The Ultimate Guide To Martha Stewart's Cookware Line

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you're thinking of purchasing any of Martha Stewart's cookware, there's a lot to consider because she's released quite a few out into the world over the years. The first thing you have to decide is what type of material you want because she has everything from copper and stainless steel classics to non-stick versions made with a variety of materials inside and out. Plus, you'll need to decide whether to buy your cookware by the piece or pick up a set.

Most of the pieces are in styles and prices that you'd expect from a Martha Stewart line of cookware. However, there are a few surprises out there, especially when it comes to stock pots and Dutch ovens. The prices vary, as you'll spend more money buying her cookware by the piece than picking up a full set. So, you'll want to read on to learn more about all the things you need to know when it comes to choosing the best Martha Stewart cookware for you.

There are two main ways to go when choosing Martha Stewart cookware. One is all-metal, and the other is a metal pan with a non-stick coating. However, there are various choices within these two main categories.

If you opt for an all-metal pan, you have a choice between copper and stainless steel. When combined with stainless-steel (like Stewart's are), copper helps pans heat quickly and evenly. However, copper won't work on an induction stovetop, tarnishes easily, can't go in the dishwasher, and can lose its nonstick qualities from too much scrubbing. Meanwhile, stainless steel cookware doesn't conduct heat as well, and the coating can wear off if you don't clean it gently. However, it's durable, capable of use at high temperatures, and works on induction cooktops. While stainless steel generally isn't nonstick, there's a scientific hack that can make it nonstick.

Stewart's other cookware all have nonstick coatings. You can choose from aluminum or steel with ceramic coatings, aluminum with hard anodized coatings, or cast iron with enamel coatings. The majority are aluminum, which tend to be more affordable, lightweight, and heat quickly and evenly. Negatively, it doesn't work with induction cooktops and isn't great for high temperatures like steel ones. As for enameled cast iron, it can go between the stovetop and oven, holds heat well, can be used with high heat, and works with induction cooktops. On the flip side, it's heavy and not usually dishwasher safe.

There's nothing quite like walking into a kitchen that has copper cookware on display, which you'll likely want to do if you opt for Martha Stewart's beautiful line of copper cookware. They're two-toned, with copper on the outside and steel on the inside and the handles. And if you treat them well, you can pass these on to the next generation.

Martha by Martha Stewart Copper Cookware is made with 18/10 tri-ply stainless steel, which means they're 18 percent chromium and 10 percent nickel. Since it's safe up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, you can move it between the stovetop and the oven with ease. The handles are riveted into place rather than being built into the pan itself, and the pan should heat up quickly. However, you need to know what you're getting with copper because there are some downsides, like tarnishing easily and not being dishwasher safe. So, expect these to require extra work to keep them looking nice.

Unlike her copper cookware, you can get Martha Stewart's stainless steel cookware either by the piece or part of a set. Just keep in mind that the ones you can buy by the piece are made of better-quality steel.

Like the copper collection, the stainless-steel cookware you can buy by the piece are made from 18/10 tri-ply with an aluminum core. However, the ones in the sets like Castelle and Vintage are only 18/8 stainless steel, which aren't as corrosion resistant as the 18/10 and can't take as much heat. 

The 18/10 stainless steel can handle only up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit of heat, with 18/8 stainless steel in the sets only being safe up to 480 degrees Fahrenheit (without the lid). The good news is that stainless steel is great to use with induction cooktops and that they're all dishwasher safe even though it's best to hand-wash them.

The lion's share of Martha Stewart cookware choices are ceramic non-stick cookware options. You can purchase her non-stick ceramic cookware by the piece or in sets, and they come in aluminum, steel, and stainless steel options.

Most of your ceramic non-stick options are aluminum. We found two by-the-piece options as well as at least five sets in this category (Heathland, Charlemont, Lockton, Emmeline, and Galway). As previously mentioned, aluminum is lightweight and heats quickly and evenly. Plus, having a super strong nonstick ceramic surface, they're easy to clean and shouldn't scratch and stain as quickly as some other brands. You can also choose between colored or metal exteriors. On the downside, they're not for people with induction cooktops or who like to cook at high temperatures. And they're only oven safe up to 480 degrees Fahrenheit. While they're dishwasher safe, it's best to hand-wash them.

There are two non-aluminum ceramic non-stick choices. One non-stick ceramic set (Thayer) is made from steel, while there's another made from stainless steel (Delaroux). Keep in mind that steel cookware doesn't conduct heat as well as aluminum, but it does work on induction cooktops. The Thayer steel pieces are only oven-safe up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and require handwashing, while the Delaroux stainless-steel pieces can handle up to 500 degrees of heat and are okay for the dishwasher but better hand-washed.

