Best Cookware Deals

Your budget and needs will play a big part when you're shopping for the best deals on cookware that works for you. If you don't cook often, you don't need professional chef-worthy gear. Once you decide on a budget, look to the most popular brands. Calphalon, Cuisinart, and All-Clad are well-known brands that commonly show up on "best cookware" lists.

If you're concerned about your cookware leaching heavy metals or losing nonstick coatings, look for the following materials; they tend to make the recommendation lists for the safest cookware:

• Ceramic
• Cast iron
• Stoneware
• Glass
• Corningware
• Stainless steel

There's a pan for practically everything, from making candy to searing meats. If you're looking for cookware deals, here are some common types of pans to consider:

• Brazier: Short, wide alternative to Dutch oven and made from stainless steel.
• Casserole pan: Can be found in round or rectangular shapes, and is typically made for use on the stove (especially the round ones) as well as baking in the oven.
• Crepe pan: It has shallower sides than a traditional skillet, making it ideal for flipping pancakes and crepes.
• Dutch oven: Versatile piece of cookware that can be used for stocks, soups, sauces, braised dishes, deep-fried treats, bread, chicken, and pasta.
• Frying pan: Probably what most think of when they think of a skillet, with a long handle and wide, sloped sides.
• Griddle: Flat cooktop suitable for standard breakfast foods like eggs, pancakes, and hash browns. It's also ideal for items like steaks and burgers.
• Roasting pan: Most often used for cooking a giant bird for holidays like Thanksgiving, this pan is also good for roasting large amounts of vegetables or making lasagna to feed a crowd.
• Saucepan: This looks like a smaller pot and comes with a lid. It's usually good for heating small amounts of sauce, or even making small amounts of grains like rice, quinoa, and couscous.
• Saute pan: Similar to a frying pan, but tends to have straight, taller sides, and comes with a lid.
• Skillet: Also similar to a frying pan, but generally has taller sides. A skillet tends to refer to a pan made with cast iron, rather than a material like stainless steel.
• Stockpot: Great for boiling water, making broths and stocks, making enough soup to feed a small army, or even steaming things like veggies with a steamer insert.

Preferred brands vary from chef to chef, but highly recommended lines include:

• Zwilling
• Staub
• Le Creuset
• All-Clad
• Mauviel