Struggling to decide between ceramic vs stainless steel cookware?
Here’s a thought – what if you chose both?
Hear me out. I think any kind of cookware serves a purpose, depending on the type of cooking, the type of stove. And even the type of chef. Which in this case is you! (more on that later).
But if you’re really looking for some tips to figure out ceramic vs stainless steel cookware and which one you should go for, this is your ultimate guide.
Which one is better?
Which one is more durable?
Which one is safer?
And the most important question that NO ONE is answering:
Which one are YOU better for?
By the end of this article you’ll know the pros and cons of each option, making it easy for you to pick the best one for yourself.
Let’s get started in understanding the choice between ceramic vs stainless steel cookware!
Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – what’s the difference?
Firstly I want to clarify that this article deals with ceramic coated cookware, not 100% ceramic cookware, which is a different beast altogether.
100% ceramic cookware, like Xtrema, has no metals. It’s handmade and then glazed and baked in a kiln. Many people consider it the safest cookware because it is free of any toxins. Just know that for this article, any time we mention ceramic cookware, we will not be talking about 100% ceramic cookware but ceramic coated cookware.
So, what is ceramic coated cookware?
It’s metallic cookware (usually aluminum, sometimes stainless steel or cast iron) that is coated with a layer or layers of ceramic based non-stick coating.
Ceramic technically means ‘clay that has been fire hardened’. The composition of the ceramic nonstick coating is essentially the same as sand or stone.
Now if you think about it, how could clay or sand be applied to a metal? Here’s where the ‘sol gel’ technique comes in.
Sol-gel is a process that converts the inorganic liquid solution into a gel that can be applied to any metallic substance. Sol-gel coatings are applied either by spray or by dipping the item in the mineral gel which is then hardened by a high heat firing process known as curing.
During this high heat curing process, the ingredients in the gel melt together to form a slick, glassy surface, the characteristic look of a ceramic coating.
If the above made your eyes glaze over (and I wouldn’t blame you if it did!), here’s the explanation in a nutshell:
Ceramic cookware refers to metallic pans with a ceramic nonstick coating. The pans could be made of aluminum, stainless steel or cast iron.
Stainless steel pans refers to pans made of food grade stainless steel without any nonstick coating.
Since both could be made of stainless steel, it’s clear that the main difference is that one is a coated pan and the other is a non-coated pan
Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – Which performs better?
For this question, I’m going to look at 10 criteria objectively, much like I did for my article on ceramic vs teflon.
So here goes:
1. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – How high can you heat them?
Ceramic coating is heat resistant up to to 842 F though the nonstick characteristic of this type of coating can begin to deteriorate at temperatures above 662°F.
Most good quality stainless steel pans come with a heat safe range of around 500- 550F.
Stainless steel has no coating and won’t melt till it hits around 1400 F or higher. So you might be wondering why the limit.
It’s to prevent warping. Stainless steel on its own is a poor conductor of heat. So most stainless steel cookware has an inner layer (either a disc at the bottom or a full layer up the sides, called cladding) of aluminum or copper. Different materials have different heat tolerances which become more pronounced at super high heat. Hence the danger of warping.
So it seems like ceramic cookware is heat safe to 662 F and stainless steel to about 550F.
But let’s put this in perspective.
Most cooking should be done at medium temperatures. Medium temperatures are in the range of 300-350 F. Even a high temperature for searing or baking is 450-500 F. So there’s no need to hit higher temperatures than that, you’d be killing any nutrition in your food and probably burning it to a crisp.
Conclusion: Both ceramic vs stainless steel cookware rank equally in heat tolerance.
2. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – Which is better for searing food?
To answer this question, let’s first understand what searing is.
The searing process, also known as ‘the Maillard reaction’, is a reaction between sugars and proteins due to the impact of heat. It’s the lovely caramelization you get on a juicy steak or fish filet.
Here’s the more relevant piece of information: the effective searing range is between 400 F – 450 F and goes up to 500 F.