Martha Stewart has two sets that rely on hard anodized aluminum for its non-stick surface. One is an unnamed copper-colored one and has 12 pieces, while the other has 10 pieces and is called Bosworth. Something that sets this collection apart from other Martha Stewart non-stick units is that the chemical coating.

The anodization process oxidizes and hardens the outer layer of metal of the pan, which makes it structurally tough, scratch-resistant, and long-lasting. However, it won't last nearly as long as stainless steel or iron, especially if the anodization starts to break down under high heat stress. It's also noteworthy that both of these sets have three layers of Platinum SR to make them non-stick inside.

If you prefer to avoid chemical-based coatings, you'll want to know that Platinum SR is actually a Teflon coating instead of ceramic. While the copper-colored set works with an induction cooktop, information available about the Bosworth doesn't indicate that it can. However, a positive of both is that they're dishwasher safe, which makes cleanup super easy. They're also oven safe up to 480 degrees Fahrenheit.

Martha Stewart has two different types of enameled cast-iron cookware. Her Martha by Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron Cookware comes in three sizes: 3½, 5, and 7 quarts. Plus, they include cast-iron molding pans. Meanwhile, her Gatwicks are either 2, 4, or 7 quarts. And there are plenty of colors to choose from in both models to fit your kitchen color theme.

Some of the positives of enameled cast-iron cookware is that, other than the enamel making them non-stick, they also work on induction cooktops, and the coating on them mean that they won't rust like regular cast-iron pots can. Granted, they're heavy, but they hold temperature well and evenly at both high and low temperatures.

When comparing Martha Stewart vs Le Creuset enameled cast-iron cookware, Martha Stewart's is far cheaper and heavier. With Stewart's you're getting Chinese-made cookware rather than French-made cookware like Le Creuset. However, the one from Le Creuset comes with a 10-year warranty, while we've found some from Martha Stewart that comes with a limited lifetime warranty. However, they can both withstand oven temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. While Le Creuset and Martha Stewart's Enameled Cast Iron Cookware are both dishwasher safe, Martha Stewart's Gatwick line is hand-wash only.

Martha Stewart is a big fan of French cuisine and all the accoutrements that go along with it, including copper cookware. In fact, she has an impressive collection of copper cookware at Bedford, her 1925 Katonah, New York, farmhouse. So, it's no surprise that she wanted to include a copper cookware line among all the cookware options she offers to her fans.

Stewart's Bedford kitchen displays a dizzying amount of copper cookware. She has them on high and low open shelves all around the room as well as hanging on a rack near her stovetop, ready to use. Her copper collection includes everything from everyday pots and pans to all sorts of baking molds, kettles, pitchers, and more. So, her copper cookware line is only a very small taste of what's possible. Quite a few of them are quite old, like French cake molds from the 1800s, a Welsh tea kettle from the late 1700s, and English pub ale pitchers from the early 1900s.

If you're trying to decide which of Martha Stewart's cookware options are the best choice for you, you may be interested in learning that only one set is used in the kitchen at Martha's Las Vegas restaurant, the Bedford:
the copper cookware set. The Bedford by Martha Stewart is a replica of her real New York farmhouse that has been turned into a restaurant.

The outside and inside of The Bedford restaurant have elements from Stewart's real-life home. It has a similar low-key color palette and simple yet classy decor like her real home. And, of course, the kitchen has elements of her personal preferences, too. As previously mentioned, Stewart is a huge lover and collector of nice copper cookware, and it's a big part of her home kitchen design. So, it's no surprise that she has her chefs using her copper cookware line in her Las Vegas restaurant kitchen. After all, the menu skews somewhat French. And what goes better in a French kitchen than fancy copper cookware?

Despite Martha.com supporting the American Made movement and celebrating companies that create products in the U.S., all of Martha Stewart's cookware sets are made overseas. To thicken the sauce, each cookware set is made abroad by the same company, but not in the same country.

No matter which Martha Stewart cookware set you purchase or are considering purchasing, all of them are made by a company called Gibson Overseas, Inc. The company has been around since 1979 and makes all sorts of housewares — especially ones you might find in the kitchen. It has a few other name brands you might recognize for kitchen products, like Sunbeam and Oster. Besides making items for Martha Stewart, the company also creates products for companies you might recognize like Pier 1 and Crate & Barrel.

Gibson Overseas, Inc. has a U.S. branch called Gibson Homewares, but its manufacturing happens in 400 factories around the world. Most of the cookware items you'll find in Martha Stewart's collections are made by Gibson Overseas in China. However, we did find a handful of the items in the Thayer collection made in Gibson Overseas factories elsewhere, like in Indonesia and Taiwan.

With the same company making all of Martha Stewart's cookware, knowing what kind of recalls the brand has had can give you a good idea of the overall quality of the brand. Luckily, we could only find an incidence of two recalls back in 2011 and 2015.

