When I first came to cooking, I knew nothing about different grades of stainless steel from which cooking pots and pans - and of course many other household items - are made. Wha, I thought does "18/10" or "18/8" grades means? So here is a quick explanation that others might benefit from.

By and large stainless steel quality is determined by its nickel content:

• 18/0 = 0% nickel content
• 18/8 = 8% nickel content
• 18/10 =10% nickel content

In general, the greater the nickel content, the better the quality, as nickel allows a brighter, more durable rust-resistant lustre.

For all practical purposes, there is no recognisable advantageous difference between 18/8 and 18/10 stainless steel. A cooking pan's lustre depends primarily on the way it is polished. In short, an 18/8 stainless steel frying pan can have a better finish than an 18/10 frying pan. However, 18/0 pans are always dull.

The number "18" stands for the chromium content, which is the same for all stainless steel. Chromium prevents rusting. Carbon steel, which has no chromium or nickel, is sometimes used for cookware accessories (woks, fish poachers, etc.). Carbon steel can rust. Adding nonstick coatings will lessen the risk of rusting, but will not eliminate it.

So hope this helps when choosing your kitchen pots and pans!