We're here to help you navigate the top cookware brands on the market:
Premium brands like All-Clad or Le Creuset offer superior heat conduction, durability, and performance, making them a valuable long-term investment. However, brands like Cuisinart and Made In Cookware provide excellent quality at more affordable prices, making them great options if you're budget-conscious.
Types of Pans Chefs Use. As for specific types of pans chefs reach for, we've found our Stainless Steel and Carbon Steel to be chef-favorites, both prized for their durability and performance. Many chefs also include non stick and enameled cast iron in their cookware collection.
Stainless steel tops our list of the best cookware for a few reasons. It's lighter and heats more evenly than cast iron, and it's much more low-maintenance than carbon steel. Unlike copper and aluminum, it's nonreactive, and if it scratches, no toxic nonstick coating will flake off and into your food.
Based on this list, it is best to avoid Teflon and other nonstick pans, especially those made with either PTFE or PFOA, as well as aluminum pots and pans.
GreenPan Nova 8" Frying Pan Skillet, Oprah's Favorite Things 2024, Ceramic Nonstick Cookware, PFAS Free, Toxin-Free, Induction Suitable, Dishwasher & Oven Safe, Durable, Easy Clean, Ocean. Amazon's Choice highlights highly rated, well-priced products available to ship immediately. The video showcases the product in use ...
Cookware Backed by Chef Gordon Ramsay
“HexClad stands up to my demands at home and in the studio. Not only are they beautiful pans, but their hybrid technology cooks to absolute, utter perfection.”
From his restaurants to his Emmys, Bobby Flay has an illustrious cooking career. While he's released pots and pans in the past, over the last few years, Flay has given his seal of approval to cookware from one of our favorite brands, GreenPan.
The Nonstick Ability Was (Mostly) Good
“The HexClad offers the best durability I've ever seen in a nonstick pan, I'll allow it that,” he says. “But where it falls short is in its claim that it's just as nonstick as any other nonstick pan. In my experience, it is not.”
Not only is the Le Creuset Dutch oven one our Test Kitchen's official preferred pot, but it's also a personal favorite of our prep kitchen manager, Catherine Ward. Here's why. Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.
More expensive pans are just made better. Handles don't jiggle, and if you drop them, they're far less likely to be damaged. They also tend to be better balanced, so they're easier to handle. So, the quick answer is: Yes, expensive cookware is worth it.
Cookware options are endless: ceramic, copper, nonstick, cast iron — they all have their place in the kitchen. But stainless steel cookware is the most prized and frequently sought-after by professional chefs and serious home cooks alike.
We've been testing everything from cast-iron pans and saucepan sets to casserole dishes for years, and Le Creuset consistently ranks as one of the best brands out there. Perhaps the only thing that may put you off buying a Le Creuset product is the hefty upfront cost.
That she swears by this pepper grinder. And that she only uses two kinds of cookware (All-Clad and Le Creuset!). We also once learned her tip for cleaning said cookware. See, a few years ago, Ina shared an Instagram video, during which she showed us all how she makes croutons.
Giada De Laurentiis' kitchen essentials include a Japanese chef knife, a Dutch oven, and a stainless clad frying pan.
The Bottom Line
Caraway is pricier than GreenPan, but their products have consistently been top performers in our tests and have continued to deliver top-quality performance after years of use. Alternately, GreenPan is more affordable but did become less nonstick over time.
HexClad Cookware advertises its nonstick pans as free from harmful chemicals. But, according to recent reports, HexClad may be using a chemical compound called PTFE as a non-stick coating on its pans. PTFE is a type of PFA, or “forever” chemical, that can build up in the human body and does not break down over time.
Let's get cooking with Bobby Flay. 🔥 Here, he tells us all about his favorite new GreenPan Premiere Hard Anodized Cookware.
She purchased her copper pots and pans at an old French market store in Paris that specializes in kitchenware. The store is called Dehillerin and still exists if you want to buy copper pots and pans from there, too.
Stainless Steel
This material can be found in many of the best pots and pans because it is durable and attractive. Stainless steel (particularly "18/10") is also prized as an interior cooking surface because it does not react with acidic or alkaline foods and won't pit or scratch easily.