Picking the right cookware set these days can be tricky business.
The internet is saturated with more brands, materials, sizes, colours, and prices then the average person knows what to do with. It can be intimidating and confusing to find which cookware is best for your style of cooking and provides the greatest value for money.
In this guide, I'll take you through everything you need to know about the features of high-quality pots and pans; what are the safest and most durable cookware materials on the market, and how to find the best cookware set without getting swayed by the unnecessary perks of high-end brands.
In This Article:
- What To Look For When Picking the Right Cookware
- What A Top-quality Pan Should Feel Like
- What Are the Main Options for Cookware Materials
- What About Nonstick Coatings
- What's The Best Cookware To Choose
- Summary
What To Look For When Picking the Right Cookware
Picking cookware can sometimes feel like a no-brainer. You get yourself a pot or pan, and it either lasts for a long time, or it doesn't. Simple right?
Wrong.
There are many factors to think about when picking which cookware is the best for you so you don't have problems after your purchase. For every pan, you need to consider:
- Heat Conductivity
- Durability
- Reactivity
- Safety
- Nonstick
- Price
Heat conductivity – Not all metals are the same for conducting heat. This becomes important to heat your pan instantly and cool it off quickly, providing complete control of temperature. The better the heat conductivity of your cookware, the faster you can start cooking without waiting for the heat to flow entirely through your pan.
Durability– Cheap pots and pans can appear like a bargain for their money, but they only last a short time before the paint peels, rust appears, and your food is constantly getting stuck. Finding durable cookware is essential when finding which cookware is the best value for its cost.
Reactivity– You might not know this, but some metals can react with certain foods. Typically this tends to be acidic foods such as tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and lemons. Using these acidic foods on reactive metals can cause your food to absorb the metal, meaning you or your family could be consuming levels of metals that could cause harm to your health.
Non-stick- While some people may not view it as significant, using too much oil to prevent food from sticking to a pan can have negative health effects. The excessive amount of fat it adds to your diet can be detrimental to both you and your family's health, as each gram of fat contains nine calories. On the other hand, non-stick surfaces make cleaning pots and pans a breeze, saving you time and effort in the kitchen.
Price – The burning question that often arises when shopping for cookware is, "How much is this going to cost me?" While some luxury brands may charge an exorbitant amount ranging from $300 to $3000, such prices may not be reasonable for the average home cook as they use costly materials that are not always necessary. On the other hand, some manufacturers offer poorly made cookware at low prices that tend to break within a few months and may even contain toxic coatings that wear off quickly.
What Are the Main Options for Cookware Materials
The choice of materials used in crafting your cookware is crucial to ensure that it meets the necessary standards for a high-quality pot or pan that is best suited for your specific cooking style. These materials not only determine the quality of your cooking experience but also significantly affect the price.
If your cooking style involves sautéing, then you will require a pan with high heat conductivity to generate heat quickly. However, if you are preparing acidic foods, it is best to avoid reactive metals such as copper or aluminium. For braising, you will need a pot that evenly retains heat for long periods, and for baking, you should opt for an oven-safe material.
Each material has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and these properties contribute to the overall quality of your cooking experience. With that said, let's dive in and explore the different materials commonly used in cookware.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is a popular material used in the kitchen due to its strength, sturdiness, and durability. These qualities make it easy to maintain, and its nonreactive nature means you can cook with any food without being overly cautious. Additionally, it's dishwasher-safe and oven-friendly, making it a versatile option for many home cooks.
Although, like all materials, some problems come with it.
For starters, it doesn't conduct heat well, meaning you need to preheat the pan and wait patiently before you begin cooking. This can be incredibly frustrating for those looking to minimise their cooking time, are on a tight schedule, or are just downright impatient.
It also tends to stick while cooking, which requires generous amounts of oil to prevent food from burning to the surface. This additional oil can create high levels of fat in your diet, and if you don't use enough, you're likely to have your food stick or burn.
If you don't cook with this material properly and food sticks, cleaning can be a nightmare and will likely require scrubbing vigorously to get the scraps off.
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Copper
Copper is often the material of choice for high-end cookware, making it the most expensive option on the market, with single pots costing up to $300 and sets costing up to $3000. Copper cookware is ideal for various cooking styles, thanks to its high heat conductivity, which allows for quick heating and precise temperature control, making it perfect for frying, searing, and sautéing. Additionally, it has a beautiful shiny appearance that can enhance any kitchen's aesthetics.
While copper cookware has many excellent properties, it can be fragile compared to other materials, denting easily and being susceptible to damage from even a small fall.
Copper is also reactive to acidic foods, which can result in discoloration and even a metallic taste in the food. However, you can avoid this issue by purchasing copper pans with nonreactive metal linings.
Another point to consider is that while copper heats up quickly, it also loses heat just as quickly, making it less effective for simmering or slow cooking. Furthermore, the appearance of copper cookware can deteriorate quickly and requires regular polishing to maintain its shine.
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Cast iron
Cast iron cookware is a classic and durable material that gets better with time, much like a fine wine. The more you use it, the more it adds flavour to your food. It's an affordable option that distributes heat evenly and can be used in the oven, making it ideal for frying, baking, and searing food for that perfect browning.
However, cast iron has low heat conductivity and is not naturally non-stick, which can cause food to stick while cooking. This means that you may have to use more oil to prevent sticking, which can lead to excessive fat intake and harm your health. Additionally, cast iron cookware is heavy, making it challenging to move around in the kitchen.
