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Nonstick cookware simplifies the cooking and cleaning process, but some of these slippery pots and pans contain PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), colloquially known as “forever chemicals.” The EPA and other organizations have found that exposure to these chemicals could negatively impact your health over time. Some modern nonstick cookware, like our top pick, the Cuisinart Culinary Collection 12-Piece Pots and Pans Set, excludes PFAS. Stainless steel and raw cast iron cookware also provide PFAS-free alternatives. The best PFAS-free cookware will help you cook without leaking unwanted chemicals into your food.
How we chose the best PFAS-free cookware
These PFAS-free cookware recommendations draw on a mix of research and hands-on testing. I aimed to test and showcase cookware compatible with the largest number of cooktops (gas, electric, induction). The picks also need to be suitable for small kitchens, large kitchens, and everything in between. I subjected the pots and pans to a wide variety of recipes, all of which included an array of techniques from simple pan frying to oven finishing. My research concluded that you can get excellent results from PFAS-free cookware at any price point. The fun is in continuing to refine your recipes to make the most out of your equipment.
The best PFAS-free cookware: Reviews & Recommendations
Our favorite PFAS-free cookware was designed to be used in any size kitchen for roasting, toasting, searing, baking, and charring. You won’t need to adjust your recipes or techniques at all when switching to PFAS-free cookware.
Best overall: Cuisinart Culinary Collection 12-Piece Pots and Pans Set
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Specs
- Size of set: 12 pieces
- Material: Ceramic
- Price: $171.60
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Large set size
- Nice looking colors
Cons
- Not designed to be used with metal utensils
Cuisinart’s Culinary Collection comes out on top when it comes down to overall value, performance, versatility, and design. The pots and pans handle everything from grilled meats and vegetables cooked at high temperatures to slowly simmering sauces that take all day. They showed no signs of staining after repeated use on an electric stovetop. This cookware’s ceramic layer is nonstick, while Cuisinart says its aluminum core is responsible creates heat distribution. Our test recipes were cooked evenly across the breadth of the surfaces.
These pots and pans are very simple to clean. We wiped down the inside with a damp cloth or sponge, then cleaned more thoroughly with a sponge. Easy. Don’t use abrasive cleaning tools such as steel wool, as it will damage (and eventually destroy) this cookware’s ceramic coating. This PFAS-free cookware set includes wooden cooking utensils to help you avoid scratching the bottom of this cookware and even a rack that holds three lids vertically for easy storage.
We recommend this cookware based on its performance, but it doesn’t hurt that the teal outer color on the set we tested was easy on the eyes. If you’re going to pick up a full PFAS-free cookware set, Cuisinart’s Culinary Collection strikes the right balance between performance and price.
Best splurge: OXO Professional 10 Piece Cookware
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Specs
- Size of set: 10 pieces
- Material: Ceramic
- Price: $399.99
Pros
- Made from premium material
- Large set size
- Solid construction
Cons
OXO’s Professional 10 Piece Cookware Pots and Pans Set provides a more luxurious PFAS-free cooking experience than any other set in our test. Four pots, four lids, and two pans all come sporting a Hard Anodized Ceramic material on their surface. OXO said that it designed the curvature of its cookware to offer a larger cooking area in both of its frying pans, and this pays off when batch-cooking chopped meat for tacos or making a large quesadilla. The nonstick layer was powerful enough to barely require oil when cooking eggs. Similarly, the oven-safe cookware made finishing pork chops in the oven (after searing them on the stovetop) simple.
OXO’s cookware provides even cooking. Each piece of meat browned at the same rate during our testing, regardless of where it was on the pan. Shifting eggs from one spot to another didn’t slow their cooking process, either. Overall, the pots and pans in this cookware set felt heavier and more substantial than most of the others we tested. The only downside is that it did make moving the pots and pans from the oven to the stovetop a two-handed task. I appreciated the little design touches, like the inclusion of see-through glass lids that made it easier to monitor the doneness of our food without letting heat leak out.
It isn’t cheap, but we recommend OXO’s Professional 10 Piece Cookware to any home cook who wants to pick up premium, heavy-duty, PFAS-free cookware.
Best design: Hell’s Kitchen Hybrid 5 Pc Cookware Set
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Specs
- Size of set: Five pieces
- Material: Tri-Clad stainless steel and ceramic
- Price: $349.99
Pros
- Multi-material constitution
- Can be used with metal utensils
- Excellent performance
Cons
I’m typically weary of products that try to leverage branding from a popular bit of pop culture. They often sacrifice quality for the sake of licensing. Luckily, the Hell’s Kitchen’s Hybrid 5 Pc Cookware Set avoids that trap. Each of the three pans blends ceramic and Tri-Clad stainless steel materials with laser etchings of flames, tridents, and the Hell’s Kitchen logo on them. The outside of the pans is stainless steel, and it appears striking. If you store your pans hanging in your kitchen, that does make a difference. Our positive first impression deepened when we actually started to use the cookware. We hard-seared steaks, simmered acidic sauces, and cooked vegetables and eggs; the cookware never showed serious wear.
