1) Ceramic (Safest)

Ceramic is created by exposing nonmetallic material (like clay, tile or glass) to a tremendous amount of heat. Most ceramic cookware is not purely ceramic but rather a ceramic coating over metal.

Aggressive testing shows that ceramic-coated metals are very resistant to abrasion and are unreactive even with highly acidic foods (Addo Ntim et al., 2018). Pure ceramic is an extremely safe cooking material, but it is fragile and susceptible to thermal shock. Only use ceramic over low heat and never wash it while it's still warm.

Takeaway:

If you're confident the ceramic is lead-free, it's probably the safest cookware money can buy. 

Best Ceramic Coated Aluminum Brand

Brand: Caraway

Features: Sleek, retro, and colorful, these aluminum pans with triple-layered ceramic-nonstick coating are durable and functional. Properly taken care of, they last a long time and will retain their nonstick properties. 

Why this Brand? The company is committed to its green ideals. Unlike many competitors, they make their base from native aluminum, rather than anodized aluminum, because they do not support the process used to dispose of the sulfuric acid used in the anodization process.  

2) Copper 

Copper cookware is rarely pure copper. It's usually lined with tin or stainless steel. Copper gains and loses heat quickly, making it ideal for finely-tuned temperature control.

Copper resists corrosion and conducts heat well. However, it can leach ions into the food under heat or acidic conditions. While humans require a small amount of copper as a trace nutrient, too much can be toxic (FAO/WHO 2017). 

To mitigate this risk, the copper intended for use as cookware should be coated with tin or stainless steel. While coatings do not entirely prevent the leaching of metals into food material, they reduce it to harmless levels (Benavi et al., 2020)

Best Copper Pan Brand

Brand: Longastina Martelleta

Features: These sets are tri-ply copper, meaning there is a thin sheet of aluminum sandwiched between two thin sheets of copper, coated with stainless steel. This allows for great heat conduction and even heat distribution.

Why this Brand? This brand is well-reviewed, long-lasting, and popular among professional chefs. In reality, most people would do best not to buy the whole set. Copper is probably not ideal for a stockpot, but a serious cook may find a single copper fry pan an essential tool.

3) Cast Iron 

Heavy, dark cast iron cookware is made from a mixture of iron and steel, usually with added carbon. While they contain no coating directly, one is expected to “season” or seal the metal with a layer of polymerized fats, which then offers some protection.

Like other metals in direct contact with food, cast iron may release metals. However, several factors make it likely to be safe.

First, repeated use forms an oxide layer, protecting the food. Also, oil inhibits release of metal ions. Secondly, cast iron pans are tempered with a layer of oil that permanently coats the metal surface (Koo et al., 2020). Finally, cast iron simply does not contain metals that are dangerous. All of this makes them very dependable cooking tools.

*** A nearly ideal option is to use enamel-coated cast iron. You will still incur all the advantages of the cast iron, but the enamel keeps it from leaching metals while also making it nonstick. 

Best Cast Iron Cookware

Best Enamel-Coated Cast Iron Cookware

4) Stainless Steel 

Stainless steel consists of an alloy of iron, carbon, chromium, and nickel. The nickel and chromium gives stainless steel its corrosion resistance and heat conduction properties. Choose stainless steel stamped 18/10 or 18/8 on the bottom (this refers to the percent chromium and nickel in the mixture).

Stainless steel cookware is long-lasting, non-reactive, and very durable. Unfortunately, it also is expensive and very adhesive to food. Cheaper versions, often stamped 18/0 and not containing nickel, have poor heat conduction capabilities.

Best Stainless Steel Pan Brand

Brand: Sardel (Affiliate link)

Features: These lovely tools are five-ply--five!--stainless steel compatible with both ovens and induction ranges. Handles are hollow and heat-resistant.

Why this Brand? The craftsmanship and high-quality materials guarantee these pans’ longevity and functionality. They are well worth the wait.

5) Aluminum 

While native aluminum is safe with most foods, it can be problematic when it comes into contact with acids, like tomatoes or coffee. If you want to avoid this risk, anodized aluminum is available. Aluminum oxide, the resulting product of anodized aluminum, is a non-reactive surface and much harder than native aluminum.

On native aluminum, acids can cause a small amount of the metal to leach into the food, but it does not occur in quantities that put human health at risk--there’s probably a lot more aluminum in your chocolate bar (Thorsten et al., 2017a, b). 

What about Anodized Aluminum?

Anodized aluminum is inert, meaning that it won’t react with acidic food products (Gupta et al., 2019). While pure anodized aluminum was more common in the past, modern anodized aluminum cookware is nearly always coated with a nonstick surface (usually PTFE) to improve its functionality. 

6) Granite 

The cooking material known as “granite” is actually stainless steel covered in a layer of nonstick porcelain enamel.

These lightweight pans are easy to clean but susceptible to chipping. Stop using the pan if the coating begins to chip; the enamel is a thin layer of glass which could be harmful if small pieces made their way into food. Some graniteware may include PTFE because, without it, the pans are not entirely nonstick.

7) Nonstick 

Nonstick is closely associated with Teflon, the brand name of PTFE, a waxy substance that glazes the microscopic pores in a metal pan, preventing food from getting caught to its surface.

Teflon experienced controversy in the 2010s because of concerns over PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), a harmful chemical used in the manufacturing of PTFE. PFOA has been outlawed since 2015 (EPA, 2018), and consumer fears have moved on to PTFE itself.

Because it volatilizes into harmful fumes at around 450°F, manufacturers recommend that it should not be used above low heat. While research indicates that it is inert and non-toxic to humans below this temperature, it is easy to exceed 450°F while cooking (Purser, 1992).

It’s also worrisome that no experimental studies have been done that describe the toxicity of ingesting PTFE solids (Muhammad and Ilyas, 2017).

Although PTFE coatings still exist (although they are now labeled as PFOA-free), many PTFE competitors are currently on the market. Their compositions and manufacturing practices are unknown and may be just as questionable as PTFE.