The Best Cookware Materials for Pots and Pans, Explained

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What to look for in a frying pan, plus what nonstick actually means.

One of the questions we get asked most in the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances Lab after "what air fryer should I buy?" is "what are the best pots and pans?" Our go-to answer is usually, "what are you looking for?" because, after testing thousands of products a year, we know there's no one-size-fits-all answer, especially when it comes to cookware.

Pots and pan can be made of all types of materials, from stainless steel and aluminum to nonstick, ceramic nonstick, cast iron, enameled cast iron, carbon steel and the list goes on and on. Oftentimes, they're layered with different materials, which may sound like it makes things more confusing but this technique adds to the overall performance. The material used also affects whether the cookware can be used with induction cooktops — which are becoming more and more popular — because it needs to contain iron to heat the pots and pans.

We've been testing all sorts of cookware for decades, and our team of experts have even worked with some of the top selling brands to help develop the best ones. Here we define some of the most common cookware materials, who we think they're best for and the pros and cons of each based on our experience testing them, using them for recipe development and cooking with them them way more often than the average person in our daily lives.

Stainless steel is one of the most common cookware materials and makes a great frying pan. It's durable and can last a long time, so it's one of the more sustainable cookware options that people often forget about.

When you shop for it, you'll often see terms like "tri-ply" or "five-ply" marketed on the packaging. This means that the cookware is made from three or five layers of material. On its own, stainless steel is a pretty poor conductor of heat so it's often combined with other materials like aluminum or copper.

Who stainless steel cookware is good for: People who like to use high heat, aren't afraid to use oil, want pans that will last a long time and are okay with putting in some elbow grease to clean them and preserve the finish.

What stainless steel cookware is great at: Reaching high temperatures, quicker cooking methods, lasting long.

What stainless steel cookware is not great at: Conducting heat on its own, cleanup.

Aluminum is a great heat conductor. It's typically thin and lightweight, making it a good alternative to stainless steel in terms of price and heft. It's often used in stainless steel cookware as well to help it heat faster. You'll also often see "anodized" or "hard-anodized" aluminum, too, which is a process that makes aluminum more durable. Both aluminum and anodized aluminum are commonly used as the base for nonstick cookware. Aluminum can last a long time but it's prone to wear.

Who aluminum cookware is good for: Aluminum is a good affordable cookware option. The cookware itself is often lightweight, too, even when a thicker gauge is used, so it could be a good option for people who can't handle the heft of stainless steel or other heavier materials like cast iron. It's not compatible with induction so we'd recommend it for people with gas or electric stovetops.

What aluminum cookware is great for: Quick and even heating.

What aluminum cookware is not great at: Holding high temperatures.

A gorgeous metal that deepens in color over time, copper is an excellent heat conductor. It's highly responsive, too, which means it heats quickly and will cool faster than most other materials when you turn down the temp. It can not be used with induction cooktops unless it has a reinforced base of sorts. Copper is used in stainless steel pans to help them heat faster, but also on its own. It's historically used to make thin pots and pans, but many are thicker and more durable today as manufacturers evolve to keep up with modern demands and much higher-power stoves.

Copper cookware can be lined with tin or, for more durability, stainless steel. Tin is more reactive to different ingredients, particularly acidic ones, so it needs to be used with more caution. It also has nonstick properties that can increase over time if cared for properly, but, at the same time, can quickly be destroyed by high heats or rough scrubbing. Copper tarnishes quickly, and it often leans on the more expensive side. These quirks tend to make it less appealing to the average cook, but pros can appreciate its nuances.

Who copper cookware is good for: Cooks who know their way around a kitchen or a stove; it's also great for bakers who are looking to gently melt ingredients like butter or bring custards to perfection without scrambling.

What copper cookware is great at: Heating quickly, responding to changes in temperature well, can be nonstick.

What copper cookware is not great at: Copper cookware is not induction-ready; it requires more care than most other types of pots and pans.

Cast iron is one of our favorite materials to cook with, mostly because we know it can handle high temperatures and maintain them well. It's also proved to be great at baking in our baking pan tests and pie pan tests. It's thick and heavy, and we love using our cast iron skillet to sear steaks and pork chops indoors. We also love using it to crisp up chicken thighs and finish cooking them in the oven — it's great at going from the stovetop into the oven.

One downside of cast iron is it's heavy. It also needs to be seasoned (aka rubbed with a thin layer of oil and typically baked on in an oven) so it doesn't rust. This process can be intimidating to some, but the more you do it, the more you you pick up on a method that works for you. Cast iron can last forever; even when it rusts, it can be restored.

Who cast iron cookware is good for: Cooks who love cooking protein or getting a good sear or browning on food. It's also great for campers because most can be used over a direct flame and you don't have to worry about it breaking; it also can be quite inexpensive.

