Cookware Buying Guide

If you're new to cooking or just getting out on your own, a cookware buying guide is just what you need. Do you know the benefits of stainless steel versus aluminum pots and pans? How about what type of glassware to purchase? Get the most out of your cookware purchase by seeking quality despite the slightly higher price tag and you'll save more—plus be more satisfied with your meals and the life of the cookware—in the long run.

Did you know that the material is extremely important when choosing cookware? Consider breakability, how likely it is to scratch while you cook, reactivity, and heat conduction. Each material has pros and cons. Choose based on the way you think you'll use each piece and which benefits are most important to you.

When it comes to choosing your glass cookware, try to find Pyrex dishes. They're not simple glass that will break more easily. Pyrex tends to be thicker and distribute heat more evenly, something that's just as important in baking as anywhere else. It's non-reactive, can be used to cook or store food, and doesn't stain.

Though aluminum cookware is some of the least expensive you can buy and therefore easiest on the budget of a college student or young professional just getting out on their own, if it's at all possible to skip aluminum pots and pans, do so. It gets battered more easily because of the softness of the metal. Also, you'll be more likely to get metal in your food as you could accidentally scrape the bottom of the pots or pans with utensils while you cook. Small flakes of metal could peel up and find their way into your meal.

In some cases, the aluminum will actually react with your food and alter the flavor. This can be prevented by choosing a pan or pot that has been treated to prevent the reactions. You may see these labeled as "anodized."

Another disadvantage to aluminum is that it's typically a material that food sticks to when you're cooking. That makes it harder to clean and your food won't turn out as perfectly as you'd like every time.

There are benefits to buying aluminum: the price and the heat conduction. Aluminum does tend to distribute heat evenly.

Stainless steel is better than aluminum in some respects, but heat conduction isn't one of them. It isn't expensive and probably won't make it into your food either through reaction or scraping. One way around the heat conduction issue is to choose a pot or pan with an aluminum layer between two layers of stainless steel, either just on the bottom or all the way up the sides.

Stainless steel is often considered the ultimate compromise in cookware buying guides. Plus it's easy to clean!

It's heavy. It has to be treated before you can use it to prevent sticking, and unless you buy enameled cast iron, you're probably going to have to do it yourself by coating it with fat and baking it. If this doesn't sway you, you'll reap the benefits of great heat conduction and a low price. Over time, however, you may find that your cast iron rusts, and again that nasty habit of some metals: reactions with certain foods (usually acidic ones). Cast iron is less reactive than copper and aluminum, though.

One benefit of cast iron is the ability to evenly sear or brown your food, thanks to the even distribution of heat. Though this is a high maintenance material (the coating has to be replaced from time to time), consider having one pan, perhaps for cooking steaks. If you're just sautéing some vegetables, leave it in the cabinet and go for your stainless steel pan.

Copper is very reactive, so it's not the best choice when it comes to cookware. It is also on the pricey side because of its ability to conduct heat so well. A whole copper set is not recommended simply because of the price, the reactivity, and how easily it scratches.

Here's another time when you may have to spend a little bit more upfront to get a higher quality set of pots and pans that make cooking a more pleasant experience overall. Thicker bottoms make sure the heat is distributed evenly across the bottom of the pot or pan, therefore making cooking easier. If you're new to cooking in general, you want it to meet as few challenges as possible! An unevenly heated cooking surface could lead to intense frustration while you're cooking.

Thick bottoms are commonly made of layered metals, such as when copper is sandwiched between stainless steel. You get the benefits of both materials—the heat conductivity of the copper and the lack of reactivity from the stainless steel.

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