Granite vs Ceramic Cookware – What’s the Better Pick?

If you are fed up with the frequent rusting and stickiness of your existing cookware, granite and ceramic cookware are the best alternatives.

Both granite and ceramic cookware is made with materials that prevent rust formation, stickiness and the best part is, thanks to the FDA guidelines, these are made using environment-friendly materials like clay, aluminum and carbon steel which do not release any harmful chemicals when reacted with food.

However, there are certain differences between granite and ceramic cookware and each of this cookware has its own advantages over the other.

For example, Ceramic cookware comes in varied colours and has better heat retention. Likewise, Granite cookware has an amazing outlook and is long-lasting.

Through this article, we tried to differentiate ceramic and granite cookware in terms of performance, durability, usability, safety and other parameters and answered some of your queries so that the next time you want to buy your cookware, you wouldn’t be confused.

Let’s delve into the article right away and pick a winner between the two.

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What Exactly is Granite Cookware?

Granite cookware is basically an enamelware that is made of carbon steel and coated with porcelain enamel.  The benefit of this coating is that it is free from toxic substances. Also, the porcelain enamel creates a non-stick surface which makes it look similar to your Teflon cookware.

The beauty of granite cookware lies in its safety. It is eligible for any type of cooking even if the food contains higher acidic levels.

Granite cookware is the best choice for you if you love using your cookware for years.

Why the name “Granite” when it’s not made of it?

Granite cookware comes in a solid black surface (similar to granite) with some flakes of grey or white being scattered on it. So, the look of the cookware is the reason for the naming.

Let’s now get into the pros and cons of granite cookware.

Pros:

Though granite cookware these days is not as hefty as it used to be, it still holds many advantages.

• Non-Rusty: The stainless-steel base makes the granite cookware rust resistant unlike the traditional cast iron cookware.
• Better Heat Conduction: The dark porcelain surface helps in faster and consistent heat absorption thereby reducing your overall cooking time.
• Attractive Appearance: Granite cookware goes well with any type of kitchen décor, even with your modular kitchen. The dark outlook makes it look pleasing.
• Highly Safe: The enamel coating which is responsible for the non-sticky nature doesn’t wear off and makes it good for cooking highly acidic recipes.
• Reasonable Pricing: Granite pans and pots are sold at an affordable price range, at least more affordable than the cast iron cookware.
• Ease in Cleaning: The non-sticky coating of the cookware makes your clean even the greasy stains with ease.
• Lightweight: While you expect it to be heavy, granite cookware is surprisingly light in weight.
• Boosts healthy cooking: This type of cookware doesn’t hold any harmful chemical that can be detrimental to your health. It is free from PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) which is linked to causing cancer and is also free from PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) which is a plastic polymer that releases harmful toxins.

Cons:

• Can break glass tops: As we already said, granite cookware when mishandled can crack or even break glass cooktops.
• Needs careful preservation: Granite utensils must be treated with care. You should only use wooden sticks for serving and cooking. Any other form of cooking tools can wear off the enamel coating.
• Thin coating: Modern granite cookware sometimes has a thin layer of coating which can sometimes cause sticking of the food to the surface.

What is Ceramic Cookware?

This is also an enamelware; however, it is made out of nature-friendly materials like aluminum, or a mixture of clay and water.

Ceramic cooking pans and pots allow fat-free cooking and are completely non-stick.

While you may assume ceramic utensils are all white, they are not. They come in all colours and designs.

Types of Ceramic Cookware:

There are two types of ceramic cookware, ceramic coated and solid ceramic, which have different properties and vary in terms of performance.

Type -1- Ceramic Coated Cookware:

This type of cookware has its core made of aluminum and has a ceramic coating on top of it that is made from silicon called sol-gel. This coating makes the ceramic cookware non-stick and durable.

Sol-gel is basically a silicon and oxygen mixture combined with basic sand. This gel is free from PTFE and safe to use for everyday purposes.

This silicon coating also helps the heat to distribute evenly so you can be sure that the food gets cooked when at the centre or at the edges.

Type-2 - Solid Ceramic Cookware:

This type of cookware is completely made with clay and water.

Both of these are mixed and transferred into a mold and then hardened by kiln-baking. This process adds shine to the ceramic cookware which is the reason for the glossy look of the ceramic pans and pots.

The beauty of this type of cookware is that it is devoid of toxins and doesn’t release harmful fumes when the cookware is overheated.

Let’s now look at the advantages and disadvantages of the ceramic cookware.

Pros:

Non-reactive: The inert nature of this cookware doesn’t change the taste or smell of the food.

Attractive colour and design options: Ceramic cookware comes in a variety of colours and designs unlike the graphite cookware and goes well with any kitchen décor.

Chemical-free: As you already know by now, ceramic cookware is free from PTFE and PFOA. Since it’s made with clay, the cookware is also eco-friendly.

Non-sticky: The ceramic coating with silicon is completely non-sticky and allows easy flipping of our favourite pancakes, vegetables and eggs.

