Lasagna on the stove-top with 360 Cookware

I recently attended a demonstration of a new-to-me line of cookware that uses vapor technology as a method of "speed" cooking.  360 Cookware is manufactured by Americraft Cookware, a US company that practices "green" manufacturing. This stainless steel cookware is not only beautiful to me, a hopeful home gourmet chef, but it allows for healthier cooking styles, which is something important to me.  At the demonstration, we watched the chef prepare three main dishes, a veggie dish and a cake, all on the stove top in these amazing stainless steel pans.  She made a lasagna, a whole chicken, and a tilapia dish, all in under an hour and a half, including a chocolate cake from a box and carrots and broccoli that were cooked with water vapor and nothing else.  They actually tasted better than my usual method of steaming.  Even the kids at the party ate the veggies!  I really liked that all the foods cooked used no added oil or butter and they cooked fairly quickly.  This means a healthier meal faster for my family.  

I currently own a set of non-stick, fairly expensive, cookware, that is about five years old.  I love them and they work great for me, but lately I've noticed the non-stick finish on the most used ones is starting to flake off.  I bought the non-stick over the stainless steel because I thought it would make for healthier cooking, as no extra fat would need to be added, but now I have two issues with my older pans; I have to spray or grease the pans where the finish is flaking, and I'm worried about ingesting the finish (or my family ingesting it.)  I had been thinking about purchasing stainless steel pans, or even enamel pans, one at a time to replace my current set.  I was happy to have the opportunity to attend this demo of 360 Cookware at the right time!  

360 Cookware sent me a complimentary 3.5 Quart stainless steel Sauté Pan to try out and share my experience on my blog and twitter.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to use it and share my experience.  The 360 Cookware Test Kitchen has a many recipes available online and a few came with my pan too.  I decided to try out the lasagna recipe first, since it seemed almost too good to be true.  I altered the recipe slightly, using ground turkey instead of beef.  It was great!  My family loved it and the leftovers were a hit as well.  I did slightly overcook the bottom of it because I just didn't trust the recipe to cook the dish on low heat.  I learned that I need to trust the recipe and follow the cooking directions exactly!  The design of the stainless steel pan makes cooking at lower temperatures easy and quick.  My lasagna was finished cooking in 45 minutes and ready to serve after ten more minutes for the cheeses to set. The next recipe I plan to try is the tilapia one and the healthier version of chicken parm.  (After days of turkey, Italian and Mexican recipes really appeal to me!) And this crust less quiche sounds like a great brunch recipe to try over the holidays! 

So, while I did receive this awesome pan for free, I really do love it!  So much, that I decided to replace a few of my worn out non-stick pots and pans with three new pots/pans from 360 Cookware!  (I can't resist a really good cyber Monday sale!!)  I can't wait to get my new pans and I feel relieved that I will be cooking with safer and healthier methods.  

Some quick facts about the 360 Cookware stainless steel pans with Vapor technology, as copied from their website:  

• Multiple layers T-304 stainless steel (highest quality) and alloy construction
• Ergonomic, stay-cool handles
• Stylish design compliments any décor
• US owned and made by 1 of America’s greenest companies
• Lifetime warranty
• Vapor technology cooks food faster & more evenly with less energy
• No need to add grease or water
• Oven-safe to 400º
• Bakes on stovetop

So how did I get to see a demo of this cookware?  I was invited to a Candyland Party for mommy bloggers.  We got to bring home a new candyland game to play and I got a goody bag of fun stuff. During the party while the kids played the mommies got to experience the cooking demonstration by 360 Cookware.   At the party I also got a chance to meet a bunch of local mommy bloggers and to chat with them about their blogs.  Maureen, Jennifer, Sherry, Chrissy, and Kate and their kids, were a lot of fun and made for a great Monday afternoon.  My monkey is still talking about how much fun he had playing with the other kids.  Thanks to Chrissy of Mama's Little Helper and Jennifer of Sisterly Savings for hosting such a fun and educational experience!  And thanks too, to 360 Cookware for the demo, the new pan, and the opportunity to learn about a new way to cook meals.

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[stainless steel banding]

Stainless steel can be washed with soap or water, or even run through a dishwasher, making it easy to clean and to maintain.