Blue Diamond is made of aluminum that’s coated inside with a ceramic finish, rather than a traditional one made of PTFE. While you many not find it as stickproof, you will get the benefit of easy cleanup. Unlike other nonstick pans, these can withstand temps up to 850 degrees F on the stovetop or in the oven, so you can go ahead and fearlessly sear a sirloin in a frypan or glaze pork chops under the broiler. Testing has revealed that Blue Diamond heats evenly, so if you’re slinging pancakes you don’t have to keep moving them around in the pan to get them all done at the same time. Even the stickiest foods, like fried eggs and pancakes, fall out of the pan, leaving the surfaces virtually spotless, even when you don’t use butter.
It includes a great assortment of cookware, including different-sized pots and pants for all your needs. Each is lightweight, strong and durable and can withstand high heat (up to 600˚F). The lids are clear with stainless steel handles that are designed to stay cool. Plus, the handles feel comfortable to hold and protrude a bit to fit comfortably in your grip while cooking. A classic choice of cookware, Le Creuset’s three-ply stainless steels saucepans take the mess out of serving up a cleverly constructed meal.
The Dutch oven is 5 quarts and the deep straight-sided sauté pan is only 2.5 quarts. However, when you cook directly in aluminum some of the metal leaches into your food, giving it a gray-ish cast. The vast majority of aluminum cookware has some kind of finish, either enamel or nonstick, to prevent this from happening and also make it easier to clean. Aluminum cookware can’t be used on an induction burner unless it has a layer of stainless steel in the base. Read on for how we evaluate nonstick cookware in our Lab and consumer tests — plus everything you need to know to shop for your perfect cookware set — at the end of this guide.
A frying pan has a flat bottom base with sloped sides that make it easier to move and stir ingredients while cooking. A saute pan has a larger surface area with high sides that Cookware Sets go straight up at a 90° angle. It’s excellent for searing meat or for when you need to cook sauces as the sides prevent liquids from spilling over the top and making a mess.
This easy-to-clean set from GreenPan is a personal favorite among our kitchen pros. It has a hard-anodized exterior and a ceramic nonstick interior, which the company claims is free of PFOA, PFAS, lead and cadmium. This Scandinavian style set received was awarded the Prestige International RedDot Design & IF Design Award in 2020, and not without reason.