If you walk into any restaurant, your eyes are met by one predominate material: stainless steel. It is in refrigerators and sinks. It glitters from counter tops and stoves. It shines from cookware and appliances.

But stainless steel is no longer restricted to just commercial restaurants. As the average home owner remodels, more and more of this wonderful surface finds its way into kitchens.

Are there reasons besides the appealing visual quality of the metal that make it the perfect choice for surfaces in the kitchen? Are there more functional, practical reasons for using stainless steel? Most definitely, yes.

Pleasing Visually

The first thing that comes to mind when we see stainless steel surfaces is the look of them. The bright, reflective surface brings to mind futuristic gadgets and state-of-the-art decor. Another benefit of this metal is that it really helps lighten up a room that has limited natural light.

Cleaning is a Breeze

One characteristic of stainless steel is that it is non-porous, similar to glass. This means that it is very easy to clean it because dirt and gunk do not sink into the material. Just a wipe with a cloth using mild detergent or glass cleaner is all that is needed to keep the surface spotless.

Long-Lasting

The impermeable nature of it means more than it just being easy to clean. It also means that it will not stain like other materials, even if you spill grape juice on it. And since the stainless steel is a metal, not just a surface on top of wood, it will never chip away if banged accidentally.

Heat Resistant

There's no longer any need to search for a trivet or heat pad when you have a hot pot fresh off the stove. You can put it down directly on a stainless steel surface without any fear of harming the finish.

With all these advantages, are there any drawbacks to this wonderful surface? One thing that most people don't realize is that stainless steel is not magnetic. That's right; try to secure your child's wonderful crayon drawing onto the door of your refrigerator and the fridge magnet will fall right off. This can be a disadvantage or an advantage, depending on how you look at it. It gives you a good excuse not to clutter up your fridge with all those tacky magnets that people bring you back from trips.

So think about choosing stainless steel when it comes time to remodel your kitchen. You'll love how nice it looks for years to come.

Jodi Mortner is no stranger to stainless steel in the kitchen. Her website http://www.stainless-steelrefrigerator.com deals with the most common of these appliances, the stainless steel refrigerator.