainless steels (eg. 18/10, meaning 18% Chromium and 10% Nickel) are the shiniest when polished, and the most corrosion-resistant of all the stainless steels (there are many kinds). Because we won't use Nickel for health reasons, one trade-off is a slight decrease in stain and corrosion resistance.
Will they get rusty?
If cared for correctly this will never be an issue, however if Nöni pans are left in corrosive situations without maintenance, small rust spots and/or mild isolated surface corrosion can appear. To prevent this, clean and dry your pans immediately after use.
If rust spots or unwanted spots do appear, these can easily be removed with the above instructions. If small marks do remain, these are no concern and will not affect performance, health or durability of your cookware.