Choosing the Best Cookware Material

So it's time to choose new cookware for your restaurant kitchen, but you're a little stumped about which material to get. Maybe you know which pieces you need – a couple of saute pans and a sauce pan or two – but what's the best cookware material? Do you want affordable aluminum, heavy-duty stainless steel, or a set coated with a cutting-edge nonstick material?

The answer really depends on what you're cooking and you may find you'll need different cookware materials for different jobs. It can be difficult to weigh all the benefits and shortcomings of each type, but with this cookware material guide, we aim to help you sort it out.

Cookware materials are often compared using a number of common traits, so you'll hear a lot about heat conductivity. Different materials conduct heat better than others, meaning they'll transfer heat, get to cooking temperature, and cool down faster, which can each be a benefit or a drawback depending on your style of cooking. Some metals are also softer than others, making them lighter and easier to handle, but also easier to damage, whereas harder metals can be virtually indestructible but a little more cumbersome. Finally, 'reactivity' describes a material's tendency to react to certain types of food, especially acidic ones, which can cause the pan material to discolor and may impart unwanted flavors to foods.

KaTom's Guide to Cookware Materials: Table of Contents

• Aluminum
• Stainless Steel
• Carbon Steel
• Copper
• Cast Iron
• Nonstick
• Induction

Aluminum is by far the most popular cookware material in the restaurant world, for many good reasons. It's affordable, so even operators bound to a budget can afford to have a few extra cookpots on hand for when one bites the dust. Aluminum is also lightweight, so cooks are less likely to tire from repeatedly using it.

Aluminum pots are chosen because they transfer heat quickly and evenly, so they can get dishes from cold to sizzling in no time at all. They'll cool down quickly once they're removed from heat, so there's little need to worry about food continuing to cook if it's left in the pan after it's done.

Aluminum is the softest, most porous of the common cookware materials. Those attributes give it its strengths but are also responsible for its weaknesses. Its quick heating means it can potentially scorch food if you don't maintain a vigilant eye while using it. It can also warp after it's been in contact with direct heat for long periods of time, and its porous molecular structure means it can capture and transfer flavor between dishes. Finally, acidic foods can cause aluminum to discolor and pit, so look for other types of cookware if you're frequently cooking high-acidity dishes, such as tomato-based sauces. Aluminum can stain over the long run, though this will only affect its appearance, not its usability.

Aluminum's affordability makes it a popular choice for all types of cookware. Aluminum stock pots are right at home on the back burner, where it can be trusted to boil water for pasta, cook low-acid soups, reduce stocks, and braise meats. Its high conductivity means it heats evenly across the pot's base for a thorough boil or efficient simmer. For slow-cooking wares such as braising pans and rondeaux, you'll want to choose a thicker gauge of aluminum that'll resist warping after long periods of exposure to heat.

Types of Aluminum

Not all aluminum is the same. Manufacturers use different combinations of aluminum and other metals to make their wares, each of which has its own unique attributes. 1100 aluminum is at least 99 percent pure aluminum, so it's the softest and most susceptible to damage and warping but is also economically priced. 3003 and 3004 are alloys of aluminum, copper, iron, and manganese or magnesium. The inclusion of those other elements makes 3000 series aluminum harder and more resistant to damage but also raises the price and reduces the metal's heat conductivity.

Stainless steel is a step up from aluminum in terms of durability and price. Significantly longer lasting, stainless steel is rugged and easy to clean. It's heavier than aluminum, so it may be harder for some cooks to handle, but it can take a lot of abuse without denting or warping. Stainless steel conducts heat at a moderate rate, meaning it might get to cooking temperature a little more slowly than aluminum, but it can turn out food faster because it retains heat well. That means it can stay hotter when cold foods are added and lose heat slowly when its off the burner.

Stainless steel isn't a very porous material, so it won't transfer flavor between dishes, and its low reactivity is great for acidic foods such as tomato-based sauces. Stainless steel is a good choice in restaurants where kitchens are visible to guests because they tend to hold a sheen longer and resist stains better than aluminum. It also releases fat and won't discolor light sauces, making stainless steel a good choice for making sauces and deglazing.

A well-maintained stainless steel pan, when thoroughly preheated prior to cooking, will have a stick-resistant finish, making it ideal for quick frying and sauteing. Its relatively poor conductivity means hot spots are inevitable, so stainless steel is less than ideal for braising, roasting, and slow-cooking. A thicker gauge tends to exacerbate the problems associated with stainless steel, so stick to a thinner metal if you're shopping for a saute or fry pan. The material's hardness will keep even the thinnest pans from warping.

