Alloys, and the ancient name Mishraloha

Stainless steel is a mixture. It contains iron, nickel, chromium and a little carbon.

The metals are mixed so evenly that the whole thing looks the same everywhere: you can't see the separate metals at all. A mixture of metals like this is called an alloy.

Many Indian kitchens have pots and plates made of all three.

The idea is very old. In ancient India a mixture of two or more metals, with properties different from the metals in it, had its own name: Mishraloha.

Ancient texts such as the Charaka Samhita, the Susruta Samhita, the Rasaratna Samucchaya and the Rasa Jala Nidhi describe using alloys as medicine.

Bronze was called Kamsya, and its recipe was written down: 4 parts copper (Tamra) to 1 part tin (Vanga). Kamsya was used to help digestion and boost immunity.

That is what makes an alloy worth making: it has different properties from the metals that went into it. Stainless steel, for example, is stronger and lasts longer than pure iron.