Cast iron has long been a great material for cookware.  Throughout the centuries, cast iron pots and pans have been the treasures of kings and more recently have been passed down through the generations of many families.  Besides being almost impossible to break, cast iron does a great job of evenly distributing heat.  A good cast iron Dutch oven, for instance, does something special for such things as soups, stew, pot roasts and a variety of other things.  It is a staple of both campfire cooking enthusiasts and indoor chefs for the slow cooking goodness that can be accomplished with cast iron cookware.

 Far from the exotic non-stick surfaces that have been developed in recent years, cast iron users have long known of the special non-stick properties of a well seasoned fry pan or Dutch oven.  When seasoned properly by a new owner (see the page on the care of cast iron cookware), it can prove to be as effective for non-stick cooking and easy clean up as any new stainless steel or aluminum pans on the market.

(To see our selection of Cast Iron cookware, click here.)

 One drawback of cast iron, however, is rust.  But when washed, dried and warmed on the stove to get the last vestiges of moisture off of the metal, this is not a major problem.  Therefore, cast iron pans can pass through generation after generation in some families as a favorite piece of cookware for "that special recipe".  I still use pans that came from my grandmother who received them when she was married over a hundred years ago (yes-she was married in 1895 in Toronto, Canada.)

 Mention needs to be made of a cookware material that was popular over the last several decades but is fading from use at this time.  That material is the various forms of glass.  Tempered glass, such as Pyrex, has the property of being able to withstand very high temperatures.  Often, though, these pans came with a small, wire "spacer" to keep them from coming in direct contact with electric burner elements.  As a result of that same property, heat did not transfer quickly or evenly throughout the pans.

 I grew up with a couple of these in my family.  It was interesting to see things cooking through the side of the pan, not just from the top.  But slowly these pans bit the dust in ways that I don't want to see again.  One broke on the stove when the hot temperatures from below met the cold temperature of the frozen food that was inside the pan.  The other met its demise when it was dropped in a porcelain lined steel sink.  Hence, the end of my fascination with glass cookware.  While we still use glass baking pans for cakes, casseroles and pies, we don't use those pieces on top of the stove.

 Also, through the years, it was also common to see porcelain covered steel cookware, similar to the old coffee pots that you would see in cowboy movies.  This was done in an effort to keep inexpensive pots and pans from rusting.  But the thin metal and brittle porcelain often resulted in dented pans and chipped porcelain leading to the very rust that the owner was trying to avoid in the first place.  So while they occupy an interesting place in Americana, they are not used much in modern cooking.

 Today, porcelain, or enamel, coated cookware is pretty much limited to enameled cast iron cookware.  It is well received for all of the positive characteristics of cast iron without the rust problems or seasoning needs of plain cast iron.  It seems to lasts forever, is attractive with many colors and it makes terrific meals.  If it wasn't for the fact that it is heavier than most other cookware materials, I think that it would be more widely used.  I have a small Le Creuset Dutch oven that was used by my mother over 50 years ago and it still does a great job for us for dishes that need a slow roasted approach, such as a small pot roast.

 Today it is common to see most cookware made of either stainless steel or aluminum. There seems to be a great controversy over the advisability of Stainless Steel cookware vs. Aluminum Cookware. Here is some information that might help you in your decisions.

 Stainless Steel is a great material for cookware. It is an alloy that starts with basic iron with up to 8 alloys added, depending on the quality. The major alloys in stainless steel are chromium and nickel. The chromium provides rust and corrosion resistance and durability. Nickel provides additional rust resistance, hardness, and high polishing characteristics. The numbers 18/0 and 18/8 refer to the percentage of content of chromium and nickel. To be classified as stainless steel, the metal must contain at least 11% chromium (no nickel required). Stainless steel used in cookware is normally 18% chromium and 8% to 10% nickel (300 series).

 Low end stainless steel cookware, mixing bowls, stockpots and accessories are usually 18/0 (400 series), which are usually not highly polished, and could be subject to some rust spotting.

 A simple way to test whether or not a stainless steel pan is 18/0 or 18/8 is to place a magnet against it. If the pan is magnetic, it is 18/0.  If it isn't magnetic, it is 18/8 (or 18/10). The addition of nickel neutralizes the natural ferrous properties of the iron in the stainless steel.

 Aluminum cookware is very different than stainless steel. Aluminum cookware can be formed either by pressing or by casting. Most aluminum cookware on the market today is formed by pressing. Casting of aluminum is a slower and more expensive process, however the end result is that the body thickness is generally thicker than pressed aluminum, and the bottom and the rims can be made even thicker than the sidewalls. This helps to prevent warping, or going "out of round". Cast aluminum is also more porous than pressed aluminum, which results in better heat retention. When polished or coated, it is difficult to visually tell the difference between pressed or cast aluminum.

 Aluminum cookware can also be improved by a process called "hard anodizing". This is a Electro-chemical process which increases the thickness of natural oxide film in aluminum, to give it a hard non-oxidizing finish. The surface of the aluminum actually becomes harder than steel, which dramatically increases the durability of the surfaces of aluminum. The exterior finish after the hard anodizing process turns to a dark gray color.

 Different types of metal can be laminated or bonded together, to combine the advantages of the different metals into a single cookware body. This marriage of metals is often called TRI-PLY. An example would be a 3 layer construction pan consisting of two outer layers of stainless steel, with an inner layer of aluminum. This incorporates all of the benefits of each metal into one piece of cookware. The lamination of metals is done in the raw material stage, in sheets, and blanks are cut from the sheets to be formed into cookware shapes in a press. The entire process is somewhat costly, and this construction is found only on higher priced cookware.

 What results is a pan that is extremely hard and durable AND has the characteristic of distributing heating very evenly. This means that the pans stay bright and shiny, are easy to clean and they cook evenly without "hot spots". TRI-PLY pans are a great way to combine value and quality and provide great gourmet cooking with labor saving features.

 So if you are looking for new cookware, you have some thinking to do.  Copper coated, cast iron, enamel cast iron, stainless steel tri ply and anodized aluminum cookware all provide great cooking and attractive additions to your kitchen.  But just remember, they are all designed to help you make the best meals possible with the least hassle and with easy clean-up. 

Happy hunting!