Since both ceramic and stainless steel cookware are heat safe up to those temperatures, it stands to conclude that both ceramic vs stainless steel cookware are capable of producing a good sear on meat. Which one would I prefer though? My answer: stainless steel. Here’s why.
Even though ceramic pans are ok for higher heat cooking, it’s still coated nonstick cookware that needs to be treated delicately if you want to extend its life. Searing is a high heat process which I avoid for any of my nonstick pans, whether ceramic coated or teflon coated.
Conclusion: While both ceramic and stainless steel cookware can create a good sear, I would opt for stainless steel as a better choice.
3. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – What’s better for creating a fond and deglazing?
If you don’t know what fond is, it’s a French word for the little caramelized bits of food that get stuck to the bottom of a pan after browning meat or vegetables.
Deglazing is a cooking technique for removing and dissolving browned food residue from a pan to flavor sauces, soups, and gravies. (source Wikipedia).
By its very nature, fond is the stuff that gets stuck to the pan, which is hard to get with a nonstick pan.
Conclusion: Stainless steel is a better choice for creating a fond for deglazing
4. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – What’s easier to clean?
First off, when I talk about cleaning pans, it’s always by hand. Always.
Cookware manufacturers can claim ‘dishwasher safe’ about their cookware till the cows come home (what does that phrase mean anyway?) but I don’t believe in subjecting any cookware to the harsh environment of the dishwasher.
So which one is easier to clean by hand?
Conclusion: Ceramic cookware tends to be easier to clean due to the nonstick coating.
5. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – Which one is easier to maintain?
I’ll let you guess this one. With one of them you don’t want to heat too high, you have to be careful you don’t scratch it, you have to make sure you don’t use metal utensils….
Yep! Ceramic cookware needs a bit more maintenance vs stainless steel. It also tends to stain which are much harder to remove thanks to the delicate nature of any nonstick coating.
Stainless steel doesn’t need much special care and if your stainless steel cookware starts looking a bit dull or gets an ugly rainbow tint, all you need is a cup of vinegar and water to restore the shine and sparkle. Or some Barkeepers Friend.
Conclusion: Stainless steel wins for low maintenance
6. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – What’s going to last longer?
All nonstick cookware has a limited nonstick life. No matter what you do, no matter how much care you take. On average, the nonstick lasts 1-3 years.
Does it mean the pan is unusable? No. But it will be a stickier pan. And will need more fat to help it perform.
Stainless steel pans, on the other hand, last forever. Literally decades.
Conclusion: Stainless steel pans will last much longer than ceramic pans.
7. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – Which one is oven safe?
Let’s use simple facts to answer this question.
Recommended max temperature for ceramic coated cookware: 662 F
Recommended max temperature for stainless steel cookware: 550 F
Maximum oven temperature for most, if not all, recipes: 500 F
Conclusion: Use your ceramic cookware OR your stainless steel cookware with abandon when it comes to ovens! Both are equally safe at normal cooking temperatures.
8. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – Which has a shorter learning curve?
There’s a fine art to cooking with stainless steel. Here at the Cookware Advisor we call it the Five Secrets to Cooking with Stainless Steel. After all, it’s ‘stick’ cookware, not nonstick. So it comes with a bit of a learning curve.
With ceramic cookware, you can just get up and get going, even as a newbie home cook. Keep in mind though, basic care principles still apply. Like using wooden or plastic utensils and never heating on empty.
Conclusion: Ceramic cookware doesn’t have much of a learning curve unlike stainless steel.
9. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware –Which one is more versatile?
The question is, what can you do with stainless steel that you can’t do or do well with ceramic cookware?
Let’s see… you can’t sear without fearing for the life of the nonstick. You likely can’t create a fond for deglazing, which is essential in many foodie recipes. You likely can’t make the nonstick last more than 2-3 years even if you’re super careful.
Stainless steel on the other hand, has no such restrictions and is much lower maintenance. It’s great for frying, steaming, sautéing, boiling, braising, steaming, searing, deglazing, stewing and poaching. Just about anything. You can bang it, scratch it and scrub it. It still works.
