Welcome to the Cook's Essentials^® Frequently Asked Questions page! Here you will find the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about our cookware, and information to help you decide which items are right for you. Just click on a question below to view the cook's essentials answer.

Q: What type of guarantee comes with Cook's Essentials^® products?
A: Your Cook’s Essentials cookware is guaranteed by the manufacturer to be free from defects in workmanship and materials under normal use and service from the date of purchase for as long as you own the cookware. The manufacturer will repair, replace, or refund the original purchase price of any cookware found to be defective under normal use and service.

For example, an item will be replaced if the following occurs:

• The nonstick coating comes off or does not release food.
  
• The handle becomes loose or falls off.
• The pan warps out of round.
• The glass lid breaks.

The guarantee does not apply to the following:

• Damage due to accident, misuse, unreasonable use, commercial use, abuse, alteration, or vandalism.
• Improper or inadequate maintenance.
• Unauthorized modification.
• Damage in return transit.
• Other causes not arising out of defects in materials or workmanship.

For example, an item will not be replaced if the following occurs:

• If the customer leaves the pan on the stove for so long that the pan melts.
• If the handle is exposed to temperatures that cause the phenolic handle to melt.
  

Q: Why choose Cook's Essentials^® Hard Coat Enamel Nonstick cookware?
A: Perfect for everyday use, Cook's Essentials Hard Coat Enamel cookware has a high-gloss finish and comes in a choice of colors. Made of a heavy gauge, ideally weighted aluminum, each piece of this cookware has an embossed bottom to help prevent "warpage" – a common occurrence with lesser-quality aluminum cookware. Hard Coat Enamel pieces featuring a lid come with the advanced "Intelligent Knob" Lid. This lid automatically releases steam to help prevent liquids from boiling over. Plus, you can adjust the steam valve manually. The lid's high dome allows you to self-baste. The self-basting process involves steaming vegetables with little or no water, thus helping to preserve nutrients in vegetables.

Q: Why choose Stainless Steel 500?
A: Our mission with the Cook's Essentials^® line is always to listen to our customers and to be quick to react to their comments and suggestions. One of the biggest requests from our stainless steel customers was to be able to put their cookware into a 500°F oven and to have the ability to broil, without losing the beauty and shine of the original stainless steel line. In response to our customers' request, we created this line with riveted stainless handles and domed stainless lids allowing this cookware to go in to the oven up to 500°F. A trend in cooking today is searing and roasting at very high temperatures. Now, with the Stainless 500 line, you can cook like the pros!

Q: Why choose Cook's Essentials^® Stainless Steel Nonstick cookware?
A: The bright, shiny star in the Cook's Essentials line is the Stainless Steel Nonstick cookware. Made with a durable metal, this cookware has exceptional shine and durability. With an even weight, each piece in this line also has a thick aluminum core formed with impact bonded technology that helps insure a long-lasting, non-warping bottom. This technology combined with the thick aluminum core creates fast, even heating from edge to edge. Lids are tempered glass with a dome style.

Q: Why choose Cook's Essentials^® Hard Anodized Aluminum cookware?
A: If you're "practically a professional" chef, then this is the cookware for you. Originally created for commercial chefs, Hard Anodized Aluminum is twice as hard as stainless steel and is the #1 selling material used in cookware. Its heavy weight provides unsurpassed heat distribution without hot spots. Hard Anodized Aluminum also acts as its own heat conductor – allowing heat to travel up the sides of the pan – making it a great choice for some of the more delicate sauces such as hollandaise or beurre blanc. Plus, its durable nonstick coating is almost impossible to nick or scar. The split fork design helps the handles stay cool during stove top cooking. Since the handles are made of cast stainless steel, this line can also go from the stove to the oven (up to 500°F) without damaging the handles.

Q: How durable is the nonstick coating used in Cook's Essentials^® cookware?
A: All interiors of Cook's Essentials cookware, including Hard Coat Enamel, Stainless Steel, Stainless 500, and Hard Anodized Aluminum, are lined with DuPont's Nonstick Coating with ScratchGuard™. DuPont worked for more than 40 years to develop the metal utensil-safe coating, which contains ceramic hardeners for durability. The nonstick coating is guaranteed for as long as you own the pan, designed to release food for as long as you own the pan, and will not peel, chip, or crack (but it can be scratched).

Q: What is the benefit of riveted handles? Will a handle ever fall off?
A: All Cook's Essentials^® cookware handles are riveted or fastened with sturdy metal. The rivet makes a permanent seal that will not allow food to get wedged between the rivet, handle, and/or pan. The preferred choice of the restaurant industry, riveted handles will never wobble or fall off, never need to be tightened, and are extremely durable and permanent. Simply put, they are the best choice for cookware handling.

Q: Will the handles get hot when I am cooking?
A: All Cook's Essentials^® cookware handles are designed to resist heat during stovetop use. All handles will get hot in the oven, if left over a stove burner, or if exposed to an open flame.

Q: Is Cook's Essentials^® cookware oven safe?
A: All Cook's Essentials cookware is oven safe. Hard Coat Enamel and Stainless Steel cookware is oven safe to 350°F. Hard Anodized and Stainless Steel 500 cookware is oven safe to 500°F.

Q: Does Cook's Essentials^® cookware conduct heat quickly and evenly?
A: Yes, all Cook's Essentials cookware products conduct heat evenly. The Stainless Steel 500 and Stainless Steel lines have a heavy-gauge aluminum disk impact bonded to the base for even heating from end to end. Hard Coat Enamel and Hard Anodized cookware, made of aluminum, do not need a disc to conduct heat because aluminum is its own conductor of heat. Aluminum conducts heat evenly throughout the bottom and up the sides of a pan. Hard Anodized conducts heat better and holds heat longer than Hard Coat Enamel.

Q: Is Cook's Essentials^® cookware easy to clean and dishwasher safe?
A: The nonstick coating in the interiors of all Cook's Essentials products are so easy to clean, you can wipe them out with a paper towel. All Cook's Essentials cookware except Hard Anodized cookware is dishwasher safe. For the exterior of Hard Anodized cookware, we recommend hand washing.

Q: Do I have to use oil when cooking with Cook's Essentials^® nonstick cookware?
A: You don't need oil to cook in the nonstick interiors, but you can use it for flavor.

Q: Does Cook's Essentials^® cookware have glass lids?
A: Tempered glass lids are available with Hard Coat Enamel and 18/10 Stainless Steel cookware. Stainless Steel 500 and Hard Anodized cookware feature heavy-gauge stainless steel lids.

Q: Will the pen bend, dent, or warp out of round?
A: All Cook’s Essentials^® cookware is heavy gauge. The Hard Coat Enamel cookware comes with embossed bottoms to help prevent warpage.