Requires less oil: The complete non-stick nature of the ceramic cookware allows you to cook with less or even no oil which makes it the best choice for all the health freaks.

Time-Saving: This cookware heats up quickly and has superior thermal heat transfer which allows the food to be done quickly.

Cons:

Doesn’t suit high-heat cooking: Ceramic coating tends to wear off when it reaches 800-degree Fahrenheit. So, this cookware can’t be put on high flames.

Not Compatible with metal tools: The ceramic coating can also break when the metal cutlery is used for stirring and serving.

Prone to Chipping: Upon repeated uses, the cookware can develop small chips on the surface.

The Comparison: Who’s the Winner?

It’s now time for granite vs ceramic cookware and how different are they from each other and what should you opt for.

1. Granite vs Ceramic Cookware: In terms of Performance

This is the most obvious and the important factor to consider when you head out to purchase any cookware. It’s performance.

A good cookware must be non-sticky and must also be easier to wash and maintain.

Granite cookware has the porcelain enamel coating which is known to enhance the non-sticky nature of your cookware. This means you can cook any meal and clean the cookware very easily.

In the case of  two ceramic cookware types, the sol-gel coating on the type-1 ceramic cookware makes it non-sticky and doesn’t react with the food. The type-2 ceramic cookware allows fat-free cooking as it only takes little oil to make your food.

Both granite and ceramic cookware do pass the non-stick test and also reduce the cooking time with their quick heat distribution capabilities.

Although both are almost similar in terms of performance, we believe ceramic cookware has an edge over granite cookware due to its warmth preservation capacity.

Our Pick: Ceramic cookware

2. Granite vs Ceramic Cookware – In Terms of Safety and Durability

In the case of granite cookware, the porcelain coating on the surface of the cookware is considered safe as it’s free from lead, and the carbon steel material with which this cookware is made is free from cancer-causing agents like PFOA and PTFE.

However, the porcelain coating of this cookware can wear off when the cookware is dropped too frequently. Prolonged exposure to high heat can also damage the coating.

Coming to Ceramic Cookware, the sol-gel coating is also free from toxins and the solid ceramic cookware is made of aluminum and clay which is completely environment friendly.

However, the coating of ceramic cookware is prone to chipping and can lose all its safe properties. This means that ceramic cookware too has a shorter life time when mishandled. Moreover, the ceramic cookware being hefty tends to break when dropped.

Though both the cookware is free from detrimental chemicals, we prefer to go with granite cookware as it’s free from chipping.

Our Pick: Granite cookware.

3. Granite vs Ceramic Cookware – Appearance

Many of you love the outer look of your cookware and tend to pick one matching your kitchen décor. Let’s see how these two cookware differ in terms of appearance.

Granite pans and pots are mostly dark and this is due to the presence of carbon. Sometimes, dark colours can be unattractive and dull.

If you love that glossy look added to your cookware, ceramic ones have those. Moreover, ceramic pots and pans come in many colours as per your preference. This is the reason for ceramic cookware becoming more popular.

Our Pick: As you might have guessed, ceramic cookware is our choice.

4. Granite vs Ceramic Cookware – In terms of Cooking Methods

Before you purchase your cookware, you must also know what type of recipes can be cooked with that cookware.

Granite Cookware can be used to perform roasting, frying, baking, sauteing, and any other cooking type. It is known for even heat distribution. So, you can readily prepare any type of gravy or sauce, omelets, dosas, uttapams, paneer and noodles.

The same can be performed using ceramic pots and pans but this type of cookware has an advantage with the warmth preservation after turning off the stove. However, these are slightly heavy and must be carried carefully.

No matter what you cook, both granite and ceramic pans and pots require wooden spoons for cooking and serving else all your efforts can be rendered useless as metal or steel spoons can create scratches on the pan’s surface.

Our Pick: Here, it is up to you to pick the right one according to your preference.

5. Granite vs Ceramic Cookware – In Terms of Cleaning

A lot depends on how easy the cookware is to wipe out even the greasiest stains.

When we talk about granite and ceramic cookware, both of them can be easily cleaned when compared to the traditional cast iron cookware.

However, the Granite Cookware can be dish washed safely and it is almost impossible to break.

But granite cookware shouldn’t be used for high-temperature Indian cooking as the coating wears off faster than you think and the food starts sticking to the surface which makes it difficult to clean.

Meanwhile, Ceramic cookware is best for high-temperature cooking but the cleaning part can be slightly more strenuous as it is not dishwasher safe and begins flaking when machine-washed.

However, you can remove the charred bits by soaking the cookware in hot water with washing soda.

Our Pick: Granite cookware for its dishwashing capability.

The Final Winner

Granite and ceramic cookware are both the best alternatives to Teflon-based cookware. However, the choice basically depends on personal preferences and the type of cooking you do.

We would finally give it to the solid ceramic cookware for its aesthetic looks, colour options, high-temperature resistance, warmth preservation and for its environment-friendly nature.

Answering some of your Frequently Asked Questions: