Basic Cookware Care

Congratulations on your decision to own the Health Craft Nutritional Cooking System. Your decision will pay lifelong dividends in healthful, flavorful and nutritional foods. The vapor seal method of cooking assures you of maximum food value retention, and allows you to prepare your foods without water or added fats. Take a moment now to acquaint yourself with the proper use and care of these fine utensils. By following a few simple steps you will enjoy the maximum benefits and become an expert with Healthy Craft waterless, greaseless, induction cookware.

Health Craft Cookware is made in the USA

Celebrating 28 Years of Outstanding Products & Customer Service

To order products contact your distributor

Customer Service 24 / 7 email: customerservice@healthcraft.com 

1-800-443-8079 North America

011-813-882-0537 International

Cleaning Before First Use

Before using the cookware, wash each piece thoroughly in one-half cup vinegar and hot, soapy water. This initial washing is essential to insure that all manufacturing oils are removed before cooking food. After this initial washing, normal washing by hand or in a dishwasher is all that is necessary to clean your cookware.

Kleen King liquid stainless steel cleaner. 3 14oz bottles $19.95 plus S&H
Kleen King liquid stainless steel cleaner. 3 14oz bottles $19.95 plus S&H

Daily Care

After each use, wash your cookware in warm soapy water with a dish cloth or nylon plastic net. Do not use metal scouring pads, as they will scratch the surface of the cookware. Your cookware may also be placed in the dishwasher.

Discoloration

Occasionally, when cooking starchy foods or searing meats a stain may appear on the inside surface of the pan. A blue or golden brown discoloration may also appear on the outside of the pan from overheating the unit. These stains are easily removed with a good non-abrasive stainless steel cleaner. First, make a paste with the cleaner and water. Then, using a paper towel or cloth, rub the paste over the stained area, rinse and dry.

Burned on Foods

When finished cooking, fill the pan with warm water and let it soak while you enjoy your meal. If burned foods are not easily removed by normal washing, fill the pan partially full of water and bring to a boil long enough to loosen the food, then clean with stainless steel cleaner.

Dried Fruits

Do not place the cover on the pan when cooking sulfur dried foods or food labeled sulfites added as it may stain the cover. Boil liquid 10 minutes prior to covering when cooking these foods.

Surface Care

While our surgical stainless steel quality cookware is made of extremely durable metal, it is not impervious to corrosion, pitting or spotting. Foods such as mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, dressings, or condiments may etch stainless steel if allowed to remain in contact with the surface for a long period of time. Strong bleaches can have the same effect.

Pitting may result if salt is allowed to remain on the bottom of the pan. Pitting looks like small white spots. This pitting does not, in any way, affect the performance or usefulness of your pans, nor are they a defect in the metal or the workmanship. To avoid pitting, salt should only be added to boiling liquid and stirred until it is completely dissolved.

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The Vapor Seal Method

Mother Nature designed foods to give us everything we need, naturally. Food contains abundant flavor, vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, and color. However, many cooking methods can rob food of its natural qualities.

Fortunately, the Vapor Seal method of Health Craft waterless, greaseless cookware saves money, work, time, energy, flavor, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. “Waterless, Greaseless” cooking is possible because a vapor seal is created around the lid; and heat is distributed evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the cookware.

This process cooks food in its own natural liquids for nutrition, flavor-filled meals. Food shrinkage is greatly reduced, making waterless, greaseless cooking more economical than ordinary cooking methods. The seal is maintained by using low heat. Health Craft cookware is the most energy efficient cookware on the market.

The vapor seal method retains the nutritional value of your foods by eliminating the following process that drains food of its natural goodness. Peeling fruits and vegetables removes the vitamins and minerals directly beneath the skin. We do not recommend you peel these foods; a good scrub with a vegetable brush is all that is necessary.

Boiling sterilizes food, dissolves water soluble minerals, and destroys both the flavor and color. The vapor seal method cooks food completely in its own natural moisture, without added water and without boiling.

High temperature destroys vitamins and minerals and causes food to dehydrate and shrink. For example when you smell a roast cooking in the oven you’re really smelling the natural meat juices that have been transformed in to vapor. The high temperature combined with open cooking greatly adds to meat shrinkage. The Vapor Seal Method cooks meats on medium to low heat, retaining the natural juices which tenderize and flavor the meat. This method also retains the natural juices and flavor and decreases meat shrinkage dramatically.

Oxidation of food occurs when cooking without a cover exposing food to the air, and reduces the quality of the food significantly. These qualities are locked into the food when the vapor seal is formed, keeping the aroma and natural goodness in the pan. For example, you will not know if broccoli or cabbage is being cooked until the cover is removed from the pan.

Last but not least, adding fat and oil in food preparation make food seven times harder to digest, and it adds excessive calories. Using the vapor seal method, the natural properties of the food keeps it from sticking to the high quality stainless steel pan. Plus the vapor seal method retains natural flavors without the need to add salt, butter or oil after cooking to restore flavor.

