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The All Purpose Nonstick Cookware Set

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The All Purpose Nonstick Cookware Set

Written by Mark Jala

With its ease of use and cleanup, the nonstick cookware set has gained a lot of popularity. Health matters aside, nonstick cookware is a consideration for many cooks who want food to slide off the cookware and cleanup to be as quick as possible.

What is the actual cookware material?
The quality of cookware is not determined as much by the external coating, as it is by the cookware material itself. Too many shoppers looking for ease of use will get a nonstick surface without any regard for the more important core material. Today, nonstick surfaces are being applied to aluminum, anodized aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and other materials. A quality piece of cookware will have aluminum or copper clad inside the cookware.

What should I get in a nonstick cookware set?
Here is an example of what you should get in a quality nonstick cookware set. This one, at the time of this writing, is an Anolon Professional 12 piece nonstick set, list price of $803, but on sale for $149.99. (Deals similar to this will be listed on our deals page, and in our articles!)

2 quart sauce pan w/ lid
3 quart sauce pan w/ lid
4 quart sauce pan w/ lid
5 quart saute pan w/ lid
8 quart stockpot w/ lid
10 inch skillet
4 quart steamer insert
Oven safe to 500 degrees

Other cookware sets will not have the steamer insert, but add another sized skillet / fry pan / omelet pan.

Quality nonstick coating
Several manufacturers claim to have the "toughest" nonstick surface. DuPont, the maker of Teflon, has the Autograph 2 nonstick coating as their top of the line product. It is found on a number of quality cookware products including Anolon. T-Fal is known to be very tough. Circulon advertises their Total line to outlast all other nonstick surfaces. If you are going to go with nonstick, for health matters, stick with a high quality manufacturer.

Heat and cleaning
As with all nonstick surfaces, use low to medium heat. Higher heat can not only damage the cookware itself and the coating, but also possibly release harmful fumes. Read the care and use instructions of the cookware. If it claims to be dishwasher safe, is it safe all the time, or just some of the time. Most nonstick surfaces have instructions to clean by hand.

As seen in our exclusive article on Matching Cookware to the Cook, nonstick surfaces are suitable for the Reluctant Cook and the Busy Cook. These surfaces are attractive for frying foods up without sticking and an easy cleanup. There are good deals out there, but be sure you get a quality set made of quality cookware materials. One quality material to consider is stainless steel. Check out our article on A Powerful Blend - Stainless Nonstick.

Happy Cooking!

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