SliceAndSear.com | Guide to Selecting Cookware

Introduction

In today’s technology driven, big marketing budget society, buying cookware is not an easy task. With dozens of materials, brands, sizes, and a dictionary of buzz words, walking into a kitchen store can be a dizzying affair. What you are about to read is the culmination of a ton of research, and the knowledge of our team of chefs after testing over 20 brands and over 50 lines of cookware.

Rather than having cupboards filled to the rim with pots and pans of all shapes and sizes, owning a few well-chosen pieces will give you the flexibility to cook whatever you want and the performance you need to cook it better. Our Cookware Essentials is a good place to start to determine your needs. Most important, we have assembled a Q & A to help you make your decision; whether you’re starting a kitchen from scratch, or replacing "crappyware" one piece at a time, the following information will lead you to happy choices.

Topics Covered:

1. How much should you spend?

2. Which materials are best?
    Video ↩

• Stainless Steel
• Non-Stick Coatings
• Cast Iron
• Enameled Cast Iron
• Aluminum & Anodized Aluminum

3. What should you look for in Lids and Handles?
    Download our Guide to Cookware Selection (.pdf)

4. The SliceAndSear.com Cookware Essentials Collection
    Video ↩

How much should you spend?

How much you spend on pots and pans is a personal choice determinate on your budget, how often you cook, what it is you cook the most, and how diligent you're going to be in caring for them. We're not fans of pre-assembled sets - more often than not manufacturers pair lesser-selling pieces that are usually unnecessary with their more popular and essential pieces; so even if the set is attractively priced if you were to add up the prices of the individual pieces, your savings are more an illusion. Further, sets are generally composed of only one material - and even if the set is a top quality tri-ply stainless steel set, we're big fans of cast iron for some cooking techniques. And finally, if you are a family of five, your needs will be vastly different than a couple.

All in all, we encourage you to piece together your own set of top quality cookware one piece at a time. Buying better cookware will last you a lifetime - not 2-5 years as with low-end cookware which will start to warp, scratch, break handles, etc. - so in the end it's less expensive to spend more upfront… an investment in a Le Creuset piece, for example, should be amortized over a lifetime, and you never have to worry about it going out of style - take comfort in the fact that they are the same style as they were 80 years ago and appreciated more today than ever before. Further, your meals day-in and day-out will be better cooked, with less cussing in the kitchen, using better tools. As you will read, you don’t need to break the bank... but a little bit more goes a long way.

Which materials are best?

There are no clear answers to this question because different materials have different attributes that are advantageous for different cooking methods. No one type of cookware is perfect in all aspects, they all have distinct strengths and weaknesses. This is a list of pretty much every material that is used today, and their associated attributes.

a. Stainless Steel Stainless Steel is the queen-bee of cookware because it’s beautiful, durable, easy to clean (even dishwasher safe) and completely non-reactive with acidic foods. However, stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat all by itself, and therefore requires the addition of a heat conductor like aluminum or copper. The heat conductor is either attached to the bottom (which yields less expensive pieces) or sandwiched between layers of stainless steel throughout the piece (also known as “tri-ply” - the standard for high end cookware).

The fraction you see – like 18/10, 18/8, 18/0 refers to the percentage of chromium and nickel. To be stainless steel the composition needs to contain at least 10.5% chromium. So, 18/10 stainless steel will contain 18% chromium and 10% nickel. The chromium is what makes the steel “stainless”, and the nickel mainly determines the level of polish. Today’s industry standard is 18/10.

