Unique cooking method for SOS Shells has Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Mass, and Pure Facts

Thermal Conductivity

Move heat as fast as you can by using a good conductor of heat. That’s where Stainless Steel comes in. As you could probably guess, the Stainless Steel is made purely of steel, which has high thermal conductivity. That’s just a fancy way of saying that heat moves very quickly from steel’s surface to whatever it’s touching. Compared to ceramic cookware, steel’s thermal conductivity is actually 18 times greater! So, you can imagine how much hotter the Stainless Steel would get than ceramics. Think of it this way: if you were to walk on ceramic bricks after they’d been sitting outside on a hot day, you wouldn’t burn your feet. The heat transfer between the ceramic material and your feet would be pretty slow. (Slow enough that it wouldn’t hurt, anyway.) However, if you tried doing the same thing with steel, you’d probably end up with some pretty severe burns—the heat would move much faster from the surface of the steel to your foot. (In other words, don’t try this at home.) Basically, steel creates an environment that’s hotter than it actually is. Which is exactly what you need to create that perfect SOS creation.

Thermal Mass

Stainless Steel isn’t just a great conductor of heat—it also absorbs and retains heat well. In scientific terms, the Stainless Steel has a “high thermal mass.” If you wanted to maintain a hot environment, one way of doing it would be to heat up something heavy. That would ensure that the area stayed hot even if its surrounding temperatures became inconsistent. You can probably guess how this concept applies to the Stainless Steel. When you’re baking food one after another, you lose heat as you open and close the oven door. When that hot air escapes, it affects the temperature of your oven, which in turn, affects the cook time of your food. The Stainless Steel solves this problem because steel is extremely dense—it holds in its heat, which means you don’t have to worry about fluctuating oven temperatures.

Pure Facts

Aside from the fact that the Stainless Steel is great with heat, it has some other practical advantages. Anything made of ceramic material will eventually shatter or crack if it’s used for long enough. That means that they won’t last a lifetime. The Stainless Steel, on the other hand, is going to last. It’s extremely durable, plus, it has the added benefit of not having to worry about any kind of heat shock. From a purely factual standpoint, it will last longer than other at-home cooking tools.


Question: Are SOS Shells good baking tools?
Answer: Yes, the SOS Shells are 26 gauge stainless steel. They can be used on a BBQ pit, in the oven, and they are dishwasher safe. The creations in SOS range from char-grilled, to cold desserts, to oven baked eggs, to casseroles and au gratins. You’re only limited by your imagination.



Question: Can the SOS Shells be reused?



Question: It is too cold/rainy to cook outside. Any ideas for using these in the oven?
Answer: If you plan on cooking indoors there are many great recipes you can try. Some ideas include baking eggs in the oven, homemade pizza pockets, pralines, chocolate bars, au gratins and more. Check out some of our recipes.



Question: Are there any other uses for the SOS Shells other than as a container for cooking?
Answer: Sure, they make unique serving pieces for “tastings”. And check out this customer who even used them as jewelry!



Problems with using natural shells for cooking



Question: Where do you obtain natural oysters, in the shell, in small quantities?
Answer: It is very hard to find a fresh market that will sell less then half a sack of fresh oysters. With SOS Stainless Steel Shells you simply remove them from your cabinet.



Question: What equipment is needed to safely open natural oyster shells?
Answer: You will need a glove, oyster knife and lead to safely open natural oysters. With the SOS Stainless Steel Shells, all you will need is the food and a grill or oven and a pair of long handle tongs.


Question: When I get the half sack of natural oysters from a fresh seafood market, what do I have to do to safely and sanitarily handle the oysters prior to opening?
Answer: First you must clean the mud and debris off of the outside of the natural oyster shells before you begin to open them. After you open the natural shells you will find that there is some mud or pieces of shell inside the oyster. This mud, debris and/or shell particles must be washed from the oyster before you begin the cooking process. With the SOS Stainless Steel Shells you simply wash the shells in warm, soapy water and rinse prior to cooking. You can then purchase some pre-opened oysters from a seafood market or grocery that have already been washed.


Question: How much time is spent with the natural oysters and shells just to get them ready to put the food-loaded natural shells on the grill?
Answer: A considerable amount of time is spent with the natural shells just getting them ready to begin cooking. With the SOS Stainless Steel Shells your food selection can either be prepared before you start to grill or you can load the food the day or night before and place them on the grill whenever you are ready to begin cooking.


Question: Does the food cook evenly in the natural oyster shells?
Answer: The food selection in the natural shell does not cook evenly because the natural shell has a hinged end (thick side) and a lip end (thinner side) therefore the heat distribution is uneven and hence the food cooks unevenly. With the SOS Stainless Steel Shells the food cooks evenly because of the consistent thickness of the stainless steel and the even transmission of the heat.



Question: Is it difficult to find a natural shell that will sit flat on the grill and be deep enough to hold the sauce?
Answer: It is very difficult to find those qualities in a natural oyster shell. Approximately 75% of the natural shells are not acceptable for cooking due to the uneven bottom or the flat interior of the natural shell. With the SOS Stainless Steel Shells they are designed to be flat on the bottom, which means they will always sit flat on the grill or in the oven. In addition, the SOS Stainless Steel Shell is ½” deep to hold the sauce for dipping.



Question: Is it difficult to cook other foods (shrimp, chicken, veggies, etc.) in the natural shells?
Answer: Yes it is difficult if not impossible. Due to the inadequacies of the natural oyster shell anything other then oysters does not allow you to cook a satisfying amount of any other food. With the SOS Stainless Steel Shells just about anything can be cooked in the Shells. The size of the SOS Stainless Steel Shells will allow for a satisfying amount of food to be prepared and the length of cooking time will depend on your food selection and/or your desired degree of doneness.



Question: Does it take a long time to cook the food item on the grill in the natural shells?
Answer: With the SOS Stainless Steel Shells it takes about 10 minutes to cook oysters once you place the loaded SOS Stainless Steel Shells on a hot grill or in a preheated oven. That amounts to about half or one third of the cooking time needed with the natural shells. Additionally, on occasion the moisture contained within the natural shell will cause the shell to “pop” causing pieces of shell to get in the oyster, or, a worse case scenario, causing the oyster to fly out of the shell and onto the hot grill.



Question: Are the natural oyster shells safe and sanitary?
Answer: Natural oyster shells are porous, hold bacteria and debris and are almost impossible to sanitize. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals does not allow the natural oyster shells to be used unless the oyster is opened and cooked immediately. Buying shells from a vendor, washing them and using those with anything other then the oyster that was originally in the shell is taking a chance on your health.