360 Cookware Review – Is It The Best Waterless Cookware?

If you enjoy cooking and want high quality stainless steel cookware, 360 cookware might have come up as an option for you. 

And now you might be trying to decide if its a good purchase.  

The Cookware Advisor is here to help!

360 Cookware is a brand of waterless cookware.  If you’re wondering what waterless cookware is, don’t worry, we’ll get to that in a minute.

Be assured that I’m also going to cover everything you need to know here about 360 Cookware.  Things like: 

Is it different from other stainless steel cookware?

Is it good quality?

How does it compare to other waterless cookware? And to other stainless steel cookware like All Clad?

Does it have aluminum?

And where’s the best place to buy it?

But first…

What is waterless cookware?

When I was first introduced to 360 cookware, I didn’t really understand what waterless cookware was.

Cookware without water?  That didn’t make sense. 

Cooking without water?  Why would we want to do that? (spoiler alert: answer coming up!)

I thought it was important to understand what it really means so I dug a little deeper.  Is it really a specific kind of cookware or is it regular cookware parading under a fancier name?  

You can read my detailed analysis on waterless cookware here but here’s a summary from that article: 

Simply explained, waterless cookware is cookware that is designed to create a vapor seal between the pot and lid, so that the food can cook faster in its own juices, and retain a lot more of the nutrients that might otherwise be lost by adding extra water or fat.

To answer the question I asked earlier, this is the reason why we might want to cook without water, to preserve the nutrition of food that is otherwise lost because of boiling or frying. 

Waterless cookware is essentially stainless steel cookware that is multi-ply or clad.  Clad means having multiple layers of metal, both on the base as well as up the sides. 

Usually, the inside layer that comes in contact with food, is a high quality grade of stainless steel referred to as Surgical Stainless steel. The outside layer is often magnetic stainless steel that makes it induction friendly.  The middle layer(s) is aluminum or copper for excellent heat conduction.

This means that waterless cookware is able to distribute heat all around the food – from the bottom, along the sides and from the top.  

The key feature of waterless cookware is the lids which are designed to form a vapor seal inside.  As the pot is heated, the lid forms a seal with the pot, trapping the vapor from the food and creating a somewhat pressure cooker like environment.

The question often asked is, can any other cookware achieve the same vapor seal? Simple answer is yes, depending on the lids.  Waterless cooking needs very well fitting lids. Some waterless cookware brands even come with steam release vents. But, to a large extent, vapor cooking can be accomplished with a regular stainless steel pot with well fitting lids.

Why should I should consider waterless cookware like 360 Cookware?

I’ll repeat what I said in my detailed analysis on waterless cookware: 

Say you’re in the market for new cookware.  Let’s assume you’ve narrowed it down to stainless steel cookware.  And you’ve further narrowed it down to a quality stainless steel set like Made In cookware or a waterless cookware set like 360 Cookware.

So essentially you have a choice here between two quality options.

Why would you choose one over the other?  Simply put – preference.

If you’re going to buy stainless steel cookware, waterless cookware offers all the benefits of stainless steel cookware with the additional benefit that it’s also designed for efficient steam or vapor cooking (aka waterless cooking).

You have an option. Almost like a 2 in 1 option when it comes to waterless cookware.

Now who among us doesn’t like options?

So, now that we’re armed with knowledge about waterless cookware, let’s proceed with an in-depth review of 360 Cookware. 

What’s included?

360 Cookware makes cookware, bakeware and accessories. For this review, I’m focusing solely on their stainless steel cookware.

They offer both pre-made sets, as well as an ala-carte selection of sauce pans, fry pans and sauté pans.

I particularly like the 360 Cookware slow cooker simply because it doubles your cookware’s versatility.

Basically its a slow cooker base that allows you to turn their 2.3 Qt, 4 Qt or 6 Qt pot into a slow cooker i.e. the same pot can be used on the stove as well as on the slow cooker base.

You can even use any other stainless steel pot you’ve got and turn it into a slow cooker with this base. What’s not to love?!

What is 360 Cookware made of?

360 Cookware is made of tri-ply stainless steel.  Tri-ply means 3 layers of metal, running along the base as well as up the sides.

The inside layer: This is the layer that touches the food. It’s a layer of 18/8, 304 stainless steel. On their website they call it T304 Surgical stainless steel. Just know that 304 and T304 are interchangeable names for the same type of food-grade stainless steel. More on the surgical part in a minute. 

18/8 means the steel has 18% chromium and 8% nickel.

The outer layer: This layer is 400 series stainless steel. What that means for you is this layer is magnetic, which makes the cookware compatible with induction cooktops.

The inner layer: Stainless steel on its own is a poor conductor of heat and needs to be sandwiched around a better conductor for efficient performance.  In the case of 360 Cookware, a thick layer of aluminum is sandwiched between the two layers of stainless steel for excellent heat conduction.  

For those interested, the aluminum never touches your food, it’s fully encased by the stainless steel layers.  

A note about Surgical stainless steel.

High quality stainless steel is often used for surgical equipment and biomedical implants.  Hence the name Surgical stainless steel. 

Generally, the type used in surgical equipment is a higher-end version called 316 stainless steel which contains a small percentage of molybdenum.  The chemical composition is approximately 16–18% chromium, and 10–14% nickel and 2% molybdenum.

What’s important for you to know here is that there is no formal definition on what constitutes “surgical stainless steel”.  This means that any grade of corrosion resistant steel (304 or 316) can be (and is) called surgical stainless steel. 

So are you really getting surgical stainless steel when you buy 360 Cookware? 

Factually speaking, yes.

But so would you if you purchased any other high quality stainless steel cookware in the market today. It’s important to see through the marketing material.

Is 360 Cookware good quality?

‘Quality’ is such a nebulous concept sometimes, hard to pin down and define.  But not to worry, we at the Cookware Advisor have you covered!

We’re going to look at a few objective criteria and then layer it with actual user feedback for our final conclusion on this.  

1. Material

The standard for high quality stainless steel cookware is 304 or 316 series stainless steel.

2. Heft

A good quality stainless steel pot will have a certain heaviness or ‘heft’ which you can feel when you lift it.  A heavier pot means the manufacturer didn’t skimp on material in making the pot.  This means it’s not likely to have hot spots so that food will get evenly cooked.  It will also be less susceptible to dents and dings.

To gauge the heft of 360 Cookware we decided to compare it with the ‘gold’ standard in stainless steel cookware, aka All Clad. 

For an objective apples to apples test, we looked at the gauge (wall thickness) of 360 Cookware vs the thickness of 3-ply All Clad cookware (note, All Clad also comes in 5 ply stainless steel, which means 5 layers).

A good quality stainless steel pot will have a certain heaviness or ‘heft’ which you can feel when you lift it. 

A heavier pot means the manufacturer didn’t skimp on material in making the pot.  This means it’s not likely to have hot spots so that food will get evenly cooked.  It will also be less susceptible to dents and dings.

To gauge the heft of 360 Cookware we decided to compare it with the ‘gold’ standard in stainless steel cookware, aka All Clad. 

For an objective apples to apples test, we looked at the gauge (wall thickness) of 360 Cookware vs the thickness of 3-ply All Clad cookware (note: All Clad also comes in 5 ply stainless steel, which means 5 layers).

Source

So 360 Cookware definitely passes the ‘heft test’, in fact is thicker than similar All Clad cookware.  As one user said, ‘It’s very well made and sturdy but not unnecessarily heavy!’

3. The inner core

360 Cookware has aluminum for its inner layer. Aluminum, as we’ve already learned earlier, is an excellent conductor of heat and an excellent choice for tri-ply cookware.

4. The reputation of the company

360 Cookware has built a solid reputation for high quality cookware and an almost 5 star rating among users.

But there’s more to that. The one thing that stands out about 360 Cookware is their commitment to being environmentally responsible. In the words of the owner and CEO, Bryan Hurley, they are a ‘green’ company, “not because it’s cool, but because it’s the right thing to do”.

And it’s not just ‘greenwashing’.  

360 Cookware have been recognized by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) for their green efforts. They have zero EPA permits, use zero toxic chemicals and create zero landfill contributions.

5. What people are saying

Lots of positive comments. Here are some snippets:

“A great non toxic option when cast iron is too heavy”

“Quality is top shelf!!”

“Fantastic! Vapor cooking has changed my life! Highly recommended!”

“This cookware is excellent quality, holds heat and temperature well, easy cleanup.”

“USA, design, material and workmanship, heftiness and usefulness are most appreciated.”

