It’s easy (and understandable) to feel a little bit overwhelmed while shopping for cookware. Between all the various types of pans, shapes, sizes, colors, and more, there are plenty of choices you’ll need to make before hitting add to cart. But the most important of all? Cookware material. 

Consider this article your crash course in cookware materials. We’ll break down how to choose the right material for you based on what you want to make (and how you want to make it), and will break down what you need to know about the most common cookware materials, including: 

• Aluminum (and Hard-Anodized Aluminum)

• Stainless Steel

• Copper

• Cast Iron

• Nonstick Coatings (PFAS and Ceramic)

Let’s get into it!

 

 

 

Aluminum (and Hard-Anodized Aluminum)

Aluminum is one of the most common cookware materials on the market, primarily because it’s affordable, lightweight, and can be molded into many different shapes. Aluminum is also an excellent heat conductor, which helps ensure that food is cooked evenly, and responds quickly to temperature changes, allowing you to both crank up the heat and cool things off quickly. 

Because aluminum is relatively flexible and so good at conducting heat, it can be more prone to thermal shock (which causes damage and warping) than some of the other materials on this list. Great cookware brands—Circulon included!—prevent this by using a thicker-gauge aluminum or by adding a steel disk to the bottom of the pan. The latter option also helps make pans less prone to thermal shock and (bonus!) makes them compatible with induction cooktops. 

You’ll also see cookware categorized as hard-anodized aluminum, which means it has gone through an electrochemical process that makes it harder, more durable, and creates a better surface for nonstick coating to bond to (which we’ll get into down below). The pans in Circulon’s hard-anodized aluminum collections are twice as strong as steel.  

Pros:

• Great heat conductor

• Available at all price points

• Lightweight 

• Great for larger pans 

Cons:

• Needs to be coated to keep food from sticking and to prevent the aluminum from reacting with acidic foods (most aluminum pans on the market today already are coated)

• Prone to bending or warping (unless hard-anodized or reinforced)

• Generally doesn’t work with induction heating, unless a steel base is added

• Often not dishwasher safe

Best For:

• Sautéing vegetables

• Browning

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel cookware is a kitchen staple because it's durable, versatile, and (last but not least!) aesthetically pleasing. Made up from a blend of chromium and nickel added to steel, stainless steel is able to achieve the ideal hardness, resistance to corrosion, and beautiful shine that makes it great in any kitchen.

One interesting thing to know is that, by itself, stainless steel is actually a poor conductor of heat. This is why many handles and lids are made of stainless steel, as they are much slower to heat up, and therefore safer for home cooks to handle. To get all the benefits of stainless steel plus better heating capabilities, stainless steel cookware is bonded with highly conductive metals like aluminum or copper — creating what is known as “clad.” While clad is a fantastic way to get highly durable and conductive cookware, it does come at the cost of, well, being more costly. A common, and cheaper, alternative to clad is stainless steel that has been impact-bonded with a heavy-gauge aluminum base, giving it most of the benefits you’d see from clad, but slightly less durability and less even conductivity.

Pros:

• Durable

• Can withstand high temperatures for better searing

• Does not react with acidic or alkaline foods

• Dishwasher, oven, and broiler safe

Cons:

• Not nonstick on its own 

• Stainless steel must be clad or impact-bonded to aluminum in order to be a good conductor of heat

Best For:

• Browning

• Searing

• Sautéing

• Deglazing

Copper

If you’re looking for charming, traditional cookware, copper is a true classic. Copper is one of the best heat conductors out of all cookware materials. It heats up quickly and evenly with unbeatable responsiveness, making it ideal for precision cooking done by professional chefs. 

The biggest drawback to copper is the fact that it’s a precious metal, and its price is going to reflect that. Additionally, copper can be sensitive to minerals and acids in foods, leaving a slight tint or metallic taste in certain ingredients. To combat this, most copper cookware is lined with stainless steel or tin, the latter of which will eventually need to be reapplied by a craftsman.

Pros:

• Extremely responsive to heat

• Great for precise cooking

• Excellent heat conductor

• Stands out aesthetically 

Cons:

• Must be lined with tin or stainless steel 

• Very expensive 

• Can react with minerals and acids in foods if not lined

• Not dishwasher safe

• Can discolor or develop a patina over time, and needs polishing in order to maintain the beautiful copper shine

Best For:

• Precise recipes

• Delicate sauces

• Searing

• Sautéing

• Caramelizing

Cast Iron

Cast iron has been a kitchen staple forever, and for good reason — it’s durable, ready to take on high temperatures, and it’s naturally nonstick (increasingly so, the more seasoned it becomes). Compared to other cooking materials, cast iron is a relatively poor heat conductor, which means it will take longer to heat up and tends to be prone to hot spots than materials like aluminum or copper. But it does have great thermal properties, meaning that once it does heat up, it will stay hot for a very long time.