Conclusion: Stainless steel is more versatile than ceramic cookware.
10. Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – Which one is safer?
Cookware safety is a very touchy topic but to really answer this question for ceramic vs stainless steel cookware, we have to define what it means. To do that, I’m going to break it down into the 3 common fears around cookware safety.
Fear #1: Toxic chemicals in my food or home
The root of this fear is that traditional nonstick, i.e.teflon type, ptfe based coatings disintegrate at temperatures approaching 500 F. This releases fumes that are an irritant for humans and fatal for birds.
- This DOES NOT happen with ceramic coated nonstick cookware.
- This obviously also doesn’t happen with stainless steel cookware either since there is no coating on the metallic pan.
Fear #2: The cookware material will react with my food
- Ceramic coatings are inert, meaning they don’t react with food
- Stainless steel is, by and large, also an inert material that won’t react with food.
Fear #3: Metals will leach into my food.
I did a load of research on this regarding stainless steel, which you can read here. To summarize, stainless steel, which is an alloy of iron, carbon, nickel and chromium, does leach small amounts of nickel and chromium. According to reputable sources like whfoods.org and Health Canada, these are trace amounts, not enough to cause any concern.
I have to point out that the exception to this is people with a nickel allergy so if you’re one of them, please choose a nickel free option. Stainless steel is not safe for you.
That still leaves us with ceramic coated pans that are badly scratched, enough to expose the underlying material. Do they leach metals into your food? Based on published research which I referenced here, the answer is no. So, to summarize:
- Ceramic coated pans will not leach into your food, even if they have deep scratches.
- Stainless steel pans do not leach any significant amounts of nickel or chromium and are generally accepted as one of the safest cookware materials.
Conclusion: Both ceramic cookware and stainless steel cookware are safe cookware options.
Ceramic vs stainless steel cookware – which is better for you?
I’m going to flip that question right on its head.
The real question is: which cookware are YOU better for when it comes to ceramic vs stainless steel cookware?
Since we’ve already talked about the safety aspects of ceramic vs stainless steel cookware, this question relates to your cooking personality.
If you cook at home, you’re either a ‘cook because I love to’ person or a ‘cook because I have to’ person.
So what kind of home cook are you?
And what does that have to do with ceramic vs stainless steel cookware?
A lot actually!
If you’re ‘a cook because you love to’ personality, you might be:
- Willing to invest in premium cookware that will last a long time
- Willing to invest in the learning curve that comes with certain cooking materials like stainless steel
- Willing to spend time and effort to maintain your cookware and keep it looking new. You might even be proudly displaying it in your kitchen.
- Cooking recipes that need a high heat sear and/or deglazing of fond.
If it sounds like you’re a ‘cook because you love to’ person, stainless steel is the better option for you.
If you’re ‘a cook because you have to’ personality, you might be:
- Be interested in cookware that’s easy to clean
- Want the convenience that comes with a nonstick cookware set
- Be ok with cookware having a life of about 2-3 years. It’s not an investment as far as you’re concerned.
If it sounds like you’re a ‘cook because you have to’ person, nonstick ceramic cookware is the better option for you.
The reality is, its actually a spectrum and we all have shades of both in our cooking personalities.
So with that in mind, I’m going to go back to the point I made in the beginning of this article: when it comes to ceramic vs stainless steel cookware, why not choose both?
The ideal cookware set is not necessarily one or the other but a combination of both. Whatever you decide, make sure you give your cooking habits their due consideration.
Here are our top picks for each. Hopefully we’ve helped you decide between ceramic vs stainless steel cookware.
Cookware Advisor top recommendation for Stainless steel cookware
Cookware Advisor top recommendation for Ceramic cookware
 | Popular Choice Caraway Cookware | Read Review | Check Price |
 | Trending Always Pan 2.0 | Read Review | Check Price |
  | Impressive GreenPan Healthy Ceramic Nonstick | Review Coming Soon | Check Price |
Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post