How do you choose cookware

The pans —which are made of hard anodized aluminum— are oven safe up to F and hence can be used on all kinds of stoves. The magnetized base of these frying pans enables them to be used on inductions stoves as well. There is nothing better than juicy steak with a perfect searing exterior. With the Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet you can achieve the brown searing easily and with restaurant quality.

This cookware can be used on all stovetops, from induction to electric or gas, and even on the grill. It also works great on glass top stoves but you have to be careful not to scratch the surface of your cooktop. The Cast iron brings an appeasing aroma and a colorful touch to the food. All you need is a little bit of cooking oil to start cooking your steaks.

The stainless steel with impact-bonded aluminum base and wide, flat bottom creates fast and even heating. The high-quality durable material of the cookware makes it oven and broiler safe. The classical —but controversial— nonstick material. The main benefit of using Teflon is the capacity for cooking your meals without any type of oil. Also, it is a strong material that reinforces the strength of the pans.

It is difficult to peel and if you take care the pans properly, it can keep its nonstick properties for a long time. The most known downside of Teflon is its safety. The reason is because when you overheat a pan with PTFE coating it will release toxic fumes It can cause headaches, chills and even fever. There is no way that you need such amount of heat in a normal recipe. The information about the lack of safety using Teflon is quite excessive. This is the main competitor of Teflon in the non-stick race.

Using a good quality ceramic pan you can stop worrying about any toxic fumes. The problem with a ceramic coating is the durability and the peeling —a regular ceramic coated pan lasts 4 years tops. You have to be extra careful with these pans and the majority is not dishwasher safe.

You can choose the Green pan ceramic cookware set as an example of a high-end ceramic set. If you want to see the best ceramic cookware sets, check this article.

This material is made to last. It is highly resistant to scratches and den ts. If you love deglazing you will know that the only way to get a proper gravy is with a stainless-steel pan. The only con of stainless steel is its poor heat conductivity. For that reason, most stainless steel cookware sets come with a copper or aluminum core like the Duxtop SSIB Professional.

If you want to see the best stainless steel cookware sets, check this article. Durable anodized cookware is regarded as the most reliable item in the market, especially for its tenacity and its flexible nature of allowing every kind of food to be cooked on it. One of the major pros of this material is the nonreactive surface, so you can stop worrying about any ferrous flavor. Hard-anodized cookware renders a satisfying cooking experience, every time you plan to stir up something tempting.

Pots and Pans in Drawer. Photo by Meredith. Pots and pans should be heavy enough to conduct heat evenly and keep foods from scorching. Copper is the most expensive option, but reacts with acidic food and requires special care. Cast iron also conducts heat well, but it reacts with acidic sauces and can rust if not properly cleaned and seasoned.

Cast iron pots coated with enamel avoids these dilemmas, but they are very heavy, which can be a drawback. You should avoid scrubbing these pans with abrasives. Non-stick pans are a popular choice, especially if you're cutting down on cooking with fat. Newer non-stick coatings are more scratch-resistant than before. Pots and Pans on Counter. With metal handles, some cooks prefer welds to rivets, which can collect food residue and are more difficult to clean.

Whatever you choose, make sure the handle has been secured in several places so that it won't come loose. Plastic and wood handles are heatproof but not ovenproof: you can't start a dish on the stove-top and finish it in the oven.

We loved how food glides around this wok with absolutely no oil added, even when we left the food unstirred there was no sticking or burning. We only added a little of oil when we tried egg fried rice as the same fried effect couldn't be reached with no oil.

The handle felt soft and luxurious and is the perfect length for lifting. It's also really handy that this wok can be placed straight in the dishwasher after use. This 26cm non-stick wok is made from aluminium with a stainless steel base. It did very well in our performance tests, with almost no food getting stuck or burnt on when cooking.

There was virtually no sticking from any of the recipes we tested, apart from around the rivets where some food became stuck and burnt on. The handle was comfortable and is the perfect length for lifting the wok, which is also very lightweight.

This Tefal wok features the brand's spot in the centre which lets you know when your wok has reached temperature. We found it was slow to heat up but, once we got cooking, we saw some fantastic results.

Across all of our cooking tests, this wok performed well. Meat had a great sear, and egg fried rice and vegetables in sauce were cooked as expected too.

This wok was stable on all hob types tested, and we found it easy to toss food too. This 11in wok is made from stainless steel. The handle is wrapped in a stay cool coating which provides a comfortable and secure grip. It generally performed well, with the only burning from the tested recipes being the sauce in the stir fry.

This was rinsed away easily though. The handle is the perfect length and stays cool during use. The only downside is it's a little difficult to tip the food out due to its weight. A grill pan is a useful piece of kit in any kitchen.

Usually square, these pans have ridges on the surface that collect fat and juices and impart smokey, BBQ-style flavours into your food. They're not just great for meat, they work wonders on vegetables and bread, too.

Most grill pans are made from cast iron, which can reach higher temperatures than other metals. However, they are heavy and need regular seasoning. If you need a lighter pan, opt for one made from stainless steel or carbon steel. Read about the GHI's top-scoring grill pans here. This pre-seasoned cast iron pan has tall, thick ridges that sear dark marks into meat and veg. It heats up in five minutes and gives tasty, caramelised results.

It's heavy and the handles get hot, but it cooks to perfection. You can't go wrong with Le Creuset. This pre-seasoned cast iron pan comes in 14 colours. It has tall grill lines that sear meat brilliantly for a rich and intense flavour. Food sticks initially but soon slips off.

Use a tea towel for the handles. This non-stick aluminium pan heats up in just two minutes. Its grill lines are on the shallow side but meat chars well without sticking. The pouring lips on either side will suit both left- and right-handed chefs, the handle stays cool and it's dishwasher-safe.

This lightweight carbon steel pan chars vegetables brilliantly and cooks meat well too. It needs seasoning before use and only has a pouring lip to the left, but its comfortable to hold and the handle stays safely cool. It's great quality for the price. Students and anyone on a budget will love this great value aluminium pan. It chars food well, albeit with poorly-defined grill lines, and serves up richly flavoursome results.

It's quick to heat up and easy to clean too. Dishwasher-safe: Pans with plastic or stainless-steel handles or knobs are usually dishwasher-safe, but most pans with wooden handles and knobs are not. Ideally, don't wash your pans in the dishwasher full-stop, as doing so can dramatically shorten their lifespan. Most pans need little more than a quick rinse out, a soak or a gentle scrub. During testing, we washed 'dishwasher-safe' pans 15 times in the dishwasher.

We often saw rusting, peeling, and rivets coming loose. The dishwasher can also cause the coating on non-stick coated pans think Tefal to peel, rendering the pans useless. Flat base: Especially useful for electric cooking, these pans cover the entire hob ring and don't waste any heat. Oven-safe: Multi-purpose pans that can be used in the oven as well as on the hob save time and storage space. Check that the handle is oven-proof and pay attention to the maximum temperature. Pouring lips on both sides: Ideal for a household with both left- and right-handed chefs.

Stay-cool handles and knobs: Handles should be long and thick enough to stay balanced without becoming too heavy. Stay-cool tech keeps them safe to touch during cooking.

Lids that fit well: Lids should fit securely but allow steam to escape if there are no vents. Holes in the handles: Great for hanging up your pans and saving on cupboard space. Try to avoid putting a hot pan in cold water or pouring cold water into it. This can cause the base of the pan to warp.