The Vapor Seal Cooking Method is very different from traditional cooking methods because you do not need to add moisture or fats. Everything else you already know about cooking applies, once you know the Vapor Seal Method. 

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Create a Vapor Seal

Fill a pan with fresh or frozen vegetables. Rinse in cold water and drain, the water that clings to the food combine with natural juices to cook the waterless way. Cover the pan, close the vent, and place the pan over low heat. When the cover is hot to the touch and the cover spins freely on a cushion of water, the vapor seal is formed. Continue cooking until done. This is the waterless part of this new cooking method.  

TIP: If the heat is too low, the cover will not spin. If the heat is too high, the cover will spit moisture.

If you cook several vegetables together with little or no water there will be no interchange of flavor or colors. Each vegetable will be full of its own flavor and valuable nutrients.

Control the Heat

Waterless, greaseless cooking is a lower-temperature method that can be used on any type of range. Lower heat retains moisture and keeps food from burning. The following are general rules for heat use. 

MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT

  • For heating utensils to sear or brown meat
  • For re-moisturizing dried foods by steaming over water until the water boils.
  • For pan broiling thick steaks or chops (1/4” or thicker)

MEDIUM HEAT

  • For pan broiling thin steaks, chops, hamburger or chicken breast
  • For quick starting fresh fruits and vegetables until vapor seal is forms
  • To start direct top-of-the-range baking

LOW OR SIMMER

  • For cooking roasts and meatloaf after browning
  • For cooking fresh vegetables and fruits after the vapor seal forms
  • For cooking less tender cuts of meat after browning all sides
  • For finishing top-of-the-range baking after the pan cover is hot

Don’t Peek

Resist the urge to peek: When the cover is removed during the cooking period, heat and moisture escape and the vapor seal is broken. This lengthens the cooking time.

Be Specific

Follow time charts, recipes and general instructions for meats, vegetables, fruits, etc., under their specific headings.

How to Cook the Perfect Steak (watch video)
How to Cook the Perfect Steak (watch video)

Cooking Meats without Grease

Begin with meat that is near room temperature. Pre-heat the pan on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. The pan is ready when you can sprinkle a few drops of water in the pan and the water “dances.” If the water just evaporates, the pan is not hot enough. Once the pan is hot, place the meat in the pan, pressing against the bottom of the pan, the meat will stick at first. After a short time, it will sear and then loosen from the pan. Turn and sear on the other side. If the meat is not done, or if it is a roast, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low until cooked.

TIP: Always roast meat in the smallest utensil into which it will fit. This will result in a tender, juicy cut, and it will shrink less, providing more servings per pound, and savings on food dollars.

Proper Temperature for Roasting: To obtain the proper cooking temperature for roasting, the cover must spin freely on a cushion of moisture emitting tiny bubbles. If the cover spits moisture, the temperature is too hot.

Stove-Top Lasagna (watch video)
Stove-Top Lasagna (watch video)

Top-of-the-Range Baking

Health Craft waterless greaseless cookware is designed to bake cakes, cornbreads, cookies, casseroles, meatloaf, ribs and lasagna in the pan on top of the range more efficiently than in the oven. For example, to bake a small cake, coat the inside of a small fry pan or 2-qt with non-stick cooking spray. Then pour the cake batter into the pan until the pan is half full, cover and close the vent. Set the pan on a burner and adjust the heat to medium. When the lid is hot to touch (about 5 minutes), reduce the heat to low and finish baking (about 10-12 minutes). NOTE: Higher altitudes require longer baking times.

Fried Eggs (watch video)
Fried Eggs (watch video)

Eggs & Omelets

Some food items with an egg base; omelets, pancakes, crepes, French toast, etc., have no natural oil lubricant and will require oil or butter to cook with to prevent sticking. For detailed instruction, see section of Eggs & Cheese.

Health Craft Exclusive Features (click photo for larger view)
Health Craft Exclusive Features (click photo for larger view)

Features to Consider with Waterless Cookware

Don’t be fooled by imitations and look-a-likes… Waterless, greaseless cookware is available in many styles, brand names, and price points. Health Craft Cookware is made in the USA, but most of the low priced waterless cookware is made in China.

What’s the difference?

To be labeled stainless steel and pan must be at least 18/8 stainless, meaning 18 parts Chromium and 8 parts Nickel, for a total of 26 parts. What then are the other 74 parts? Foreign made stainless will often rust, corrode, turn blue, black and grey, and may even warp, buckle or bend. In essence, you get what you pay for.

Health Craft’s surgical stainless steel alloys combine chromium, nickel, vanadium, titanium and steel to create a hard outer ply surface that is durable, resistant to wear, easy to clean, sanitary, and can be highly polished for an attractive, permanent finish.

