Cookware

Carbon steel is the middle child of cookware. Cast iron gets the nostalgia points. Stainless steel gets the professional kitchen reputation. Non-stick gets the convenience crowd. Carbon steel sits in a weird spot — it’s lighter than cast iron, more responsive than stainless, and develops a non-stick patina over time that rivals any coating. Chefs love it because it heats fast and evenly. Home cooks are slowly catching on. We put seven pans and woks through daily cooking — seasoned them, burned the first batch of eggs, seared steaks hot enough to set off the smoke alarm, stir-fried vegetables until the seasoning was black. Here’s what held up. ...

The kitchen supply aisle has cookware sets from $30 to $3,000, and they all promise the same thing: perfect sears, even heating, and handles that stay cool. The $30 set will scorch everything you cook and warp within a year. The $3,000 set is overkill unless you’re a professional chef with a restaurant kitchen budget. Most people need something in the middle. We tested seven cookware sets from three materials — nonstick, stainless, and cast iron — cooking the same meals in each until something broke or we got sick of scrambled eggs. ...