I have a cheap nonstick pan. I use it like five times a year. I’m fine with that. Regular stainless pots and pans will last well over a decade unless you start dropping them on the floor twice a week, even if they’re not as fancy as the stuff that gets advertised as BIFL. It’s not that complicated

I had it for 10 years so I was satisfied I got my money’s worth and bought myself a much nicer pot.

However, if you run a high current through a coiled mains extension cord, you create a fire hazard because it heats up due to induction. No ferrous metals involved, just the copper or aluminium conductors in the cable. Don’t induction hobs work on a similar principle?

Here’s the conclusion at the end:

What to buy instead

The counter-list in this category runs deeper than any I’ve covered previously, because cookware is simple enough that stubborn, family-run businesses can still compete. The pattern in who survived is uniform: nobody outside the family has ever been owed a return.
…

Stainless and carbon steel

• All-Clad: The bonded lines are still made in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, sharp-rim settlement and French owner notwithstanding.
• Heritage Steel: Family-owned in Clarksville, Tennessee, building on old Vollrath tooling. The fully American clad alternative.
• Tramontina: Family-controlled in Brazil. The honest value play; their clad line embarrasses pans at twice the price.
• de Buyer: The carbon steel standard, still made in the Vosges. It belongs to Groupe SEB as of January 2025, so it’s one to watch over the next few years.
• Matfer Bourgeat: The French commercial standard, family-held, and what a lot of commercial kitchens use.

That said, Tramontina was one of the companies I contacted. They also said they didn’t know the thickness of the metal in their own cookware. Maybe I’d have a different experience if I called them in Brazil and spoke Portuguese

I’m also shocked that the article doesn’t mention Browne Thermalloy. I think they’re one of the best cookware brands on the market, but I can’t find any third-party reviews on the Internet about them – except one small thread on reddit. Browne’s support couldn’t tell me the metal thickness in their 3-ply cookware, but they said they’d forward my request “to their marketing department” (not sure why not their “procurement” or “engineering” or “product” departments), and I haven’t heard back…

Many stainless pans do have an aluminum core, but they also have a ferrous metal layer that allows them to be compatible with induction burners. Its not the aluminum thats interacting with the induction top at all. The aluminum is just there for even heat distribution on gas and electric cooktops, or to cut weight and make them more user friendly.

As for myself, I use cast iron when I need more thermal momentum, and stainless when it doesn’t matter as much. I’ve got a mix of All-Clad and one brand that I haven’t seen mentioned is Viking. They’ve both been excellent over the course of a few years, cooking 2-3 meals a day every day. The handles are still rock solid which I’ve found to be an issue with other cookware.

Bonus: both brands can be found in relative abundance at consignment stores for “cheap”. My cast iron is from local thrift stores or estate sales, but the stainless stuff I tend to buy “new” at Sierra or Home Goods. Each pot and or pan is somewhere in the neighborhood of $20-40 and is BIFL quality.

Alton discusses induction and pan interactions in this video
Chris’ dedicated video on his preferred pans