The 2011 recall was for Martha Stewart Collection Enamel Cast Iron Casseroles. This particular recall happened after two customers who bought the casseroles from Macy's reported the enamel cracking open and hurtling itself through the air while they were cooking. Luckily, nobody was injured, but the potential for injury was enough to inspire pulling these off the shelves.

The 2015 Martha Stewart cookware recall affected only one specific set and only two pieces in the set. If you had purchased a Martha Stewart Collection 10-piece stainless steel cookware set from Macy's, there was a chance that the rivet covers for the handles' rivets could come off the frying pans and cause an injury. In fact, three customers reported minor injuries from the rivet covers popping off, resulting in everything from bruises and welts to actual burns if the covers were hot enough when they popped off.

If you've run across Martha Stewart home products over the years, you likely have a good idea what colors she likes, as they haven't changed much. These clean, simple, and classic aesthetics carry over to her cookware line, as do her color preferences.

For the most part, Martha Stewart's cookware pieces have a classic, simple, no-frills look. The fanciest her metal pans get is the Vintage Stainless Steel line has classy-looking golden handles. If you're looking at the non-stick lines, then you start to see some colors, but they're mainly ones like linen white, black, Martha blue, soft blue, teal, sage, and ganache (light brown). Although, we found a few that break with tradition, like navy and pink ones at Bed Bath and Beyond and a randomly unexpected white stock pot with a lobster on it that comes from Taiwan.

For the most part, it's mainly the Gatwick cast-iron enamel Dutch Ovens that have a bit of color character, likely made that way to compete with the many colors of Le Creuset cookware. For example, you can get ones in classic blue, emerald ombre (our favorite), pink, red, and yellow. There are even heart-shaped Dutch ovens in pink or red, which the brand pushes as Valentine's Day gifts.

The prices of Martha Stewart's cookware range from budget-friendly to expensive. In general, you'll spend much more buying by the piece than buying a set.

The all-metal options tend to cost the most. There are nine possible pieces in the copper cookware collection, and they range between $80 and $200 per piece, totaling nearly $1200 before tax. Buying stainless steel cookware by the piece is a little cheaper. The nine pieces available run between $65 and $300 each, and total around $1040. Meanwhile, the actual stainless steel sets run between about $190 and $300, with the gold-handled Vintage set being most expensive.

The non-stick cookware collections tend to be cheaper. If you get non-stick aluminum ceramic cookware by the piece, you'll spend between $250 and $325 for a set. However, the ones you can buy already in sets have 10 to 12 pieces and range from about $90 to $190 for the whole set. When it comes to the non-aluminum ceramic options, steel pieces total around $175 altogether, while stainless-steel ones come in a set of 10 for around $250. If you want the 10-piece anodized aluminum set, it's closer to $135, while the 12-piece anodized aluminum set will run you closer to $250. If enamel cast-iron is your thing, you'll spend between about $35 and $100 per piece for the regular enameled cast iron cookware or around $55 to $80 for the Gatwick enameled cast iron Dutch ovens.

You've got a lot of options when it comes to places to look for cookware from Martha Stewart. Many major chains carry one version or the other of her cookware. However, if you have a particular type in mind, you might have to search around to find it.

Chain stores like Macy's, Target, Walmart, Kohl's, and JCPenney seem to mainly carry the non-stick ceramic aluminum options. However, you may need to go online to order them, as none of our local stores seem to stock them on the shelves. However, if you can get them shipped to the store, you might be able to save yourself shipping costs, which might make buying from a chain store attractive.

There are also some online-only companies, like Amazon, Newegg, and Bed Bath & Beyond that also stock Martha Stewart's cookware lines. In fact, Amazon has exclusivity for the higher-end by-the-piece Martha by Martha Stewart Cookware lines.

The ratings for most of Martha Stewart's cookware are pretty decent – even the budget-friendly sets. Interestingly enough, it's the copper and some stainless steel pans that get the lowest reviews, while the non-stick ones tend to get some of the best. 

There are two styles of non-stick pans that get the highest ratings. The Charlemont seems to resonate best with customers, with an average rating of 4.8 over on Walmart's website. Customers seem to like the color, style, price, and how non-stick they are. Customers also rate the enamel cast iron options fairly highly, finding themselves pleased with the high quality and beauty of the pieces.

However, the poorer reviews mainly seem to revolve around customers expecting a non-stick surface from pans that don't advertise themselves as being non-stick and the fact that cleaning is a pain. Even the low reviews on the cast-iron enamel pans seem to come from people expecting a magic pan that cleans itself and turns them into a better cook. So, that's why you need to know what you should expect so that you're not disappointed from a pan performing exactly as it should. Granted, there have been some complaints about some legitimate problems here and there, like the gold finish coming off the Vintage pans or the ceramic chipping. However, by and large, actual cookware integrity complaints are low.