Cookware, ranked · 6 min read
We ranked five pan materialson four things you can measure.
Nonstick, ceramic, cast iron, stainless steel and titanium, scored on how long the surface lasts, metal utensils, everyday care and searing. No lab and no chef: every score comes from makers' own care rules and published material properties, so you can check each one.
The Uncoated Kitchen is the kitchen journal of Titanella. We make the pan in this article, so we've stuck to facts you can check. Sources are listed at the end.
How we scored
Four rounds,two points each.
Is there a layer that wears out? 2: nothing to wear off. 1: a layer you renew yourself. 0: a coating that wears out.
What the makers allow. 2: allowed. 0: not recommended.
Dishwasher, seasoning, scrubbing. 2: rinse it or run it. 1: hand wash and gentle care. 0: upkeep or scrubbing stuck food.
High heat, and heat held. 2: high heat and holds it. 1: high heat, holds less, or medium heat advised. 0: low to medium only.
05/ 05
The slipperiest pan on day one.
Coated nonstick
Total: 1 / 8
New, it released food best of every surface tested by researchers at the Technical University of Denmark. That's the whole problem: all of the release lives in a thin coating, and the makers' own rules (low to medium heat, no metal, hand wash) are there to slow its wear. It ties for last on lifespan and finishes last overall.
"Almost all non stick surfaces lose their abilities within a year or two even if you baby them."
A home cook on Reddit
04/ 05
A different coating, the same clock.
Ceramic
Total: 2 / 8
Ceramic swaps one slick layer for another. It's sold as the cleaner coating, and it can be very slippery when new, but it's still a layer on top, and plenty of cooks report it wearing out in months. Most makers still advise medium heat and no metal to make it last.
03/ 05
The searing champion.
Cast iron
Total: 5 / 8
Few pans hold heat like cast iron, and it wins the searing round outright. It also lasts for decades. What it asks in return is real: it's heavy, it can't go in the dishwasher, it rusts if it stays wet, and its seasoning is a layer you keep renewing yourself.
02/ 05
Close to indestructible.
Plain stainless steel
Total: 6 / 8
No coating, metal utensils welcome, high heat, decades of use. It loses one round, and it's the one you feel every morning: food grips a smooth metal surface harder than a textured one, so eggs stick unless you master your heat, and the scrubbing starts.
01/ 05
We expected it to win every round. It didn't.
Hammered titanium (tri-ply)
Total: 7 / 8
A titanium cooking surface with nothing sprayed on top, an aluminum core that spreads heat, a stainless base. The hammered dimples mean less contact, so food lets go with a little oil and a 20-second preheat, and it rinses clean or goes in the dishwasher. The round it lost: searing. It takes high heat, but cast iron holds more of it, so we gave it 1 point, not 2.
The scorecard
All five,side by side.
| Lifespan | Metal utensils | Everyday care | Searing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammered titanium (tri-ply) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 / 8 |
| Plain stainless steel | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 / 8 |
| Cast iron | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 / 8 |
| Ceramic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 / 8 |
| Coated nonstick | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 / 8 |
The honest part
It asks for20 seconds.
Bare metal behaves like bare metal. Put an egg in a cold pan and it will stick, exactly as it would in stainless steel. An independent test of five titanium pans found the same thing: with a little fat, the egg released almost completely; without it, it stuck. So preheat for about 20 seconds, add a little oil, then the food, and let it set before you move it. It browns, then lets go, and there's no layer here to wear thin.
What the ranking leaves out
Price and weight,honestly.
Price. A coated pan costs less up front. If one costs $40 and lasts two years, ten years of cooking means five pans and $200. The Pan N° 28 is $139, with no coating to replace.
Weight. Titanium tri-ply sits in between: heavier than a thin coated pan, lighter in the hand than cast iron.
Meet the pan
The Pan
Hammered titanium, three layers, no coating to wear out.
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Quick answers
Before youchoose a size.
Is it really titanium if a magnet sticks?
Yes. The magnet sticks to the stainless steel base, which is what lets the pan work on induction. The surface you cook on is titanium.
Is it the same as a "titanium-reinforced" nonstick pan?
No. Most of those are coated pans with titanium particles mixed into the coating, so the release still comes from the coating. Here, the surface you cook on is the titanium itself.
Will my eggs stick?
If the pan is cold, yes. Preheat for about 20 seconds, add a little butter or oil, and let them set before you move them. Then they slide.
Is it heavier than my nonstick?
A little. The aluminum core and steel base add weight. That layered build is what spreads heat evenly.
How do I clean it?
Warm water and a soft sponge, then dry. For stuck-on bits, soak a few minutes. It can also go in the dishwasher.
Fixed or detachable handle?
Both. The fixed handle is riveted steel. The detachable one (+$20) clips off for the oven and for storage.
No magic,just good metal.
See the panSources
- Ashokkumar & Adler-Nissen, "Evaluating non-stick properties of different surface materials for contact frying", Journal of Food Engineering 105(3), 2011 (Technical University of Denmark).
- Studies on micro-dimpled surfaces as lubricant reservoirs, Materials (MDPI), 2022.
- Thermal conductivity at room temperature: aluminum ≈ 237 W/m·K, titanium ≈ 22 W/m·K (standard reference values).
- Independent test of five titanium pans, prudentreviews.com, 2025.
- Heat and care guidance: printed use-and-care instructions of major nonstick cookware makers.
- Reader comments quoted: Reddit (r/Costco, r/Cooking, r/newzealand), 2026.