Food grade stainless steel has undergone a slightly different method of finishing than more traditional kinds of stainless steel. Most of the time, stainless steel can be ground down to get the flat, polished surface stainless steel is known for, but with food-grade steel, this method leaves too many surfaces for bacteria to grow in. To make the surface easy to clean and therefore truly qualify it as “food grade,” it needs to undergo a process called “electropolishing,” rather than grinding.
Electropolishing is preferred over grinding for food-grade steel because it’s a process of stripping away the top layer of the steel to create a smoother surface that doesn’t have much room for bacteria to grow.