Fast-forward to present day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific advisory board found that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical compound used to make Teflon, is a "likely carcinogen" (see also: Potential Human Health Effects Associated with PFOA). In a 2004 lawsuit filed by residents near DuPont's manufacturing plant in Ohio and West Virginia-based on groundwater pollution from this chemical, DuPont settled for $300 million. The problem for DuPont is that it cannot produce PTFE (i.e. Teflon) without the use of PFOA at this point in time. DuPont maintains that there should be no measurable amount of PFOA on a finished pan, provided that it has been properly cured, however, a 2005 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study detected PFOA in finished PTFE products including PTFE/Teflon cookware. Most manufacturers of PTFE (there’s five of them around the world) have reduced the use of PFOA drastically, and are aiming for zero PFOA by 2015. Until PFOA is eliminated from the manufacturing process of PTFE, it is still a serious issue. (See also: Toxicology Data & Healthy Risks)

Even if, as DuPont and other manufacturers of PTFE claim, no PFOA leeches into your non-stick pans, there is a second issue – and that is with PTFE itself and it has become known as the “dead bird” problem (for lack of a better term). You will notice on most any package of non-stick material that the pan should not exceed 500F. Above 500F, the pans can emit toxic fumes. You might think that 500F is extremely hot, but it is actually easily attainable if you have a direct flame underneath a pan for 2-5 minutes and a dry spot above with nothing to absorb some of the heat. In humans, the fumes can cause an illness called “polymer fume fever” which resembles the flu, with symptoms including tightening of the chest, mild coughing, nausea, and sweating. There have been numerous cases of birds dying in kitchens where non-stick pans were being used. Birds do not have livers or lungs as sophisticated as ours, so the toxicity is such that the PTFE fumes can literally suffocate a bird within a few minutes. To top it all off, the National Toxicology Program has found PTFE to be a human carcinogen (see: Tetrafluoroethylene CAS No. 116-14-3). Nothing more needs to be said on this topic.

Don’t be fooled by various brand or trade names out there... just because something isn’t called “Teflon”, it doesn’t mean that it’s not produced the same way as Teflon. Luckily, there is a fairly decent alternative. Several manufacturers use a ceramic based non-stick coating - like Green Pan (the brand that we sell). The results are quite good. Truthfully, nothing comes close to the PTFE based pans, but the Green Pans are more than adequate. Another option for making your omelettes is a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.

c. Cast Iron
To say that we are fans of cast iron is an understatement. Nothing takes heat better or holds it as long as simple, non-technically advanced, cast iron; it turns out that grandma was way ahead of the game.

These two attributes of cast iron – the ability to withstand high heat, and the ability to hold heat - are advantageous for searing and grilling a steak to perfection or braising a muscle using even surround heat. Conversely, cast iron has its limitations - you would never use cast iron for sautéing which requires a pan to be responsive - meaning that the pan should do what the heat source tells it to, and pronto. If you sauté garlic just until fragrant and then turn down the flame, the pan should cool down quickly so the garlic doesn't burn. One of our stainless steel fry pans will be extremely responsive (because of the inner aluminum core), but not a cast iron skillet.

Plain Cast Iron - Honestly, a kitchen without a cast iron skillet is not well equipped. These old faithfuls are inexpensive, indestructible, naturally non-stick, and frankly, the best for searing steaks or fish. Gas barbeques are overrated in our opinion; if you`re using a good charcoal cooker like a Big Green Egg then that's one thing, but we would easily compete in the “Best Grilled Steak” competition using nothing more than a cast iron skillet and a gas burner. You get the cast iron really really hot, then put your meat down and listen to that sizzle (it’s music to our ears... and stomachs) – nothing is better than a properly seared steak that’s still rare or medium-rare in the middle

And, if you’re feeling anemic (iron deficient), then cooking with a cast iron skillet is just what the doctor ordered; iron content increases in the food cooked on cast iron. To top it all off, cast iron skillets start as low as $20 and a top quality cast piece costs only 40 bucks! Plain cast iron needs to be “seasoned”, which means applying a layer of animal fat or vegetable oil and heating the cookware to bond the fat to the metal (click here for our Complete Guide to Seasoning and Caring for Cast Iron). Seasoning also occurs as a natural by-product of using the cookware to cook foods that deposit oils or fats on the pan. Because ordinary cookware cleaning techniques like scouring or washing in a dishwasher will remove or damage the seasoning on a bare cast iron pan, cast iron cookware should never be cleaned like most other cookware; simply wipe with a rag right after use or use hot water and a stiff brush. The fact that plain cast iron is absorbent is one of the reasons why cast iron can’t be used for all cooking, as the cast iron will react to acidic foods and impart a metallic taste.

