Your Cookware.
What metal fits your style?
Choosing your cookware is not a decision that should be taken lightly. This is an investment just like your knives. some features that you should take note of. Different metals conduct heat differently. In order to understand how different material's heat food we need to understand what is happening during the cooking process. First things first, the pan is not the heat source. It is the catalyst. The direct heat transfers from the source to the pan. The food receives the transferred heat and absorbs it. Some of the heat is released through steam. if we put butter on the top of a hot steak, then the steak has become the catalyst to transfer the heat to the butter.
Molecular gastronomy
The pride and joy of the insecure chef will tell you molecular gastronomy is a new science behind taking food to new heights. This is a load of crap. Cooking a grilled cheese sandwich is molecular gastronomy. Assembling a cold Turkey sandwich is not. Making that turkey sandwich 12 inches high however, is literally taking food to a new height. Molecular Gastronomy simply put is a subcategory of organic chemistry that revolves around food (Gastronomy-Gastro, pertaining to food. Nomy, the science there of).
Making cheese and jelly is a natural process that alters the food on the molecular level. The pectin from the fruit skins, or the rennet added to the dairy coagulates the molecules. Cooking a steak on a flame broiler is a chemical change as compounds cook out of it, including the compound H2O. The release of hydrogen and oxygen defines this as a chemical change. To better understand this. Everything is a chemical, whether synthetic or organic. We are living chemical compounds made up of less complex chemical compounds each made up of their own unique formation of atomic elements. An element is a material that consists of only one type of atom. If the steak being a compound, is left there until it is a charred piece of carbon, then it has cooked into an elemental form and will erode via half-life from there. Eventually it will be ash. Therefore, molecular gastronomy defined is the science of cooking. And therefore, for all intents and purposes is called organic chemistry. So, we could actually use an algebraic function to determine the most effective way to cook given we know all of the important numbers including the density of all ingredients. That's a lot of math. However, the equation represents a rate of change formula involving temperature.
Conductivity
Conductivity is an important feature of any type of cooking material. Conductivity in simpler terms determines the effectiveness of the catalyst. As the food cooks there is the amount of energy needed to transfer heat to the catalyst. Often forgot about is the amount of energy needed for the catalyst to retain its heat as it is transferred to the food. This is all part of the natural energy cycle. That being said there is no best material, but some are far better than others. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Less conductive metals heat less evenly, require constant heat, and a longer preheat. More conductive metals heat faster, but also cool faster and the temperature needs to be regulated. The bottom of every pan should be heavy to encourage even heating. Multi-piece pots and pans might even have a seperate heavy bottom mounted on.
Cast iron
Pro's: Retains heat well, nonstick if seasoned correctly, best bang for the buck, rustic aesthetic, best for open fire & frying, perfect for in the oven, can be an oven, single piece construction, healthiest option. The less conductive gem.
Con's: Requires know how and maintenance, easy to get it too hot, requires preheating and ample cooling, easily rusts, not always easy to clean once cooled, heavy, can smoke due to seasoning if it gets too hot, handle gets hot!
Enameled: Enameled cast iron requires less maintenance being dishwasher safe, while upholding same heating benefits. It is more expensive than seasoned.
Copper
Pro's: Highly conductive, highly efficient, heats evenly, cooks the most delicate foods evenly, nonstick if seasoned correctly. The conductive gem.
Con's: Requires know how to maintain, is soft & less durable, will tarnish if not polished, expensive to purchase.
Heavy duty aluminum nonstick
Pro's: Easy to clean, good conductivity and even heating, retains heat while on the heat, cools quickly, sturdy construction, durable healthier nonstick coating, oven safe, handles stay cooler.
Con's: They are heavier, and not always balanced for active tossing, which already requires finesse.
stone/ceramic
Pro's: Nonstick and natural, heats evenly, stone coated aluminum can make a lightweight reliable pan, porous stones crisp in the oven, handles stay cooler.
Con's: The thin aluminum can warp under the coating, porous stones cannot be cleaned with water, or they will pop/crack, proprietary stone and ceramic is hit or miss, low conductivity.
stainless & Cast aluminum.
Pro's: Heavy duty & durable, aluminum is conductive, handles prolonged exposure, cools quickly, is sensitive to heat adjustments.
Con's: Requires a decent amount of oil as it is porous, it is heavy, stainless steel has low conductivity, multi-piece construction ends up with loose handles and leaks.
A note about stainless steel. It gains conductivity through various alloys that are blended in with the steel and is therefore an alloy metal. different clads (layers) can determine the effectiveness of the cookware.
flimsy Aluminum & tefflon
Pro's: Super Cheap! flips eggs good, found at every discount store & supermarket, it breaks quick enough that you get to replace it with a better one sooner than later! Can be repurposed as a drywall hammer.
Con's: carcinogenic, linked to Altheimer's, flimsy, low melting point, too hot at times, doesn't retain heat, doesn't heat evenly, burns at high heat, can add metallic flavor, they can melt at high heat, nonstick scratches and wears into food, I could probably go on a rant, but that's the gist of it.