A great tip before buying any cookware is to match the cookware materials to the type of cook the person is. Your Cookware Helper makes it easy by identifying four (4) types of cooks, and the cookware most suitable for them. While one type may fit perfectly, it is very likely a persons lifestyle, style of cooking, and time allotted for cooking can span more than one type. Think about the person you are buying cookware for, and I’m sure you can identify the characteristics described.
Matching Cookware Materials to the 4 Types of CooksÂ
#1: Matching Cookware Materials for “The Reluctant Cook”
 This person cooks out of necessity, does not necessarily enjoy cooking, and wants to get it over with as quickly as possible. This person wants to throw some food on/in the stove, cook it up, throw the dishes in the dishwasher, and get on to more important things. Time is a key factor here. Having to hand wash a skillet would be out of the question.
Suitable cookware materials for “The Reluctant Cook” include:
- Dishwasher safe Nonstick
- Stainless Steel
- Some of the newer dishwasher safe Anodized Aluminum
- Glass / Ceramic / Stoneware
#2 Matching Cookware Materials for “The Busy Cook”
 This person will likely have the most pieces of cookware in their kitchen. They are transitional. During the week they need to cook rather fast to get the food prepared, on the table, eaten, kids to bed, walk the dog, pay the bills, get a few hours of sleep, and start it all over again tomorrow. But on weekends, they may enjoy a break from the fast pace and spend a little more time preparing something fancier. As they may not spend the money on themselves for a fine piece of cookware, they are very appreciative of the gift for these weekend adventures.
Suitable cookware materials for “The Busy Cook” include:
- Everything!
- Dishwasher safe Nonstick for the busy weekdays
- Stainless Steel because it is dishwasher safe
- Copper and/or Aluminum Clad Stainless Steel for the finer cooking
- Cast Iron – plain or enameled
- Anodized Aluminum because it is durable
- Glass / Ceramic / Stoneware because it is easy to see and judge when the food is cooked
#3 Matching Cookware Materials for “The Chef”
This person is sensory. This person gets a lot of satisfaction seeing, smelling, and tasting the treats being prepared. They need a light color on the inside of the cookware so the contents can be clearly seen as they saute, brown, and caramelize. While clean up may not be a joy, they do not mind the delicate hand washing. They almost see it as a challenge to cook the food at the right temperature and duration so it doesn’t stick. Having the cookware do what it is supposed to do is paramount. Quality is vital.
Suitable cookware materials for “The Chef” include:
- Copper
- Copper and/or Aluminum Fully Clad Stainless Steel
- A quality Nonstick skillet for delicate foods like fish and eggs
- Cast Iron
- Glass / Ceramic / Stoneware
#4 Matching Cookware Materials for “The Healthy Cook”
 This person, whether by necessity or choice, is vitally aware of the health aspects of food. This person uses intuition and research on choosing cookware materials and may not always trust what the manufacturer, industry, or government says is safe. This person is likely to buy organic foods and eat healthy. They may or may not enjoy the process of cooking. To this person, cooking is a means to an end. It is important to this person that their cookware not leave trace amounts of coatings, surfaces, or dangerous metals in their food. Traditional “Teflon” nonstick is definitely off the list.
Suitable cookware materials for “The Healthy Cook” include:
- Plain Cast Iron – as long as they do not have too much iron in their bloodstream already
- Enameled Cast Iron – as long as it is quality and the enamel does not chip
- Glass / Ceramic / Stoneware
- Stainless Steel that does not have nonstick interiors
- Eco-friendly nonstick
Check out our section on Cookware Materials, where we have all the info needed to select the best cookware material for you.
Enjoy!