Avoid Microplastics In Your Food With These Top Stainless Steel Cookware Brands

If you are concerned about microplastics in your food, cooking with stainless steel cookware is an excellent alternative to traditional nonstick. Most importantly, you can cook with stainless steel and create a nonstick effect, it just takes a bit more time. To ensure things do not stick to your stainless, look for the Leidenfrost Effect—getting the skillet hot enough that water literally beads up, creating a layer of steam between the pan and your food. The pan must be very hot—the ideal cooking temperature is reached when water is dropped into the pan and it instantly turns into beads. Then add the oil and your ingredients and reduce the heat.

Also, if cooking with gas, make sure that the flame never extends beyond the base of the pan. I tested several pans and skillets using the Leidenfrost Effect; these are top-of-the-line stainless cookware brands that deliver on form and function without leaching forever chemicals and microplastics into your food.

Beauty Queen

CRISTEL Stainless Steel Frying Pan, the 1826 Collection: A new line from Cristel that celebrates the brand’s heritage. This skillet’s sleek handle not only looks très chic, it also helps when stacking pans in drawers because its low flush profile makes it easier to stack with other pans. But it’s not all about stacking. This French-made product has a three-ply layered base that allows incredible heat distribution across the pan surface. The Cristel website also has extremely helpful videos on how to cook with stainless and avoid making a sticky mess. Oven safe to 550 degrees, easily stackable, dishwasher safe (but I recommend hand washing anyway). 12” skillet/fry pan, $195.

Showstopper

Hestan just debuted a new pan: ProBond® Luxe, and it’s as swanky as it sounds. Crafted in Italy (where they know a thing or two about beautiful design), the small details on this pan add up—things like flush rivets for easier cleanup (you are not putting this pan in the dishwasher), and a thick base for even heat distribution. The three layers of (tri-ply) stainless steel ensure it heats quickly and evenly, but it’s the mirror-polished finish that really makes the pan so special. It’s a classy addition to your cookware—probably a pan you’ll want to hang over the stove; it’s built to be seen and built to last. The Luxe line already received a 2025 Red Dot Design Award. Oven safe to 600 degrees too. 12” skillet, $250.

Hestan also makes a weighty, durable, no-joke baking sheet that I roast everything on. A pan like this makes it easy to toss those nonstick baking sheets. You’ll have to pre-treat the pan, but everything browns more evenly, and none of that nonstick coating is coming off into my food.

The All-American Stainless

American Kitchen Stainless: A sleek American-made stainless skillet that comes with three layers of heat conductivity—two layers of professional-grade stainless steel wrapped around a layer of super durable aluminum. For the stainless geeks, that means the outside layer is comprised of high-density 400-series stainless steel (suitable for any surface: gas, induction, electric, ceramic glass), and the 1050A aluminum core is commercial grade; it’s also oven and broiler safe up to 500 degrees. 12” stainless skillet, $109.

Heritage Steel: Heritage is a family-owned brand based in Clarksville, Tennessee, and they’ve been making stainless cookware for 40 years. I love the functional durability of everything they produce, especially their 5-ply 12-inch fry pan—a classic American skillet that delivers on even heat distribution and conduction. 12” skillet, $129.

Lodge Cast Iron Blacklock Skillet: The Tennessee-based Lodge has been in the cast iron production business for a while—since 1896, to be precise. Their process involves a proprietary mix of molten pig iron, steel, and other ingredients poured into a mold made of sand. Since sand melts at a higher temperature than iron, the mold holds its shape. Once the cast iron pan or pot has cooled, the sand mold is broken, and voilà—you have a new piece of cast iron cookware. While they do use heritage techniques, they are still innovating, and their Blacklock Collection is the latest example of that. It’s triple-seasoned for an ultra-slick surface but engineered to be lighter than traditional iron. Lightweight and ultra-seasoned, the skillet’s nice even heating crisps up bacon in a snap, and the added layers of seasoning mean the pan is more tolerant of acidic ingredients (read: tomatoes). The added seasoning gives this collection a nonstick quality without the microplastics. A great value at $40 for a 10” skillet.