The direct answer to the question what is granite cookware made of is that the core is made of metal (aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel) and the non-stick coating is made of porcelain enamel.
The nonstick coating of porcelain enamel envelopes the metal core and it prevents foods from sticking to pans and pots.
The nonstick coating for this type of cookware might also be described as being a healthy mineral nonstick coating that is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium.
Some manufacturers might also mention that the nonstick cooking surface is reinforced with diamonds to make it more durable.
If it’s also compatible with induction cooking, which granite cookware frequently is, then we have three layers:
- induction base
- core (made of metal like aluminum or steel)
- and nonstick coating (porcelain enamel)
Thus, granite cookware has nothing in common with granite. Granite is a stone that is used as construction material. Or as a decorative and architectural stone.
The name granite cookware derives from the similar looks to the granite stone. The cookware is gray with a multitude of white specs. The similar look is the only similarity we have for granite cookware and granite, the stone.
What Is Granite Cookware Made Of? What Characterizes It?
We have a few important points that we should correlate with granite cookware. These features are the ones that fully describe what granite cookware is.
Check out my article on granite cookware pros and cons if you want to learn even more.
Nonstick cookware
The first important feature is represented by nonstick properties.
These are due to the porcelain enamel coating for the pots and pans made of aluminum, stainless steel or carbon steel.
Teflon and ceramic are two other popular coatings that confer nonstick properties.
Of course, there are also manufacturers that don’t mention what type of nonstick coating they use.
For example, the Ninja Foodi NeverStick Premium Set just mentions that it uses the NeverStick Technology. This is an exclusive nonstick coating designed by Ninja. We aren’t told what this coating is made of. But it doesn’t mention anywhere that it’s PFOA/PTFE-free so we can assume that it has some kind of teflon in its composition.
Baking dishes, cake pans, loaf pans, muffin pans, cookie sheets, and other bakeware will also mention nonstick coatings without mentioning what type it is. Once again, if there’s no mention of PFOA/PTFE-free, we can assume the presence of teflon.
PFOA/PTFE-free cooking
The second aspect, which is also directly related to the porcelain enamel coating, is the fact that granite cookware can be regarded as a safer alternative to teflon cookware.
When people are looking for cookware that is PFAS/PFOA/PTFE-free, they have two major types to choose from: granite or ceramic pots/pans/baking dishes, etc.
Some might even look for ceramic air fryers or for glass air fryers if they want to do some PFOA/PTFE-free cooking.
Of course, for bakeware we can also choose glass dishes or silicone molds for baking.
There are always alternatives if your concern is PFOA/PTFE-free cooking.
Teflon is still a majorly popular nonstick coating but we can find good granite & ceramic cookware in the same price ranges.
Some might say that granite pans are among the cheapest. My opinion is that teflon cookware sets might actually be the most affordable among the three because sets that cost around $200 or so will have close to 20 pieces.
Ceramic cookware sets might be a bit more expensive, especially if we’re looking for some high-quality ones that have a chance of lasting a few good years.
I would say that granite cookware sets are not as popular as teflon and ceramic sets but their prices are pretty decent. We get a lot of pieces in a more expensive set.
Even cooking
This property is assumed from the fact that the core of granite cookware is made of metals.
Metals like aluminum, stainless steel or carbon steel are used for the core. The core is covered by a nonstick coating (porcelain enamel).
These are metals that are supposed to heat up quickly and evenly. They indeed heat up quickly but they don’t have the same heat storing capabilities that cast iron has.
Granite cookware compatibility
I mentioned that granite cookware is frequently compatible with induction cooking. That’s not always the case for ceramic cookware so you must double check this induction compatibility.
On the other hand, granite cookware is not frequently oven safe. Ceramic coated pots and pans are frequently oven safe and microwave safe.
Moreover, we should be careful with both granite and ceramic pots and pans if we have glass cooktops. They might scratch it quite heavily. Stainless steel cookware is frequently recommended for glass cooktops.
These are aspects we must pay attention to and they also should be mentioned when we’re answering questions like what is granite cookware made of because each of us has different needs and cooking methods.
