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Stainless Steel Cookware

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  2. Stainless Steel Cookware
  3. Cookware Sets
  4. Cookware Reviews
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Cookware Features

Stainless Steel Cookware, Nonstick Pots and Pans.

Pots and pans are made from one type of metal or a combination of several.
Most low-cost cooking vessels are carbon or stainless steel, aluminum or anodized aluminum. Aluminum is low-cost, lightweight, and a good conductor of heat, but thin aluminum dents easily and unless properly coated, minute traces can leach into the food cooking inside; the Tramontina 10-piece Everyday Cookware Set (starting at $49, Amazon) and Paula Deen 10-piece Nonstick set (starting at $99, Amazon), for example, are coated with enamel on the outside and a nonstick coating on the inside. The surface of anodized aluminum is harder (thanks to an electro-chemical process) and unlikely to leach, boasts nonstick qualities, and is relatively resistant to scratching.

Stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat, but it's inexpensive, strong, nonreactive to food, and unlikely to corrode. Pots and pans in the best cheap stainless steel cookware sets, like the 10-piece Farberware Classic (starting at $70, Amazon) and 12-piece JC Penney (starting at $39, Amazon)cookware sets, get a heat boost through the incorporation of an aluminum disk in the bottom of the pan (pricier cookware might have a copper base). Experts prefer stainless steel or anodized aluminum cooking surfaces because foods brown nicely and deglazing is an option that's otherwise not possible with nonstick surfaces.

Many cheap cookware sets feature a nonstick coating that's applied on top of the metal form. Our picks for best cheap cookware sets, the T-fal Basic Nonstick Easy Care 10-piece set (starting at $59, Amazon) and Cuisinart Advantage 10-piece Nonstick (starting at $70, Amazon), are two examples of nonstick pots and pans (note that the two skillets in the Farberware Classic Stainless Steel set have nonstick interiors). Nonstick pots and pans are coated with synthetic PTFE, which carries the brand name Teflon if supplied by DuPont. Some consumers prefer nonstick pots and pans because they require minimal to no fat and ensure easy clean-up. On the other hand, not all cheap nonstick pots and pans are dishwasher-safe and we read reports from users saying the coating on some low-cost cookware tends to degrade quickly. Health concerns have been raised for years about nonstick coatings even though the Food and Drug Administration has approved their use in cookware. But if you're concerned about these chemicals, you might consider a cheap "green" cookware set like the 10-piece Earth Pan II by Farberware (starting at $117, Amazon) or the eight-piece StarFrit Alternative EcoPan set (starting at $110, Amazon).

by Maralyn Edid (Google+ Profile)

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Best Cheap Cookware Sets

T-fal Basic Nonstick Easy Care

Where to buy

Cuisinart Advantage 10-piece Nonstick

Where to buy

Good Cheap Cookware Sets

JC Penney 12-piece Stainless Steel

Where to buy

Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 10-piece

Where to buy
 
 
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Don't Bother Cheap Cookware Sets

Bialetti Fusion 9-piece

Nine of the usual pieces in this set, including three skillets, but disaffected consumers complain about loose handles, peeling nonstick coating, and glass lids that crack when overheated.

Chef's Du Jour Kitchen Combo

Despite its seeming riches -- 32 pieces!! -- this very low-priced cookware set is faulted for its lightweight uselessness. Buyers report the food sticks and burns, the knives don't cut, and the metal utensils rust.

 
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