Black Friday Is the Best Time to Buy Pots and Pans

Because a great skillet is an investment in yourself Out of all the stuff on your Black Friday shopping short-list, really nice pots and pans deserve priority ranking. Outside of the Black Friday season, a new Le Creuset Dutch oven, nonstick skillet set, or lobster boil-worthy pot will cost you a hefty chunk of fun money. And while I would happily co-sign on such investment pieces of cookware at full price — trust me, your descendants will duke it out over that prized Dutch oven one day — I also don’t think that you should have to pick between a martini-blessed night out at Peter Luger with your friends, or the purchasing of a new saucepan. The best Black Friday sales on pots and pans are live right now, and ready to make your brisket sing. After all, if you’re going to be shopping the Black Friday sales, shouldn’t you reach for the items that are going to make holiday hosting a lot easier? Expect a sweet crêpe pan and Bonne Maman bundle, plenty of Lodge cast-iron, All-Clad galore, and more. The Best Black Friday Sales on Stainless Steel Pots and Pans Even the words “stainless steel cookware” conjures up the Platonic ideal of a pan in my mind: It is shiny, timeless, and capable of seriously high temperatures when made with enough gusto (meaning, 18/10 stainless steel that’s ready for the broiler). A few things to consider when choosing a stainless steel pot or pan include the grade of stainless steel, its compatibility with gas or induction stovetops, and whether or not it includes an ideal interior layer for heating up quickly evenly (look for aluminum or copper). The Best Black Friday Sales on Nonstick Pots and Pans Francky Knapp Ah, the world of nonstick. It is laden with dreams of perfectly in-tact fried eggs and grilled haloumi. Unfortunately, nonstick coatings are also commonly laden with PFOA, PFOS, and and PFA-related chemicals. The trick to finding nonstick pots and pans that are worth their price tag? Sniff out the sketchy materials. The Best Black Friday Sales on Cast-Iron Pots and Pans Francky Knapp Listen, cooking with cast-iron can be a delightful experience. It makes me feel rustic and burly — the pinnacle of what the internet coined as “hobbit-maxing” — thanks to its natural weight, incredible heat-retention abilities, and potential durability when cared for correctly. Admittedly, caring for cast-iron can be a bit less delightful if you’re new to the game, so just remember: Don’t over-scrub with tons of soap (season, season, season), and make sure you fully dry your cast-iron any time it gets wet. The Best Black Friday Sales on Ceramic and Stoneware Stoneware is a portmanteau for dense, non-porous clay-based cookware that is fired at a high temperature and designed to absorb and distribute heat evenly (it’s also freezer-safe and can typically handle oven temperatures of 450 degrees Fahrenheit). Ceramic cookware is in a similar neck of the woods, in that it’s made from clay (albeit porous and thus less durable in the long term) and feels similarly rustic, but it tends to be more affordable. Both are beloved for their reputation as toxin-free material choices.