Cookware Materials & Heat Conductivity
Buying a cooking set can be an enjoyable experience, but also a challenge due to the variety of choices of them on the market. Whether you’re looking for your first set or replacing an old one, there are 5 important things you should consider before you go shopping:
2. Material Matters
After knowing what you want, the next key is cookware materials or conduction metal. The mainstream are: aluminum, anodized, cast iron, copper, enamel, non-stick, and,certainly, stainless steel.
Why material is matter?
The answer is Heat conductivity — Each metal has different heat transferable performance or ability to react to temperature changes.
Some metals are better heat conductors than others. For example, copper is a particularly better heat conductivity than stainless steel. In cooking terms, when you turn the heat up or down, the copper pots and pans will react to the temperature change much quicker than happened for stainless. The quicker time to heat, the saver energy to use or it calls better
fuel efficiency. From high to low:
- Copper is highly conductive material, making it ideal when temperature control is a must, like for delicate sauces. Yet, it’s very pricy.
- Aluminum is also great conductive metal for cooking, and will keep heat temperature longer. Aluminum is used to combine with other metal, such as copper of stainless.
- Anodized Aluminum or Hard Anodized Aluminum is the new trend of cooking tools. The anodization is the process that makes the aluminum or (selected metal) harder, non-porous, and darker in order to improve heat absorption ability. Anodized aluminum is accepted from a smooth, durable surface that won’t crack or peel.
- Stainless Steel is the primarily classic metal for this. Stainless itself doesn’t have high heat conductivity, but it’s always used in combined with copper or aluminum for better heat absorption. It can be found more than half of cookware tools for it cooking performances and prices.
- Cast Iron is an old favorite, found every kitchen, and still using nowadays. Cast iron is slow to get heat, but can hold it heat tremendously good. This metal is unbeatable in its durable and lasting for long lifetime in your kitchens.