Is 360 Cookware healthy cookware?

When people ask that question, they’re usually wondering about one of two things: 

Is 360 Cookware oven and broiler safe?

Yes, you can use it safely up to 500 F.

Is 360 Cookware dishwasher safe?

It is, but my advice for washing cookware is to always hand wash.

What about the lids on 360 Cookware?

360 Cookware lids are made of stainless steel and are domed and grooved in order to create a seal for vapor cooking.

Because of the tri-ply construction, the food gets surrounded by heat and steam from all sides – which is why the cookware is called ‘360 cookware’!

What’s the warranty on 360 Cookware?

360 Cookware offers a fantastic lifetime warranty for workmanship and materials.  Meaning if you hold on to the proof of purchase, your heirs can claim a replacement in case of defect!   While that is not a likely scenario, the point is, this is a company that will stand behind its products.

According to the company:

“This is the last cookware you’ll ever have to buy.”

Where is 360 Cookware made?

Till 2019, 360 Cookware was 100% handcrafted in their Green E-Certified factory in Wisconsin, USA.  

However, their US supplier went out of business so they were forced to source some components from South Korea. Today over 85% of their cookware originates in the USA.

Is it hard to cook with 360 Cookware?

Not really but there is a learning curve, unlike, say nonstick cookware. 

For waterless cooking, you have to get used to cooking at lower temperatures. Start with medium heat, heat the pan enough to create a seal then reduce to low after the seal forms. The cookware will continue to cook on low temperature.

The question often asked is, can you use 360 Cookware for other than waterless cookware? The answer is of course you can. It functions like any other good quality stainless steel set.

The Comparison Zone

This is the section where we see how 360 Cookware stacks up against other Stainless Steel Cookware as well as other Waterless Cookware.

1. 360 Cookware vs Other Stainless Steel Cookware brands

A few things to note before we start the comparison:

• 360 Cookware is essentially a high quality stainless steel set
• The main difference between 360 Cookware and other stainless steel sets is the lids that are designed to create a vapor seal and give this cookware the added capability of waterless cooking.
• Meaning you have the option of waterless cooking or otherwise (waterfull cooking?!).  In the company’s own words:  “you can use your 360 Cookware to cook everything, in any style”.  
• We decided to compare it vs All Clad, Made in Cookware and Cuisinart MCP as these would be the closest competition in regular stainless steel cookware.

Important notes on 360 Cookware vs other stainless steel cookware brands: 

You can see that as stainless steel cookware set options, all 4 are quite comparable and it would be tough to decide amongst them.  So it comes down to 2 glaring differences: where its made and price: 

2. 360 Cookware vs Other Waterless Cookware brands

Important notes on 360 Cookware vs other waterless cookware brands: 

Any Negatives?

No review is complete without a look at any shortcomings or common complaints about a product. Here are a few about 360 Cookware though none of them are deal breakers in my view:

1. There’s definitely a learning curve if you want to master waterless cooking. Or even cooking with stainless steel if you’re making the transition from traditional nonstick cookware. Nothing insurmountable though. 360 Cookware comes with a Use & Care guide that not only tells you how to care for the cookware but also how to cook with the Vapor® Seal technology.
2. It’s definitely pricey, more expensive than All Clad. But then its heavier than All Clad which makes it a notch higher quality in my view. Plus its going to last for generations. ‘Expensive’ is only an indication of ‘value’, and you definitely get tremendous value with 360 Cookware!
3. Speaking of heavy, these are heavy pans. They have ‘heft’. Which is a good thing for a pan to have but could be a problem if you have weak wrists or some other mobility limitations.

Final Verdict?

360 Cookware gets a Buy Recommendation from the Cookware Advisor.

It is a well designed, high quality set of stainless steel cookware.

• It is versatile, meaning you can use it as a waterless cookware or regular cookware.  
• It’s heirloom cookware that you will be able to pass on to your next generation. 
• It’s made in the US (mostly).
• It’s made by a company that cares about being environmentally responsible.

Best Place to Buy 360 Cookware?

360 Cookware is available on the company website as well as Amazon though I recommend buying directly from their website. I find their listings on Amazon don’t reflect their range of options. Bonus: you can use this coupon code COOKWARE15 to get 15% off on their website.  

Use code: COOKWARE15 at checkout to get an instant 15% off

Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.