Cleaning seemed like it would be a challenge, but even tough bits of leftovers came off with some soapy water and a sponge. One of the benefits of this PFAS-free cookware’s dual-material construction is improved durability. You can use metal utensils without scratching off its surface, and we confirmed this by using a metal spatula to flip meat without leaving a nick or scratch. To be clear, jamming a knife haphazardly in this pan will likely result in serious scratches, but you can use them with some finesse rather than exclusively relying on wooden or plastic utensils. Hell’s Kitchen, like OXO, made its lids out of glass, which makes it easy to monitor how your food is cooking without letting heat escape.
The ability to use Hell’s Kitchen’s Hybrid 5 Pc Cookware Set on any cooktop and to clean it with as abrasive a tool as Scotch Pads differentiates it from the designs used by other PFAS-free cookware manufacturers.
Best all-in-one: Our Place Always Pan
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Specs
- Size of set: One piece
- Material: Ceramic
- Price: $180
Pros
- A single multi-use piece of cookware
- Ideal for smaller kitchens
- Nice aesthetics
Cons
- You’ll still need to get other cookware pieces for different recipes
If you only have room for one piece of PFAS-free cookware in your home, it ought to be one that can handle as many situations as possible. Enter Our Place’s Any Pan, which is large and deep enough for searing, deep frying, roasting, boiling, braising, baking, and even straining, thanks to a cutout by its handle. An included wooden spoon was designed to fit through the cutout, so you can store it easily when you’re not cooking or between stirs.
While using a single pan for multiple tasks is helpful, you may find that the Any Pan isn’t sufficient when batch cooking for a crowd or is incompatible with certain recipes, which must be scaled down to accommodate its size. That said, those cooking in a dorm kitchen or small apartment can find creative ways to maximize its potential. Our Place’s Any Pan is a solid solution if you’d like to build your PFAS-free cookware set piece by piece or have more modest needs.
Best budget: GoodCook 10-Piece Healthy Ceramic Titanium-Infused Cookware Set
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Specs
- Size of set: 10 pieces
- Material: Ceramic
- Price: $63.99
Pros
- Induction-ready
- Large cookware set
- Price
Cons
- Not designed to be used with metal utensils
GoodCook’s 10-Piece Healthy Ceramic Titanium-Infused Cookware Set offers a tremendous value given its sub-$100 price. The set includes two pans, two saucepans, a steamer, an egg pan, a wooden spoon, a slotted turner, and a variety of lids. The cookware comes in fun colors, with glass lids that allow you to watch your food as it cooks. GoodCook says the aluminum body beneath the ceramic surface of each pan promotes even cooking, while the wood grain handles are comfortable to hold. You may find yourself wanting a larger frying pan and pot when cooking for a crowd, but this set contains everything you’ll need to cook for a couple of people on a regular basis.
Cleaning the PFAS-free cookware in this collection won’t require more than soap and a sponge, but don’t use an overly abrasive cleaning product, or you’ll mess up its coating. While we don’t expect the construction of this cookware to hold up perfectly compared to OXO or Cuisinart’s PFAS-free pots and pans, a beginner home cook interested in getting a PFAS-free set should start here.
There are many factors to consider when deciding which PFAS-free cookware is right for you. Below are the factors we considered most important when writing this guide.
Set size
The first decision to make when deciding on any cookware purchase is the size of the set you’d like. Larger cookware sets typically cost more money and always require more space. However, the benefit is that you’ll end up with every piece you’re likely to need for any recipe rather than having to add to your collection as your repertoire grows. The largest PFAS-free cookware sets also contain utensils, such as wooden spatulas, in addition to pots and pans.
Material
All of the PFAS-free cookware we’re recommending in this guide is made from nonstick ceramic materials. This is because the coating on traditional nonstick pans is what contains these chemicals. Other PFAS-free cookware materials include stainless steel, cast iron, and carbon steel. Be mindful that those PFAS-free cookware types require more maintenance than their nonstick ceramic counterparts.
Cooktop compatibility
We feel strongly that the PFAS-free cookware you buy should work on electric, gas, and induction ranges, so you don’t need to replace it if your stove goes bad or you move to a different home.
FAQs
All types of cookware can be made with or without PFAS. To find PFAS-free cookware, carefully select pieces that explicitly state they’re made without using these chemicals.
PFAS-free cookware will be labeled as such. If a cookware manufacturer doesn’t call out the fact that its goods are PFAS-free, it almost certainly uses those chemicals in the materials used to make the cookware.
Not necessarily. Frying pans of any size can be made with or without PFAS. The specific piece of cookware doesn’t determine whether or not it has PFAS; it comes down to the materials used by the manufacturer.
To avoid PFAS, be sure to double-check that the cookware you’re using is labeled PFAS-free, or, conveniently, pick up any of the cookware recommended in this story.
This depends on the size of the cookware set and its design. Our recommendations range from $63 to $400.
Final thoughts on the best PFAS-free cookware
Upgrading to PFAS-free cookware from older pots and pans containing those forever chemicals is a no-brainer if you cook often. You lose no nonstick performance in our testing and reduce your exposure to unwanted substances over time. If you’re just starting your journey as a home cook, you can use PFAS-free cookware from the beginning. Be mindful that it’s still a best practice to use wooden utensils on nonstick cookware to prevent flaking its coating into your food, so save the metal spatulas for your cast iron and stainless steel cookware.