d. Enameled Cast Iron Enameled Cast Iron – The result of firing an enamel on cast iron is a pot that retains the benefits of plain cast iron, with the added benefit that it is completely non-reactive, easier to clean, and colourful. Le Creuset stands tall in the enameled cast iron world, and they set the high standards to which all other enameled cast iron products are compared. The prices on enameled cast iron vary just as much as the quality. Beware of cheap enamels that chip easily (either because the enamel was not applied at high enough temperature, or there is only one or two coats of enamel), or contain other unwanted elements in the enamel, such as lead. If you’re a fan of nose-to-tail eating, then you’re a fan of stewing and braising, and nothing comes close to providing more even, radiating heat than an enameled cast iron dutch oven.

f. Aluminum & Anodized Aluminum Aluminum is a top-notch heat conductor and is lightweight and easy to handle, but it reacts with acidic, sulfurous, and alkaline foods. Aluminum is often used as a core or bottom layer for better heat conduction on stainless steel cookware. Anodized aluminum is aluminum that's been electrochemically sealed, making for a nonreactive, hard surface. Essentially, anodizing involves placing a sheet of aluminum into a chemical acid bath, allowing the sheet of aluminum to become the positive anode of a chemical battery and the acid bath becomes the negative. An electric current passes through the acid, causing the surface of the aluminum to oxidize (essentially rust). The oxidized aluminum forms a strong coating as it replaces the original aluminum on the surface. The result is an extremely hard substance called anodized aluminum.

Anodized aluminum can be nearly as hard as diamond under the right anodizing process. Many modern buildings use anodized aluminum in places where the metal framework is exposed to the elements.

Today, anodized aluminum is also a popular material for making high-end cookware such as frying pans and pots. Heat is distributed evenly across anodized aluminum, and the process of anodizing provides a naturally protective finish. Copper Not only are copper pots and pans gorgeous, copper is a superb heat conductor and the best at achieving responsive heat. A copper pot will do what the heat source tells it to do - heat up, cool down - almost instantly. The disadvantages of copper are that it is extremely expensive, difficult to maintain, and as with plain cast iron, reactive with food, so the pans must be lined. Most frequently copper is used in high end cookware either as a bottom layer or sandwiched between layers of stainless steel to enhance heat conduction. Traditionally, copper pans have been used to make preserves, jams and jellies because of the high temperatures that can be reached allowing for quick evaporation and thickening. As much as we love the look of copper pots when they are new, keeping the finish clean is next to impossible, and the performance difference is marginal between copper cookware and good quality clad (e.g. tri-ply) cookware.

What should you look for in Lids and Handles? Beside the material the pot is constructed from it’s also important to note the handles and lids. The two most important qualities we look for in handles is the ability to stay cool when on the stove top, and the ability to throw them in the oven without fear of them melting. Handles are attached by either welding, riveting, or screwing. Welded handled are permanent and durable, but unattractive so they are more common for commercial cookware. Screw-on handles loosen over time. Riveted handles are the standard for high-end stainless steel pots and pans because they are so durable, however one fault of rivets is that they make it difficult to stir properly and allow food to build up around them. As for lids, the tighter the fit, the better job it will do at trapping heat. Tempered glass lids have become popular because you can see what’s happening underneath without lifting it up, but good stainless steel lids are virtually indestructible. As with the pot handles, ensure that your lids are oven proof.

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The SliceAndSear.com Cookware Essentials Collection

We are frequently asked to point out “the most important” pieces of cookware to own. Keeping in mind that every household is different in terms of how they cook and for the number people, we have pieced together seven pots and pans that can accomplish nearly everything in your kitchen.

Use this as a guide for prioritizing what to buy.

#1 - 8 QT. STAINLESS STEEL POT This first piece is what you need to handle soups, stocks, large batches of sauces, blanching, and boiling. You can't go far in a kitchen without a workhorse large pot.

