How to Choose Cookware

The right cookware is a thing of beauty, and it lasts a long time. You have to do your homework to find out which style, brands, materials and pieces are right for you. Start small and build your set little by little, buying only the pieces you need. Unless, of course, you know exactly what you want, then you can skip right to simply finding the right price!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Determine what your cooking style is: rushed busy mom, gourmet chef, beginner in the kitchen or something in between. Think about how often you cook, how much time you spend cooking and how you feel about cookware in general. Is it just a means to an end or do you love looking at it and using it?

2. Learn about cookware materials. Once you've thought about your cooking style, it will point you toward certain cookware materials. Visit All-Clad Cookware and the Cookware Manufacturer’s Association Web sites to get helpful information about cookware materials.

3. Experiment with different types of cookware borrowed from friends and family. Cook something in it and decide if you like the way it looked, cooked and felt in your hand. See if the cookware is easy to clean up and if the pans get too hot too fast. Get recommendations from as many people as you know that feel the same way you do about cooking.

4. Head out to comparison shop cookware at your local department store or a mall cookware shop. There, you can compare styles, brands, materials, prices and sets firsthand. Pick up the different pieces and find what makes you feel like cooking!

5. Decide if you want to buy single pieces or a whole set. If you're a beginning cook, a large set might be a good choice because it has all the pieces you may ever need, including utensils and bakeware. Sometimes a set is too much of a good thing if you only like to cook certain meals or the cookware set you want is extremely expensive. In that case it's better to buy the best you can afford, piece by piece.

6. Check for other people's opinions on the cookware brand you're thinking of buying on shopping Web sites.

Tips & Warnings

• Many cookware brands offer once or twice yearly liquidation sales online, and some sites like Overstock.com offer deep discounts on irregular and discontinued items.
• The busiest, easiest, low-maintenance cookware is nonstick cookware, while the most affordable cookware is basic stainless steel.
• Classic, uncoated cast-iron is a good choice for certain pots and pans like a long-lasting griddle or a frying pan.
• Check your stove's manual for its cookware recommendations before you start investigating cookware choices. If you have a glass or other smooth top stove or an induction stove, only certain types of cookware will be compatible.

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