Stainless steel is the default material for kitchen equipment because it is durable, non-porous and does not react with food. It is not, despite the name, entirely immune to marking, and most of the problems people have with it come from cleaning rather than use.

Why It Resists Corrosion

Stainless steel contains chromium, which reacts with oxygen to form an invisible passive layer on the surface. That layer is what protects the metal, and it repairs itself when scratched, provided oxygen can reach it.

What breaks that protection is prolonged contact with salt, acid or chlorine, and physical damage from abrasives. This is why steel that sits in salted water or is scoured with a wire pad eventually pits.

The Rules for Keeping It Looking Right

• Wash with warm soapy water and a soft cloth, which handles almost everything
• Wipe in the direction of the grain, since cross-grain wiping shows
• Dry rather than leaving to air dry, which prevents water marks
• Avoid steel wool and abrasive powders, which scratch permanently
• Avoid chlorine bleach, which attacks the passive layer
• Do not leave salty or acidic food standing in it

Polished pieces such as ice buckets and utensil holders show marks more than brushed finishes, which is worth knowing when choosing. Ranges built around polished stainless barware and kitchen pieces, of the kind catalogued at https://oggi.us.com/, look best when dried rather than left to drip.

Water Marks and Limescale

The white spots and cloudy film on stainless steel are almost always mineral deposits from hard water rather than damage to the metal.

White vinegar on a cloth removes them, followed by a rinse and a thorough dry. In hard water areas this becomes a routine rather than an occasional job, and drying after washing prevents most of it.

Rust on Stainless Steel

Occasionally orange spots appear, which alarms people. Usually this is not the steel rusting but iron particles deposited on it from another source: a cast iron pan, steel wool, or tap water in an old system.

A paste of bicarbonate of soda, applied gently and rinsed, generally removes it. Genuine pitting from prolonged salt exposure is permanent.

Fingerprints

The inevitable feature of polished steel. A microfibre cloth handles them; commercial stainless polishes work and leave a film that attracts dust.

A tiny amount of oil on a cloth, buffed off, is the trick used in commercial kitchens. It resists fingerprints for a while and costs nothing.

Dishwashers

Most stainless steel is dishwasher safe, with two caveats. Detergent is harsh and repeated cycles dull a polished finish over time. And items with hollow handles or seams can trap water, which then leaks out later.

For anything with a polished finish that matters visually, hand washing keeps it looking better for considerably longer.