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Carbon Steel
Carbon steel pans consist of 99% iron and 1% carbon, making them a lighter and more heat-conductive alternative to cast iron pans. They distribute heat evenly, making them perfect for searing food to perfection. Additionally, they're oven-safe, allowing for an easy transition between stovetop and oven cooking.
The downside to carbon steel pans is their tendency for food to stick to the surface. This, too, requires more oil to be added to the cooking process to prevent any sticking. As with stainless steel, this can lead to a high-fat diet and associated health risks. Moreover, carbon steel is a reactive metal, which means it's not suitable for cooking acidic foods.
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Aluminium
Aluminium is a highly efficient conductor of heat, and you'll come across two types when browsing cookware- regular aluminium and anodised aluminium.
Regular aluminium is lightweight and budget-friendly. However, it's susceptible to damage and reactive to acidic, sulphurous, and alkaline foods.
Anodised aluminium is a type of aluminium that undergoes electrochemical sealing, making it more robust, durable, and less reactive to food. This eliminates the worry of metal leaching into your meals. However, this type of aluminium can be more costly than regular aluminium.
Regular Aluminum
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Aloy Aluminum
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What About Non-stick Coatings?
Cookware with non-stick coatings is a popular solution to the problem of food sticking to the pan. With these pans, you can cook with less oil, creating healthier dishes that are easy to clean up. They are especially suitable for sautéing and stir-frying. However, they may not be the best choice for searing as they are generally not suitable for extremely high temperatures. Cooking at temperatures above 260°C may cause some coatings to release harmful chemicals, and some non-stick coatings may contain toxic materials that can leach into food. Additionally, non-stick pans can be delicate, and even a slight scratch from a metal utensil can damage the coating.
Higher quality non-stick materials are more resilient and can withstand higher temperatures without scratching or releasing harmful chemicals, making them ideal nontoxic cookware. For instance, GREBLON is a trusted brand of non-stick technology that has a higher heat resistance, allowing it to withstand temperatures over 420°C. This makes it ideal for searing, browning, and achieving a golden, crispy texture while cooking.
What's The Best Cookware Set To Choose?
Now you know all the different qualities, options, and pros and cons of each, how do you determine which cookware is best for you?
The best way to get the biggest bang for your buck is to mix the benefits of multiple materials so you overcome all the shortcomings of each individually. We recommend using sturdy materials that provide durability for the exterior of your cookware while utilizing lighter, affordable materials that conduct heat efficiently for the interior. Additionally, opting for high-quality non-stick coatings that are scratch resistant and can withstand high cooking temperatures.
At Kleva Range™, we wanted to provide this brilliant combination of cooking materials to help everyday people cook more efficiently, with long-lasting cookware that offers the best value for money. That's why we created our Diamond Earth Cookware Set to make high-quality cookware affordable.
The Diamond Earth range of cookware comes with a
- Stainless steel base
- Aluminium alloy body
- State-of-the-art GREBLON ceramic coating
- Tempered glass lid with silicone rings
This diverse range of materials provides the ultimate mix of advantages. The stainless steel base provides a strong, sturdy metal made to last for decades. Since it's only located at the base, you won't have the issue of low heat conductivity experienced in cookware completely made from it.
We use alloy aluminium for the body to maximise heat conductivity, so your pots and pans heat up instantly for a fast and temperature-controlled cooking experience. The alloy aluminium is the stronger and nonreactive version of aluminium, meaning it's also sturdier and lasts longer.
To overcome the fragile properties of aluminium, we use the German-engineered non-stick coating GREBLON. This adds three layers of non-stick solid coatings, which are some of the most advanced in the world.
This coating provides all the benefits of non-stick cookware without the cons. Its triple coating makes it highly durable, resistant to scratches, and free from any and all toxic chemicals, including PFOA, cadmium, lead, mercury, etc.
However, if you’re just looking for specific cookware rather than a set, then you’ll want to browse the range of individual items we have in our catalogue.
These pans aren’t only perfect for the everyday home cook, but they're also used by the renowned celebrity chef Gabriel Gaté - “My non-stick Diamond Earth cookware helps me cook healthier, more delicious food for my family”.
We want everyone to experience just how amazing the Diamond Earth Cookware is, which is why we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can experience these pans risk-free. There’s also a 10-year warranty, so you can feel confident your cookware will last for decades to come.
Try the cookware set for yourself today, and read through over 1500 five-star reviews from our satisfied customers.
Summary
Finding which cookware is best for your style of cooking is a journey all must eventually go through. Many will simply buy whatever looks nice or costs the least, thinking all cookware will do the job the same. Although what many find out after their buyer's remorse is that this is far from true.
All pots and pans have their own unique qualities, and if you are not careful in picking the right pots and pans for you, you’ll end up with your own buyer's remorse and a cookware set that doesn't cook the way you expected - not to mention throwing your money down the drain.
In conclusion, selecting the right cookware can make a significant difference in your cooking experience. It's essential to become familiar with the various materials available and their unique qualities to find the best fit for your cooking needs. By making an informed decision, you can avoid buyer's remorse, save time and energy, and enjoy your cooking even more. Remember, investing in high-quality cookware will not only provide longevity but also make your cooking experience much more enjoyable. So take the time to do your research and choose the right cookware that will make your time in the kitchen more productive and pleasurable.
