Advantages

Disadvantages

Cleaning

Properties

low cost

very poor heat conductor

reacts to foods

rusts easily

Wash in hot soapy water and dry immediately. Do not store with the lid on the pan.

Steel - A tough alloy of iron containing carbon, its advantage is that it is quick to heat and can take high heat, but it does not distribute heat very evenly when used on the stovetop. In the oven, food cooks more quickly in steel utensils.  

Blued, sometimes called black, steel is obtained through high heat, causing oxidation to form as a thin layer on the surface of the metal, allowing for better heat transference to the food.

Once seasoned and in constant use, a steel pan will naturally become blued. To clean and store, follow the same instructions as for cast iron (above).

Steel being a reactive metal, it has disadvantages in that acidic foods should not be cooked in it. Steel has magnetic properties which allow for its use on induction cooktops. To counteract its reactive properties in bakeware, steel is often lined with tin, a non-reactive, soft metal. It is frequently covered with enamel and often called graniteware or enamelware.

Similar to iron cookware, absorption of the mineral iron into the body would only account for less than 20% of the daily recommended dosage, so it's safe to use.