PICK: All-Clad 8 QT. Stock Pot with Lid FEATURES: Industry leading tri-ply construction throughout, dishwasher safe, stainless steel handles are permanently secured with stainless steel rivets, compatible with all cooktops, including induction. PRICE: $355.00 ANOTHER OPTION: If price is an issue or you need a larger pot we recommend the enamel on steel pots by Le Creuset. The steel gives it good conductivity, and the enamel is easy to clean and comes in a variety of colours. These pots are not as robust as the All-Clad Stainless, but they will get the job done. Amazing value.

OPTION 2 PRICE: $89.99 (8 QT.)
OPTION 3 PRICE: $109.99 (12 QT.)

#2 - 10" CAST IRON SKILLET To live life without a cast iron skillet is not to have lived at all… these old faithfuls are inexpensive, indestructible, naturally non-stick and frankly, the best for searing steaks or fish.

Nothing takes high heat better or holds it as long as simple cast iron, and if someone tries to tell you otherwise, they're trying to up-sell you a more expensive material. PICK: Lodge Logic 10.25" Skillet PRICE: $35 OPTION 2: For large families, consider the Lodge Logic 12". OPTION 2 PRICE: $49.70

#3 - ENAMELED CAST IRON FRENCH OVEN An essential piece for nose-to-tail eating… any slow cooking is magical in a Le Creuset. The size you get depends on the size of your family. PICK: Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron

PRICE: $270 for 5.2L (5.5QT) Round Followed in order of popularity: OPTION 2: $249.50 for 4.7L (5qt) Oval OPTION 3: $295 for 6.4L (6.8Qt) Oval OPTION 4: $199 for 3.3L (3.5QT) Round

#4 - SAUTÉ PAN WITH LID With its high sides, this pan has a greater capacity for liquid than a skillet and a slightly wider cooking surface.  Make sure handles are long, comfortable, and oven safe.  This pan is what you use for pan-frying or for browning meat and vegetables before adding liquid, such as smothered chops, fricassees, and meat pasta sauces.

Buy at least a 3 Qt.
PICK: All-Clad 3 QT. Stainless Sauté Pan with Lid
PRICE: $250. 
OPTION 2, slightly larger: $275 (4 QT.)

#5 - SAUCE PAN / SAUCIER This is your "go-to" pan for making small batches of anything from soups to sauces, cooking rice to boiling vegetables.  PICK: All-Clad Stainless line.  The 1 QT. ($145) and 2 QT. ($185) share the top spot for popularity.

CLOSE SECOND: The Le Creuset 2.1L enameled cast iron Saucier has a wide, shallow design and curved side edges which make stirring efficient.  Because of the nature of cast iron, it will give you more even, consistent heat than the Stainless All-Clads, but it gives up a bit in responsiveness.  If youíre going for the gorgeous Le Creuset theme, don't even think twice about choosing a Saucier over the stainless sauce pans.  PRICE: $190 (2 QT.)

#6 - ROASTING PAN For beef roasts, whole chickens, potatoes, etc... an absolute necessity.  The better quality roasting pans utilize the same tri-play technology (i.e. aluminum core) as the other stainless pieces we recommend.  A hallmark of a good roasting pan is it's ability to go on the stove top and be used on the top to sear your meat prior to going in the oven.

PICK: Le Creuset 14.5" x 10.75" x 2.75" Tri-Ply Stainless with Rack
PRICE: $140

#7 - FRY PAN (Non-Stick or Stainless) We recommend a non-stick pan for one reason and one reason only - to cook eggs.  If eggs are not in your repertoire, you can stick to a stainless steel fry pan.

PICK: Green Pan Stockholm Aluminum-Base Non-Stick Fry Pan made without PFOA or PTFE PRICE (most common size): 8" for $64.99 PRICE (slightly larger): 10" for $79.99 For Stainless Steel, All-Clad is a superb choice. PRICE (most common size): 3-ply 8.6" for $105 PRICE (slightly larger): 10.5" for $125

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				PLEASE NOTE: All prices listed in this guide are for GUIDANCE ONLY. They are not regularly updated and will not immediately reflect sale prices or price increases. Please check our website for current product pricing.