Zero-waste chef and two-time MasterChef contestant Simon Toohey likens good cookware to old cars: they just never die.
“We spend this whole time buying more often than we need to, for things that should technically be able to last a long time – especially knives and pans,” says Toohey.
So how do you find cookware that lasts a lifetime? And how do you look after it to ensure it lives up to its reputation?
Aluminium v iron: pros and cons
Not everyone can afford to spend $400 on a premium European-made Dutch oven but simply opting for the cheapest lookalike may not serve you in the long run.
Wrought- or cast-iron pans and casserole dishes are known for having the best heat retention and will withstand the most wear and tear. It’s worth investing in these – with or without ceramic coatings – particularly if you cook a lot.
Stainless steel cookware, while recyclable, non-toxic and durable, is more prone to sticking, particularly when overheated, and discoloration when cooking with acidic food.
But all three trump cheap aluminium, which is not as hardy and most likely to have an artificial non-stick coating. PFAS chemicals used in non-stick coatings on some cheaper pans have been criticised, with some linked to health problems due to their toxicity. Nonstick pans are easily scratched, compared to cast- or wrought-iron pans which form a natural nonstick surface when seasoned and as they age.
How to take care of it (and recycle it)
To look after your cast iron, make sure you use and clean it regularly, don’t overdo the soap or put it in the dishwasher, and dry it well so it doesn’t rust. Most come pre-seasoned, but over time you may also need to “season” it (rub with oil, and heat in the oven), repeating the process three to four times for it to become “nonstick without the work of Teflon”, says Toohey.
“The best thing about cast iron is that your great-great-grandkids will be able to inherit it … because they take on scratches, and they work better if you do scratch them because those scratches fill in and create more non-slip coating,” he says.
Any rust that develops can be removed with a scourer, before re-seasoning the pan. Should your pan be damaged beyond the point of repair, the iron can be recycled and reused.
In contrast, recycling plants will not accept non-stick materials unless they are stripped of their coating, something that Levi Slavin, co-founder of Australia and New Zealand brand Ironclad Co. says is incredibly difficult to do.
While initiatives like the Great Pan Exchange and Tefal’s Act Together program hope to facilitate the recycling and regifting of cookware, a customer survey by Ironclad found that 72% of Australians toss their old pots and pans into general waste, resulting in an estimated 2.7m pieces of residential cookware ending up in landfill each year. Contacting your local scrap metal facility to see what they will accept is better than kicking unusable cookware to the curb.
Where to find budget-friendly quality cookware
Slavin says that when they started Ironclad in 2019, the biggest challenge was the lack of industry standards or regulatory guidelines for safe levels of alloys in iron, or a rating system to show consumers what their cookware is made from.
“I’ve been doing this for four years, and I cannot tell you how a company can sell a $20 retail cast-iron object,” says Slavin.
“There has to be corners cut.”
Choice compared cheaper Kmart and Aldi cast iron Dutch ovens with higher end models, with some positive results. The most common complaints about the cheaper versions were chipping of the enamel, and sticking as time wore on. If you’re lucky, you may be able to find an old model of French brands like Le Creuset, Staub or Chasseur in your grandmother’s kitchen or the local op shop.
While it may be tempting to buy a knock-off frying pan (Choice also reviewed these), Slavin says supermarket quality pans generally only last an average of two years, while higher end ones from kitchen stores may last three-to-five years. Theirs comes with a 100-year guarantee.
Since moving out of share houses and student living – a time that he says is easy to stumble into buying cheap pots and pans – Toohey has sworn by Australian-made wrought-iron pans from Solidteknics, which are used to being “bashed around” and “thrown into the oven like crazy” in his kitchen.
The tools
Op shops can also be handy repositories of cutlery and old, hardy wooden cooking utensils instead of the cheaper, modern versions, often made of soft woods like pine, which snap easily in the dishwasher and are prone to stains. Wood is also not a conductor of heat, so no worrying about the handle getting too hot as it rests on the pan. Silicon utensils that are BPA free are also a good option – they won’t scratch your pans, are non-toxic and are less likely to be affected by heat.
If you do enough cooking to warrant a set of chef knives in your kitchen, opt for carbon steel – they are more durable, have better sharp edges and can cut on a tight angle. Like cast iron, they need good care and sharpening to last.
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