These days, you’ll find cast iron cookware in two options: natural cast iron and enameled cast iron. Where natural cast iron requires seasoning (heat and oil to build up a naturally nonstick surface), because enameled cast iron doesn’t need to be seasoned, it requires a little less fuss to get going. Enameled cast iron has the added benefit of protecting the raw cast iron from reactions with acidic foods that can cause it to rust or corrode over time. 

Pros:

• Durable

• Retains heat well

• Safe for most cooking surfaces, including stovetops, ovens, grills, campfires/open flame, and broilers

• Can withstand very high temperatures

Cons:

• Extremely heavy

• Is not a great heat conductor, which means it needs lots of time to preheat

• Requires a bit more TLC, including seasoning and washing 

• Reactive to acidic foods if not well seasoned or enamel-coated

• Can rust if not seasoned/enameled

• Is not dishwasher safe

Best For:

• Slow cooking

• Oven recipes

• Baking

• Stews

• Braises

• Campfire cooking

• Grilling

Nonstick Surfaces/Coatings

Although nonstick and ceramic aren’t necessarily cookware materials themselves, they are extremely common coatings applied to other cookware materials, most often to aluminum and hard-anodized aluminum.

Traditional PTFE Nonstick

PTFE is the classic material most brands are referring to when talking about nonstick coatings. PTFE was first developed in the 1960s, and quickly became popular for using less oil when cooking and easy clean-up. 

Today, PTFE-coated nonstick cookware is still a firm favorite in many kitchens. It’s widely used, made without PFAs, and, because it’s chemically inert and FDA-approved it won’t impact the safety (or taste!) of food cooked on them. Plus, advanced nonstick technology (pioneered by Circulon!) has made nonstick cookware nearly as durable as materials like stainless steel. 

Ceramic Nonstick

Ceramic nonstick works like PTFE, and has become popular over the last few years as a PTFE alternative. Like traditional nonstick, ceramic nonstick cookware is applied to a stainless steel or aluminum base covered in a silica-based ceramic-like gel coating that helps food glide easily across the surface. Because ceramic coating is more prone to chipping and wears down with every wash, its lifespan is significantly shorter than PTFE nonstick (especially when made with lower-quality construction). 

Overall, both nonstick materials are solid choices for those who want to reduce their oil consumption and make cleaning that much easier (and let’s be honest, doing the dishes is the worst part of cooking). It’s important to note that not all nonstick is created equal in terms of its quality and durability, so it’s important to pick nonstick cookware that’s built to last —like Circulon’s ScratchDefense nonstick, which is food safe and guaranteed to never scratch. If you want to learn even more about nonstick coatings, check out our guide for a deeper dive.

Pros:

• Easy food release and less oil required while cooking

• Doesn’t require seasoning

• Easy to clean 

Cons:

• High-heat cooking can wear down the nonstick properties

• Most nonstick coatings will scratch when used with metal cooking utensils

• Low-quality ceramic coating will wear down and chip even faster than PTFE

Best For:

• Everyday cooking

• Delicate foods like eggs and fish

• Healthier cooking (since less oil is needed)

How to Pick the Right Cookware Material for Your Needs

Now that you know the basics, here are some questions and considerations to help decide what type of cookware to buy:

How often will you be using the pan?

If you plan on using the same pot(s)/pan(s) day to day, your best bet is going to be a high-quality nonstick cookware set. While this usually means aluminum or hard-anodized aluminum, the nonstick part is what will make your everyday cooking that much easier.

How experienced a chef are you?

We all have to start somewhere, but even the most experienced chefs will use a variety of cookware materials. That said, for beginners or casual cooks, nonstick offers the most forgiveness, while materials like stainless steel and cast iron can have a bit more of a learning curve.

What cooking methods are you planning to use?

If you’re a stovetop chef, your options are pretty wide open. However, if you love stove-to-oven cooking or plan on cooking with super high heats (broiler or searing), cast iron and stainless steel should be your go-to.

What’s your cleanup routine?

For home chefs, cleaning up is unanimously the least fun part of cooking. That’s likely why nonstick cookware is incredibly popular and is the recommended pick when it comes to having cookware that requires the least amount of maintenance and the quickest, easiest cleanup. While not all nonstick pans are dishwasher safe, many of Circulon’s nonstick cookware lines are (you can check them out here!). 

Get the Cookware that Works for You!

Ultimately, the type of cookware you have in your kitchen is fully up to you. For most people, a good aluminum or stainless steel nonstick cookware set will successfully get you through everyday cooking and make the cleanup process faster and easier. For chefs with more specific needs, additional materials like copper or cast iron can open up opportunities for more adventurous recipes. Over time, the best situation is to have your kitchen equipped with a variety of cookware, so nothing can hold you back from finding the next dish you’ll love. 

Circulon has you covered with the most dependable, highest quality nonstick and hard-anodized aluminum cookware for your kitchen. Browse a wide variety of options and find the cookware that works for you at circulon.com!