And we mostly agree with you, that this is not a very high quality product. To compare, the Original Gotham Steel 10 piece set goes for around $100. So while the Stackmaster set costs more than the Original, it’s still quite affordable. As with the other Gotham Steel lines, we like the pan shapes and find them well-designed for most tasks . All the cookware has great design and looks more expensive than it is. At Hiya.com, Gotham Steel gets an average rating of 1.5/5 stars.
Though we tested only the skillets, we can say that all the pieces have a good design that makes them easy to use, easy to wash, and look more expensive than they are. The heating properties are similar to the original line. gotham steel cookware sets The pans are quite thin and light for tri-ply clad stainless steel, and that is reflected in the somewhat uneven heating. We had some scorching to deal with, and even at low heat settings, most food stuck to the pan .
But in reality, ceramic nonstick loses its nonstick properties quickly. If you read reviews, you’ll find many that say the nonstick coating lasted less than a year; in some cases, only a few months. One important thing to note here is that these particlesseem to release only at high heat–higher than most kitchen ranges can reach. Though this hasn’t been verified, it’sprobably the case that nonstick ceramic cookware is safe to use under almost all conditions. Note also thatnonstick ceramic is a different substance than actual ceramic cookware like Corningware or Xtrema. It is also different than the enamel coating found on some cast iron cookware .
Fish also released naturally after it had cooked to a certain point–but when we flipped it over to finish it, it had overcooked, just like the eggs, if we waited until it fully released. So the short answer is yes, as long as they’re made of aluminum and/or steel–but check with your recycler gotham steel cookware sets before tossing a nonstick pan in the recycling bin. The environmental concerns are probably still real, and it’s worth avoiding PTFE cookware for this reason alone. But we do have one telling piece of evidence to share here, and that is the Arbitration Agreement that came with the pan.
Gotham Steel cookware actually has a very nice design. The skillets have a good shape, with lots of flat cooking surface . The stainless steel handles are comfortable to hold and easy to stabilize.
PTFE cookware also used a compound called PFOA in the manufacturing process. PFOA is a nasty environmental contaminant, and is probably also a carcinogen. PFOA was outlawed in cookware in 2015, which is good. However, we don’t have good knowledge of what it’s been replaced with, and it’s entirely possible that the new material used is also dangerous. PFOS is the larger chemical family PFOA belongs to, so when cookware claims to be PFOS-free as well as PFOA-free, this is good–but we still don’t know what they’re using. Without full disclosure about this from cookware makers, it’s impossible to say if it’s safe–and therefore an ongoing concern.
This Circulon cookware set has a substantial, heavy feel that will last through years of use in the kitchen. The Circulon Symmetry cookware is significantly heavier than most of the other sets we tested. The extra weight leads to pots and pans that heat slowly and evenly. Silicone and rubber handles feel better in your hand than exposed metal. Some sets include extra cookware or accessories you probably already own while others offer pieces that may be more versatile.
When the pan has absorbed the optimal level of heat, the logo’s blank spots fill in red, alerting you that the pan is ready. We found this unique feature useful because it takes the guesswork out of when to start cooking. It’s important to note that nonstick cookware should not be cleaned with a scouring pad or other abrasive cleaners, and our testing goes against the recommendations of the manufacturers. But we also believe the results indicate how likely each cook set might survive repeated cleanings. After we scrubbed the smaller pan in each set, we then repeated our fried egg test directly over the impacted surface. Where before there was little distinction between all the products, allowing the egg to easily slide from the surface, now clear differences emerged.
The Farberware Millennium set may be our favorite set aesthetically. The dark cherry red porcelain is sharp and sophisticated and would look great in any kitchen. In our tests, the Farberware products were quick to reach that dangerous 500-degree level, but the cooking surface was uniformly heated, showing a low variance of just 41 °F. Like the Circulon Symmetry, the Anolon Advanced set is distinctly heavier than the others, which means it heats slower and more evenly. We also appreciated the smooth, slick surface and the high walls of the Anolon pots and pans.
The Symmetry cookware also outperformed all the others we tested in terms of temperature consistency across the surface. Often, food will cook at a different pace because the temperature of the pan varies at different spots of the cooking surface. But the cooking surface of the Circulon line maintains a remarkably even temperature.