What cast iron cookware is great at: Reaching high temps, holding temperature, low and slow cooking and baking, lasting for a really long time; it's also great for induction cooking.

What cast iron cookware isn't great at: It's heavy, and it can rust.

This type of cookware offers all of the great properties of cast iron, but it's coated with enamel to help make it easier to use. It can be washed and even scrubbed with soap and water — just avoid putting it in the dishwasher if you want it to last long. The enamel coating helps make it nonstick, thought it's not the slickest; the biggest benefit is it eliminates the need to season your cast iron.

Who enameled cast iron is good for: People who are looking for high-quality cookware that's highly versatile and don't mind the heft or hand washing; people who are looking for a nonstick alternative.

What enameled cast iron is great at: Reaching high temperatures, holding temperatures, stove to oven cooking, braising, simmering, cleanup, longevity.

What enameled cast iron is not great at: It's heavy, it can be expensive, it shouldn't go in the dishwasher.

Carbon steel has been around for a long time but it's starting to gain more popularity now. It can be compared to cast iron in the sense that it can reach high temperatures and needs to be seasoned, but it's actually a different material. It's reactive to heat and lighter than cast iron, which makes it popular for restaurant-style cooking. It can last for a very long time.

Who carbon steel cookware is good for: People who love cast iron but are looking for a lighter alternative that's a little easier to clean. While carbon steel can't go in the dishwasher, it can be washed or wiped down relatively easy.

What carbon steel cookware is great at: Handling high temps, searing, can be put in the oven, making pan sauces, easier handling than heavy cast iron.

What cast iron cookware isn't great at: Can get hot very quickly, can burn food easily if you're not used to using it, requires seasoning.

Most people may not fully understand what nonstick cookware is. It can be made from any of the materials on this list and then coated with a nonstick material. Most nonstick cookware is made from a thin, inexpensive material like aluminum and more premium versions are made with anodized aluminum. Nowadays, we're seeing more and more nonstick pans made with stainless steel, too, which helps make it more durable.

Most people buy nonstick cookware because it's easier to cook with and clean. It requires less oil to cook with because it's designed to repel water and moisture. This layer, however, will wear over time and it is common to have to replace your nonstick cookware within one or two years.

The quality of the nonstick is determined by the formula used as well as the number of layers applied. The more gritty the nonstick, the more nonstick it likely is and the longer it will last. We've also found slick surfaces to work well and tend to avoid ones that have a little tact to them and feel thin.

There's a lot of chatter around nonstick cookware because they used to primarily be made with Teflon, aka PTFE, a fluorinated plastic that's known to break down when overheated. Historically, one of the main building blocks of Teflon was PFOA, a fluorinated chemical that has been linked to health concerns due to its accumulation in the environment and exposure to humans and animals through drinking water in the US. While certain fluorinated compounds including PFOA has been phased out of manufacturing cookware in the USA as of November 2016, it is still used internationally and there is currently a lot of legislation on the table surrounding its continued use. There's growing concern about its use in other industries outside of cookware and its prevalence in nature.

The historical guidance is that nonstick cookware is safe when used properly below 400ºF to 450ºF. When using it, we try to stick to low temperatures and ingredients that benefit from gentle cooking methods, like eggs.

Who nonstick cookware is good for: New cooks, cooks who don't like to scrub dishes.

What nonstick cookware is great at: Prevents food from sticking, easy to clean.

What nonstick cookware isn't great at: It doesn't last long; it shouldn't be used over high temps.

Ceramic cookware has been around for years, even though it may feel relatively new. Ceramic cookware is made from clay, then glazed and baked at really high temperatures to make it useable in everyday settings. It offers nonstick properties that don't use Teflon but isn't known to be as nonstick. It's also known to wear faster. Ceramic cookware takes time to heat but can hold temperatures well. It's also easy enough to clean.

Most of the ceramic cookware that's popular today, however, isn't actually made of ceramic. It's made of common cookware materials like aluminum and stainless steel instead and then finished with a ceramic nonstick coating. It, too, is not known to be as nonstick as the nonstick coatings made with Teflon and it wears away faster, but it has come a long way since brands have been experimenting with it more and improving it constantly. Manufacturers suggest that it can be used at higher temperatures since it's not made with Teflon but note that most of the ceramic nonstick cookware on the market right now heats very quickly and can easily burn food as a result. Also, some of the newer materials used to make ceramic nonstick cookware have yet to be studied in a way that guarantee they're in fact safe or safer than other nonstick cookware coatings.

Who ceramic cookware is good for: People looking for an alternative to cookware made with Teflon.

What ceramic cookware is great at: It has nonstick properties. Ceramic cookware can hold temperatures well and ceramic-nonstick coated cookware can reach high temperatures. Both are relatively easy to clean.

What ceramic cookware isn't great at: The nonstick properties fade faster than other materials.

Is there another cookware material you'd like to know about? Let us know in the comments!

Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She's an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.

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