Visiting a kitchen supply store when shopping for new cookware can be a confusing experience. You’ll see all sorts of terminology referenced that is only familiar to cookware enthusiasts, and should also be in a foreign language for a newbie. One such term you’ll come across is “siding.” So what is coating and what is its benefit in cookware construction?

Plating refers to the cookware construction practice of using a metal that is an excellent conductor of heat, such as aluminum or copper, and encasing it with stainless steel. You may be wondering, “If aluminum is such an excellent conductor of heat, why would you want to clad it in stainless steel?” Actually, there are several reasons for this. Although aluminum is lightweight and provides even heat if thick enough and is an exceptionally good conductor of heat, it has major drawbacks when used for cookware. Aluminum chemically reacts with acidic or alkaline foods and causes food to have an unpleasant metallic taste. Also, this same chemical reaction can cause food to change color, often creating an unappetizing gray appearance.

On the other hand, stainless steel is a non-reactive metal, which means that acidic or alkaline foods have no effect on it and it is easy to keep clean. Unfortunately, stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat. By bonding it to aluminum as a coating, the best properties of stainless steel and aluminum are preserved.

Therefore, “clad” cookware is cookware made of an excellent heat-conducting metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel. You will also sometimes see the term “fully encased”. Fully clad cookware is comprised of an excellent heat conductor, such as aluminum or copper, sandwiched between an inner and outer layer of stainless steel. You might think that this fully clad cookware would be vastly superior in performance to clad cookware, but that’s not necessarily the case. If the inner aluminum layer is made thinner in fully clad cookware than in regular clad due to the double layers of stainless steel, the cookware’s heating uniformity and ability to retain heat may be affected. . Always ask how thick the inner aluminum layer is before purchasing coated or fully coated cookware.

Both clad and fully clad cookware offer advantages over cookware made solely of aluminum or stainless steel. There are many price points of various clad and fully clad cookware available, but plan to invest much more than you would for cookware comprised of just aluminum or stainless steel. Although coated or fully coated cookware is definitely more expensive than the alternatives, it is highly durable and can last for an additional 25 years of use, making it a great long-term investment.