Types of Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is made with varying ratios of steel, chrome, and nickel. 18/0 stainless contains 18 percent chrome and no nickel, while 18/8 is made with 18 percent chrome and 8 percent nickel, and so on. Nickel and chrome increase the hardness, corrosion resistance, and durability of the steel, but they also reduce its heat conductivity, so there is a tradeoff between lifespan and quick heating.

Carbon steel cookware may be the unrecognized favorite for best cookware metal. As the name indicates, carbon steel is simply steel with a high concentration of carbon for density and strength. While significantly heavier than stainless steel and aluminum, carbon steel caramelizes sugar and browns meat better than any other material. Ergonomically speaking, it's on the heavy side, but carbon steel is simple in composition, so it's simple to produce, and its lower price point reflects that.

Only a few types of cookware are commonly made of carbon steel, a fact that speaks to the material's core strength – high-temperature applications. Nothing beats a well-seasoned carbon steel skillet for blackening and searing delicate items and thick steaks alike. The best woks, which are typically used for high-intensity stir frying, are also made with carbon steel. With a little simple maintenance, the steel will develop a natural nonstick surface from cooked-on polymerized oils that rivals that of cast iron.

While it's a bit of a niche item, copper cookware is favored by many classically trained chefs because of its superior heat conduction. It heats and cools quickly, even more so than aluminum, so it lends itself well to finicky recipes that require precise temperature control. Although copper might be initially valued for its aesthetic appeal, it does tend to discolor easily over gas burners, although this has no detrimental effect on its ability to get the job done. A diligent maintenance schedule and the right type of cleaning solution can keep it looking beautiful for longer.

Because copper comes at a significantly higher price point and is easier to damage, it should only be used in kitchens where staff are sure to handle it with respect. Tableside preparations, demonstration cooks, and restaurants with sight lines into the kitchen will benefit from the aesthetic appeal inherent to copper. No cookware is made entirely of copper, which can leach into food on direct contact. Rather, most copper cookware is lined with stainless steel to prevent leaching and to keep it from discoloring food.

Cast iron wares make popular serving items for sizzling dishes such as fajitas and baked desserts in restaurants, but they're beginning to find a place in the commercial kitchen, as well. Dense and heavy, the material can be slow to heat, but it retains heat well, making it a valuable piece for searing steaks and baking bread. Its inability to be washed in a dishwasher used to bar it from being used in commercial kitchens, but dishwasher-safe pieces are now available.

While cast iron gets a bad rap for being difficult to maintain, most of the cookware now comes pre-seasoned from the factory and the coating only gets better with age. Take care to wash it properly and the seasoning will rarely need to be reapplied. The one caveat is you'll need to avoid using them for cooking acidic foods, such as tomatoes, as that can weaken the seasoning and can potentially give your food a metallic flavor. Everything else is pretty much fair game.

Nonstick cookware has become widely popular in both residential and commercial kitchens. If care is taken to use only plastic or silicone utensils, synthetic coatings can last a good while but will eventually wear off. An alternative, and one that is perceived to be healthier, is cookware with a ceramic coating. Ceramic provides virtually the same benefits and will last longer before it starts to deteriorate.

Both of these options not only easy cleanup, they also make it possible to cook with little to no fat or butter. In the hands of inexperienced cooks, these coatings create a no-worry way to fry fish and delicate cuts of meat, and make omelets with less chance of food sticking. These are best in kitchens where staff can't necessarily be expected to maintain the seasoning required to perform those tasks in steel or iron cookware. Generally, nonstick pans are considered dishwasher safe, but most manufacturers recommend hand washing to maximize the life of the coating.

If you're shopping for induction cookware to use with an induction cooktop, there are some special considerations to take into account. Induction can only produce heat in magnetic material, which means only cookware containing iron can be used, so no aluminum or copper unless a magnetic layer has been worked in to the design.

Many manufacturers make cookware specially designed for use with induction. Play it safe and look for cookware specifically marked as induction ready. A handy test to determine if cookware has that capacity is to see if a magnet will stick to it.

As you shop for commercial cookware, keep in mind how each piece will be used according to your menu. If you'll be blackening fish, you'll want a fry pan made of cast iron or carbon steel. If you're making a delicate butter sauce, consider a stainless steel saucier that won't transfer flavors between dishes. If you're making a quick tomato sauce, a ceramic-lined pot will fit the bill. In essence, sticking to one cookware material can limit your ability to get as creative as possible in your kitchen. There is no single best cookware material for all purposes. Aim instead for a well-curated collection of cookware that's been assembled around your specific menu.