While most of our competitors place a slab of aluminum on the bottom of their stainless steel cookware to conduct heat, Health Craft is induction compatible surgical stainless steel with Multi-Ply Full Body aluminum core, and weighted vented covers that form the essential Vapor Seal for waterless cooking.

Our multi-ply full body aluminum core pans are excellent heat conductors, providing the most efficient use of energy while cooking. They spread heat evenly to prevent hot spots, and the surgical stainless steel cooking surface keep food from sticking and burning.

Health Craft is made in the USA, providing jobs for Americans.

Health Craft Exclusive features (watch video)
Health Craft Exclusive features (watch video)

Pushbutton Long Handle

Fitted on the 1 Qt, 1.25-QT and the Medium Sauté Skillet remove easily for oven baking and on the grill.

Turns cookware to Bakeware and it can even be used on the grill with handle removed.

Rivets collect food, grease and bacteria.
Rivets collect food, grease and bacteria.

Warp Resistant Bottoms

The bottom of the pans should be designed to assure the utensil hugs the burner for maximum heat efficiency, but should also be slightly concave (paneled) in the center so the pan will flatten out when heated and contract when cooled to prevent warping, making the pans practical for use on all types of ranges, including smooth glass top surfaces and the new induction cook-tops. Health Craft is one of only a few waterless, greaseless cookware’s to panel the bottoms of the pans to prevent warping.

No Rivets or Rolled Edges to collect food and bacteria

No rivets should penetrate the inside of the pans. Bacteria from grease and food particles can become trapped around rivets, making such a pan design much more difficult to clean. Rolled edges around the top of the rim also trap food, grease and bacteria. Edges should be smooth and polished for easy cleaning and sanitation.

Actual All-Clad customer posting on the internet

Cleaning Around Rivets on All-Clad... and getting stains off All-Clad's MC2

I love my All-Clad cookware, but I've noticed that that gunk has built up around the rivets that is impossible to remove, even with Barkeeper's friend. Any suggestions on how I can get this off?

Also, some of my all clad is that MC2 line, which has a matte exterior. My saute pan in particular is very stained and, again, Barkeeper's friend is useless. Has anyone had any success in removing the stains from this type of finish? The interior (which is polished stainless steel) is fine, but it's just not very attractive.

By JessicaSophia on Jun 29, 2006 06:34PM 

Stack Cooking with Health Craft (click photo to see how it works)
Stack Cooking with Health Craft (click photo to see how it works)

Stack Cooking

Stack cooking lets you cook with more pans than you have burners. You'll appreciate this when you’re cooking for a large family gathering or a special holiday dinner. A number of foods can be cooked on a single burner, saving energy and money.

Where you see a saucepan sitting on top of a dome cover or an inverted pan, it may not have started out there. You must begin cooking most raw vegetables in a vegetable saucepan on a burner at low or medium-low heat. When you have formed the Vapor Seal and the lid spins freely on a cushion of water, place the saucepan on the dome cover to finish cooking. Precooked foods such as canned vegetables or thawed frozen vegetables are the exceptions. You can start them out on top of a stack.

Health Craft Waterless, Greaseless Cookware manufactured with Full Body Construction provides the best controlled method of cooking. It allows you to cook your meals with low temperatures and even heat distribution giving you all the health benefits of waterless cooking & greaseless cooking and the convenience of stack cooking, thanks to the vapor-sealed covers that lock in flavor and nutrients. Our Health Craft cookware sets combine innovative design and the highest quality materials to create cookware that provide more stack cooking combinations than any other cookware in the industry, and it will last you a lifetime.

Exclusive 'Full Body Construction' Cick on picture to enlarge
Exclusive "Full Body Construction" Cick on picture to enlarge

Multi-Ply Metal in Health Craft developed by MIT

Our NEW and innovative Health Craft Induction Cookware incorporates Full-Body Construction to provide perfect heat conduction, preventing heat loss during and after cooking. The technology used in creating our Full Body Construction cookware was developed by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and is exclusive to Health Craft.

Exclusive Features*

  • Thermal-Plex Plenco™ Handles & Knobs oven safe to 300°F “White” 350°F “Black”*
  • Cut and Polished Rims for a Better Look, Better Vapor Seal, and Easy to Clean*
  • Stainless Steel Ferrules and Connections to Avoid Stripping and Rusting*
  • Name, Size of Pan, and Customer Service Phone Number on each Pan*
  • Snap-On & Push Button Handles (no screws to continuously tighten)*
  • No Screws, Rivets, or Weld Marks to collect Food and Bacteria*
  • Designed for all stovetops including Induction
  • Recommended by Leading Cookbook Authors*
  • Stack Cooking 5-ply High Dome Covers*
  • Packed by Sets with No Duplications*
  • Self Serving and Self Storing Covers*
  • Vapor-Sealed Weighted Covers*
  • Hanging Loop on all Handles*
  • Flame Guards on all Handles
  • Dishwasher Safe
  • Vapor Vent™*