Cookware material profiles
Quick answer
Conductivity, heat retention, induction, oven ceiling and what each material is genuinely best at. There are 15 tables in this set, each one worked through for a specific combination rather than described in general terms.
- Cookware
Tri-ply stainless clad cookware
Tri-ply stainless clad's aluminium core conducts heat at about 237 W/m-K, while the stainless cooking surface itself is only about 16.
- Cookware
Five-ply stainless clad cookware
Five-ply stainless clad's aluminium layers conducts heat at about 237 W/m-K, while the stainless cooking surface itself is only about 16.
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Disc-base stainless cookware
Disc-base stainless's aluminium disc in the base conducts heat at about 237 W/m-K, while the stainless walls and cooking surface itself is only about 16.
- Cookware
Bare cast iron cookware
Bare cast iron conducts heat at about 52 W/m-K. It works on induction and is oven safe to about 700F.
- Cookware
Carbon steel cookware
Carbon steel conducts heat at about 50 W/m-K. It works on induction and is oven safe to about 600F.
- Cookware
Enamelled cast iron cookware
Enamelled cast iron's iron body conducts heat at about 52 W/m-K. It works on induction and is oven safe to about 500F.
- Cookware
PTFE nonstick cookware
PTFE nonstick's aluminium body conducts heat at about 237 W/m-K. It works on induction only with a magnetic base and is oven safe to about 400F.
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Ceramic nonstick cookware
Ceramic nonstick's aluminium body conducts heat at about 237 W/m-K. It works on induction only with a magnetic base and is oven safe to about 350F.
- Cookware
Bare or anodised aluminium cookware
Bare or anodised aluminium conducts heat at about 237 W/m-K. It does not work on induction and is oven safe to about 500F.
- Cookware
Plain stainless steel cookware
Plain stainless steel conducts heat at about 16 W/m-K. It works on induction only with a magnetic base and is oven safe to about 500F.
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Lined copper cookware
Lined copper's copper body conducts heat at about 401 W/m-K, while the stainless or tin lining itself is only about 16.
- Cookware
Stoneware and ceramic bakeware cookware
5 W/m-K. It does not work on induction and is oven safe to about 450F. It is best for gratins, casseroles and anything that goes from oven to table.
- Cookware
Tempered glass bakeware cookware
Tempered glass bakeware conducts heat at about 1 W/m-K. It does not work on induction and is oven safe to about 425F.
- Knives
Wood cookware
Wood does not work on induction and does not go in the oven at all.
- Knives
Polyethylene and polypropylene cookware
Polyethylene and polypropylene does not work on induction and does not go in the oven at all. A plastic board can be sanitised in a dishwasher, which a wooden one cannot.
Common questions
Where do these figures come from?
Every number on these pages is calculated from the same material properties and published manufacturer specifications that the calculators use, so the two can never disagree. Each page is labelled as resting on either a published standard or a kitchen convention, and where no defensible figure exists the page says so rather than inventing one.
Why are there so many of these pages?
Because the useful answer is almost always specific. A page that tells you what size pan four seared portions need is far more useful than a page about pan sizing in general, and there are genuinely that many combinations worth working through. Each one carries its own worked table rather than a generic one.
Are the prices on these pages current?
Product prices come from live retailer data at build time and they move constantly, which is why every product card carries that warning rather than presenting a figure as fixed. The calculated figures, meaning areas, capacities, temperatures and hardness, do not change.
