About Materials

Copper, preferred by many professional chefs, is an excellent heat conductor. It should be lined with tin or stainless steel to keep it from reacting with the foods cooked in it. However, high-quality pieces are expensive and heavy. They also require frequent polishing and, eventually, retaining.

Aluminum, like copper, is valued for its ability to conduct heat efficiently. Because it may react with acidic food (i.e., tomatoes) and scratches easily, it is usually combined with other materials, such as stainless steel, or treated (in a process called hard anodization) to prevent it from reacting and to make it easier to maintain. (When aluminum is combined with other materials, it is either sandwiched between layers of the material or placed as a disk on the bottom of the pan.)

Stainless steel is lightweight and easy to care for but conducts heat poorly. Therefore, this metal is often combined with aluminum or copper as described above. Top-of-the-line stainless-steel pans will have heavy bottoms, yet the pans will remain light.

Cast iron has been used by cooks for hundreds of years. This tried-and-true cookware retains heat efficiently, making it suitable for dishes such as stews that need long, slow cooking or for chicken or bacon, which need to be browned well. Cast iron must be seasoned before it is used. (This procedure involves rubbing the pan lightly with shortening and "baking" it in a moderate oven for about 1 hour.) Once seasoned, the pan will have a natural non-stick finish. If the pan isn't seasoned or if the seasoning is removed, cast iron will react with foods such as dried beans, and it may absorb the flavors of the foods cooked in it. Enameled cast iron, available in a variety of colors and styles, does not need to be seasoned, as it has a porcelain enamel coating to keep it from reacting with foods. We find that enameled cast iron doesn't brown foods quite as will as regular cast iron.

Non-stick surfaces are applied to pots, pans and skillets. These wares are popular as they are easy to clean and require little fat when cooking. They vary greatly in quality, and all non-stick cookware needs to be replaced eventually. When choosing non-stick pieces, select high-quality ones with hard surfaces that will resist scratches and damage from high heat.