Measured: Cookware is judged by how well the metal conducts heat, measured in watts per meter kelvin. Buyers also check the maker's stated oven limit in degrees Fahrenheit and whether a magnet sticks to the base for induction.
The basics
What to know about cookware material
Every pan you own answers to its metal. What the pan is made of sets how fast it heats and how hard you can push it. It also decides whether your induction cooktop even sees it, and how many years it lasts before a coating gives up. Shape and price come second.
Two numbers do most of the explaining. Conductivity is how quickly heat travels through a material. Copper moves it at about 400 watts per meter kelvin, aluminum about 200, cast iron near 50, and stainless steel only 15. Mass does the opposite job. Heavy pans store heat and hand it back when cold food lands. That is why a 5 pound iron skillet browns a steak that a thin steel pan steams instead.
Three rules narrow the field before feel matters. Induction cooktops heat only metal a magnet sticks to, so test the base with a refrigerator magnet. Oven limits differ by hundreds of degrees across these materials, and coated pans carry the lowest one. Care sets the last rule: bare iron cannot go in a dishwasher, coated surfaces cannot meet metal tools, and copper needs polishing to stay bright. Most kitchens end up with two or three of these rather than one pan asked to do everything.
