If you are in the market for a new set of kitchenware you may be asking yourself what are the best cookware brands. To best answer this question you should start by assessing your specific cooking requirements as well as your cooking likes and possible dislikes.
With all the cooking shows and competitions on TV today it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of what brand contestants, or celebrity chefs are using. However it Is best to avoid the urge to let this influence your purchasing decision. You should look instead at the different types of cookware, how they function, as well as how they perform, then let this knowledge guide you to informed decisions.
Popular Types of Cookware
Stainless Steel
This material is non-reactive, allowing you to cook acidic as we'll as alkaline foods in it without the fear that metal will be leached from the pot during the cooking process. It is a heavy material that is dishwasher safe and extremely durable.
On the downside it responds to temperature changes quite slowly and is also slow at heat distribution. Top rated pots and pans that are stainless steel usually contain a layer of either copper or aluminum sandwiched between a top and bottom layer of the stainless steel that forms the base of the pan. However this better build quality makes these pots and pans quite expensive.
Cast Iron
These pots and pans are inexpensive, durable and nonstick when properly “seasoned”. They allow some leaching of iron into foods, however this can be a good think, especially for the anemic. Care must be taken to not cook acidic foods such a s tomato stews in these pots as the acid will strip away the nonstick coating necessitating re-seasoning.
Cast iron that is coated with enamel porcelain provides all of the benefits of the uncoated variety without the need for seasoning as the porcelain forms an inert nonstick surface that won’t react with food. This version of cookware is understandably more expensive than the uncoated variety.
Hard Anodized Aluminum Cookware
Plain Aluminum cookware should be avoided as the metal is soft, scratches easily and reacts with both acid and alkaline foods cooked in it. Hard anodized aluminum cookware on the other hand has a layer of aluminum oxide electrochemically bonded to the aluminum. This layer is nonreactive allowing the thermal benefits of aluminum to shine through while totally sealing the metal from food cooked in these pots. Aluminum is lightweight, affordable and better at transmitting heat than stainless steel or cast iron and all of these benefits are to be found in hard anodized aluminum cookware.
Copper
Copper cookware cook food evenly and copper has excellent heat transmission characteristics. However like cast iron cookware copper reacts with both alkaline and acidic foods and can leave a metallic taste in these foods. Copper is expensive so the cookware isn’t cheap and in addition to this copper cookware requires regular polishing and overall maintenance. As a result there is copper bottomed cookware with stainless steel inner linings, providing the efficiency of copper and the non reactiveness of stainless steel.
Now that we have examined the types of materials that cookware is made of we can consider what represents good pots and pans. This will vary based on what cooking you need to do, hence the mother who enjoys cooking for her family will be best served with a completely different set of cookware than a busy professional who is happy just rustling up an occasional omelette.
Bearing all of this in mind you quickly realize that not everyone really needs top rated pots and pans from the best cookware brands. With that said here is a list that should make even the most discerning shopper quite happy:
Best Cookware Brands Comparison Table
Image
Model
Number of Pieces
Pre-Seasoned
Price
Rating
Lodge Cookware
5
Yes
$
T-fal Cookware
15
Non-Stick
$
Cuisinart Cookware
12
No
$$
Calphalon Cookware
13
No
$$
All-Clad Cookware
14
No
$$$$$
CLICK IMAGES OR LINKS ABOVE TO VIEW CURRENT PRICING
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All Clad
High end stainless steel and copper core cookware are their speciality and they also pride themselves on being “made in the USA”. This is with the exception of their Emeril Lagasse
Emerilware line that is made in China.
Calphalon
This mid to high priced brand features a fine line of hard anodized aluminum as well as stainless steel cookware. Pieces often feature nonstick cooking surfaces, comfortable silicone handles and come with a 10 year warranty
Cuisine Art
Another mid to high priced brand offering an extensive line of cookware that includes pots and pans in hard anodized aluminum, multi clad stainless steel as well as cast iron. The company’s Green Gourmet line features ceramic nonstick surfaces that they claim are superior to PTFE which is the chemical that makes teflon nonstick. Le Creuset
Best known for their vibrantly colored enamel coated cast iron products this French cookware is considered to be among the very best of brands. Occupying the high price range side of the spectrum Le Creuset encourages people everywhere to “make joy out of cooking”. The company also produces stainless steel, stoneware and enamel on stainless steel products
Lodge
This company specializes in cast iron cookware that proudly boasts “Made in USA”. The company has been in operation for over 100 years and their offerings now include pre-seasoned cookware. A look at their reviews on Amazon tell an amazing story that will delight those who love to cook. Lodge products are surprisingly inexpensive considering that their build quality is such that they will outlast their purchasers.
TFal
This company prides itself on making a wide variety of cookware priced from inexpensive to medium high. Innovation is a big part of what drives the company and technologies such as their ActiFry, OptiGrill and ThermoSpot bear testament to this
So there you have it in your search for good pots and pans - some of the top rated pots and pans from some of the best cookware brands that will please those who absolutely love cooking as well as those who fear they could burn water.
Photos Courtesy Amazon.com & PublicDomainPictures.net
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