- Glass cookware is attractive and easy to clean. It is not porous, so it does not interact with food during the cooking process. The downside is that it is breakable, and breaks easily when exposed to extreme changes in temperature. It is dishwasher safe for quick, easy cleanup.
- Ceramic cookware is attractive, versatile, and dishwasher safe. It heats evenly and is non-reactive with food. Ceramic is easy to clean, even by hand, but can chip easily.
- Cast iron is an excellent choice because it will last for generations. It heats food evenly and has non-stick properties if properly seasoned. However, it is heavy, requires hand-washing, thorough drying and seasoning with oil after each cleaning.
- Stainless steel is safe and strong, as long as the inside of the cookware contains the recommended 18 percent chromium and 10 percent nickel. It is not the best at heat retention unless the bottoms are made of aluminum or copper. In the highest-quality stainless steel cookware, copper will cover the bottom and continue an inch or so up the sides of the pots and pans.
- The anodization process, during which the aluminum is immersed in acid, gives this cookware a hard, non-reactive, non-stick surface. It requires less cooking oil than most other cookware. It is stronger than stainless steel, but costs less.
