Hard-anodized vs nonstick cookware: what the labels mean

Hard anodizing is how the body is made: the aluminum is treated in an acid bath with an electric current, which grows a thick, hard oxide layer on the metal. Nonstick is the coating on the cooking surface. Most hard-anodized pans in stores are both. All-Clad's HA1, for one, is a hard-anodized aluminum body with a PTFE nonstick coating and a stainless steel base.

The anodized outside is hard and resists scratches, and All-Clad says its steel base adds durability and resistance to warping. Made In advises choosing a hard-anodized or stainless body over plain aluminum for a coated pan, because plain aluminum warps more easily. The coating inside is still what wears out, on either kind of body.

Aluminum isn't magnetic, so a hard-anodized pan works on induction only with a steel base. HA1 has one, though All-Clad excludes its HA1 griddles, grill pan and roaster. Oven limits come from the coating and the lids: HA1 pans go to 500°F and their glass lids to 350°F. All-Clad allows the dishwasher for HA1 but suggests washing by hand with a sponge to keep the nonstick working; other makers differ, so check the page for your pan.

Read past the label. For a nonstick pan, check the body (hard-anodized or stainless rather than thin aluminum), the stove it works on, the oven limit for the pan and the lid, and the care the maker asks for.