Yesterday we shared our guide to the essential cookware pieces you should have in your kitchen. The type is one thing—skillet, saucepan, stock pot—but what about the material? Stainless steel or copper? Cast iron or aluminum? Here's a guide to the most common cookware materials, and the pros and cons of each:
Material Types for Pots and Pans
Note: Read this article for a primer on reactive vs. nonreactive cookware.Stainless Steel
Pros: Nonreactive (meaning you can cook any kind of food in it), heavy, durable, dishwasher-safe, inexpensive for basic models. Cons: Poor heat transfer and distribution. A better option? You can solve this problem by buying better quality (and higher priced) stainless steel cookware with an added inner core made of copper or aluminum, which improves the heat conductivity. It might be expensive, but it'll last a lifetime. All-Clad is a great example of high-end stainless steel cookware, and it's a favorite brand of Kitchn editors.• Strong & Durable: Why We Use Stainless Steel in the Kitchen
• Quick Tip: Removing Rust Spots from Stainless Steel
• How To Clean Tough Burnt Stains Off Stainless CookwareCopper
Pros: Excellent thermal conductivity, cooks food evenly. Cons: Reactive with alkaline or acidic foods, which can take on a metallic taste after being cooked in a copper pot. Light colored foods, like eggs, can also develop grey streaks when they pick up the copper compounds, which also means you'll ingest small amounts of copper. Not a big deal if it's an occasional thing, but not so great for everyday use. Copper also requires regular polishing and maintenance, and it's expensive. A better option? Look for copper pots with a stainless steel or tin lining so you get the best of both worlds: great thermal conductivity, with the safety and versatility of a nonreactive lining.• The Best Place to Buy Quality Copper Cookware in Paris
• Naturally Anti-Microbial: Copper in the Kitchen
• Are There Any Copper Pans That Work for Induction Stoves?
• Dana's Favorite Pan: Marco Pierre White's Copper SkilletAluminum
Pros: Excellent thermal conductivity, lightweight, affordable. Cons: Like copper, raw aluminum is highly reactive to alkaline or acidic foods. It's also very soft and tends to warp in high heat and scratch easily, which leads to health concerns with long term use. A better option? Anodized aluminum has been treated by an electro-chemical process that hardens it, thus solving most of the problems with raw aluminum. It's more expensive than raw aluminum, but also a far superior cookware material. While anodized aluminum does take longer to heat up than other materials, it's an excellent heat conductor (superior to stainless steel), scratch-resistant, and lightweight yet very strong.Cast Iron
Pros: Durable, inexpensive, naturally non-stick if properly seasoned, distributes heat evenly and retains heat well, imparts iron to foods (an added benefit for some), great for long, low simmering and browning. Cons: Cast iron is also reactive, and doesn't take well to acidic foods. It's also quite heavy, takes a long time to heat up, takes a bit more effort to clean and maintain. Another option? While we still prefer raw cast iron for skillets, enameled cast iron (cast iron coated in porcelain enamel) has all the benefits of cast iron without the extra trouble, so it's a great material for dutch ovens. It's non-reactive, easy to clean, and beautiful. Popular enameled cast iron brands include Le Creuset and Staub.• Are There Lighter Alternatives to Cast Iron Cookware?
• Elizabeth's Favorite Pan: Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
Readers, what material do you cook with? Do you love it? Hate it? Share your experiences below!
Related: The Kitchn's Guide to Essential Cookware
(Images: Kevin and Amanda)
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where is that little skillet organizer from?
Is enameled cast-iron fairly non-stick, as well?
I personally use all stainless and cast-iron. The weight of the cast-iron is a much bigger deal, to me, than the cleaning/seasoning issues.
CCCB12: If you click on the "Images: Kevin and Amanda" link, there's a full post on cupboard organization - and, apparently, these are from Walmart.
I saw a similar organizer at Walmart earlier this week.
Why do you prefer traditional cast iron skillets. I love my enamelled one -- it gets a great sear without the mess!
CCCB12: You can also use a plate rack in the same fashion. I have a $4 sideways plate rack (meaning they stack on their sides) and it works great!
@cccb12 I recognize it as a pot lid organizer from Wal-Mart. Works great to stack skillets!
I am all about the enameled cast iron. I have three dutch ovens of varying sizes and the only time I ever use anything else is when I'm making eggs, then I grab my tiny non-stick skillet.
It would be great to see some recommended brands, because I never know how they stack up when I'm trying to choose one.
I use my roasting rack to store pan lids vertically, but I think it would work if you had a lot of skillet-type pans.
My fave brands I've settled on after cooking with a variety: All-Clad for stainless. I have pieces from mid-range (aluminum core) line and love them. All-Clad also has a pricier higher-end line (copper core) but I'm totally content with mine, don't know if the copper core would be worth the extra $$. Lodge for cast iron, still made in the USA. And Le Creuset for enameled cast iron (I would not recommend the creuset enamel stock pots, I own one and the quality is not great compared to the cast iron pieces). Lodge makes enameled cast iron now too but I've never cooked with it. It is substantially cheaper than Le Creuset.
I wanted to point out that my carbon steel wok is inexpensive and versatile. Like cast iron, it can be nonstick when seasoned properly.
Has anyone used the Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven? I'm curious to know if it is comparable to Le Creuset.
@FOOD LOVER NOT FIGHTER, I have a Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven and I love it. No complaints after 3+ years.
My only complaint with the Lodge dutch oven is that the handle on the lid cracked the first time I used it. It is still on tight though, and the dutch oven itself is great. I use it for everything! Definitely a good value.
Does anyone know if Henkel stainless steel is good compared to All Clad?
For a very thorough and enjoyable guide to pots and pans, I'd recommend this.
http://honestfare.com/pandemonium/
I use Tramontina's (a Brazilian brand) stainless steel triple-bottom pans ( ) that distribute heat in uniform way and regular cast-iron pots/pans (oiled after every use).
Unfortunately, brands like Le Creuset or All Clad are too much expensive here in Brazil. :(
I've never been, but All Clad has a seconds sale twice a year in Washington, PA, I think their factory is nearby. It's supposed to be stellar. I think the next is in June.
The best cookware for you also depends on what kind of surface you're cooking on. Not all types of cookware will work with induction ranges.
All-Clad is made in the USA, which I love, but I don't always want a fully-clad saucepan. American Kitchen makes a good bottom-clad stainless line that's also made in the USA and is about half the price of All-Clad.
If you live in or near Tennessee, Lodge has a couple of outlet stores where you can get great deals. One is in Pigeon Forge and the other is right next door to their factory in South Pittsburg. They are short trek off the interstate, but well worth the trip if you are in the area. I think their products are as good as La Creuset and I love that they are made in the USA. Also a fraction of the price. I've got a dutch oven, skillet, grill pan and cornbread molds. All are top notch.