Are you shopping for cookware but need help deciding between Cuisinart and Farberware?
Both offer a range of affordable pots and pans, but which brand is better? What are the key differences?
In this comparison of Cuisinart vs. Farberware, I answer those questions. You’ll learn how their cookware differs in construction, design, performance, durability, and more.
Use the links below to navigate the comparison:
- Cuisinart vs. Farberware: Comparison Chart
- Difference 1: Construction
- Difference 2: Design
- Difference 3: Cooking Performance
- Difference 4: Oven-Safe Temperatures
- Difference 5: Induction Compatibility
- Difference 6: Company History
- Difference 7: Price
- Difference 8: Downsides
- Difference 9: Accolades
- Bottom Line: Should You Buy Cuisinart or Farberware Cookware?
Cuisinart vs. Farberware: Comparison Chart
Before I get into the details, the chart below provides a quick comparison of Cuisinart vs. Farberware.
Cuisinart | Farberware | |
---|---|---|
Types of Cookware | Aluminum Hard-anodized aluminum Fully-clad stainless steel Impact-bonded stainless steel | Aluminum Hard-anodized aluminum Impact-bonded stainless steel |
Design | Traditional with steel handles and tempered glass lids | Functional with plastic or silicone-wrapped handles and steel or tempered glass lids |
Induction Compatible Collections | – Ceramica XT Non-stick – Elements – Pro Induction Non-stick – MultiClad Pro – Chef’s Classic Stainless – French Classic Tri-Ply – Professional – Hammered Collection Tri-Ply | Millennium 120 Limited |
Oven-Safe Temperatures | 350-500℉ | All 350℉, except Millennium (500℉) |
Metal Utensil Safe | Stainless steel: yes Non-stick: no | Stainless steel: yes Non-stick: no |
Where It’s Made | China | China |
Company History | Started in 1973 | Started in 1900 |
Top Reasons to Buy | Affordable, higher oven-safe temperatures, fully-clad options | Affordable, lightweight |
Top Reasons to NOT Buy | Quality control issues, uneven heating (impact-bonded collections only) | Thin, uneven heating, poor heat retention |
Price | $-$$$ (Amazon) | $$ (Amazon) |
Difference 1: Construction
Cuisinart and Farberware offer a variety of cookware types.
Cuisinart makes aluminum, hard-anodized aluminum, and stainless steel cookware. Some of its stainless steel options, such as the Cuisinart French Classic, are fully clad, while others, like the Chef’s Classic, are constructed with an impact-bonded base.

You can learn more about the differences between fully-clad stainless steel cookware and stainless steel cookware with an impact-bonded base in this guide.
But the key difference is that fully-clad cookware conducts and retains heat better because the entire pot or pan is layered with a highly conductive material (usually aluminum). Impact-bonded pans only have aluminum bonded to the base, so heat doesn’t distribute up the sides evenly.

Cuisinart also offers non-stick pans with a ceramic, PTFE (Teflon), or titanium-infused PTFE coating. The titanium-reinforced coating used on Chef’s Classic pans is called Quantanium, and it’s designed to last longer.
Farberware cookware is constructed from stainless steel, hard-anodized aluminum, or aluminum.
The brand’s stainless steel collections have a 3-ply impact-bonded base, but none of the pans are fully clad. In other words, Farberware stainless steel cookware won’t heat as evenly as Cuisinart’s fully-clad collections.

Farberware’s aluminum non-stick cookware has a silicone polyester exterior coating and is available with either PTFE or ceramic coating on the interior cooking surfaces.
They have two types of non-stick coating:
- PowerDiamond (2.5x stronger than traditional non-stick).
- DiamondMax (3x stronger than traditional non-stick).
Here’s a quick breakdown of the materials used in each Farberware collection.
Collection | Interior Material | Exterior Material |
---|---|---|
Classic | Stainless Steel or PTFE Non-Stick | Stainless Steel |
Classic Traditions | Stainless Steel or Ceramic Non-Stick | Stainless Steel |
Eco Advantage | Ceramic Non-Stick | Aluminum with Silicone Polyester Finish |
DuraStrong | PowerDiamond (PTFE) Non-Stick | Aluminum with Silicone Polyester Finish |
Glide | Ceramic Non-Stick | Aluminum with Silicone Polyester Finish |
Millennium | Stainless Steel or PTFE Non-Stick | Stainless Steel |
High Performance | PTFE Non-Stick | Aluminum with Silicone Polyester Finish |
Cookstart | DiamondMax (PTFE) Non-Stick | Aluminum with Silicone Polyester Finish |
Smart Control | DiamondMax (PTFE) Non-Stick | Aluminum with Silicone Polyester Finish |
Neat Nest | PTFE Non-Stick | Aluminum with Silicone Polyester Finish |
Difference 2: Design
Cuisinart and Farberware both offer multiple cookware collections with varying design features, including color, handles, and lids. In this section, I compare three of each brand’s top collections to explore the differences.
Farberware collections:
Cuisinart collections:
Exterior
The Cuisinart Professional collection and Farberware Classic both have classic polished steel exteriors, but the Cuisinart Professional also features a thin band along the bottom.


Cuisinart Advantage pots and pans (pictured below) are available in red or black with flared rims, while the Farberware Smart Control exteriors have a black silicone polyester finish providing a matte look.
The Cuisinart Ceramica has a black or red exterior with a silver rim. Farberware Eco Advantage pots and pans (pictured below) are available in a light gray or aqua exterior with a silver rim.
Interior
Cuisinart Professional pots and pans have a stainless steel interior with a smooth cooking surface.

The Farberware Classic collection also has a stainless steel interior; some pieces have a dimpled surface to help with food release.

The Cuisinart Advantage line has a black PTFE non-stick interior. Farberware Smart Control cookware has a silver/gray DiamondMax non-stick interior surface.
Cuisinart Ceramica pots and pans have a gray ceramic interior, while the Farberware Eco Advantage has a white ceramic interior surface with a pad-designed print.
Handles
The Cuisinart Professional collection has long stainless steel handles. The Farberware Classic collection has black plastic handles that look old-fashioned and are not sturdy. They’re also about two inches shorter than Cuisinart handles, so your hand is closer to the heat.


That said, Farberware Classic handles are screwed to a bracket that’s welded to the pan, making the cooking surface smooth and rivetless. Grease and food tend to build up around rivets, so a rivetless cooking surface makes cleaning easier.

Cuisinart Advantage pots and pans have silicone handles, while the Farberware Smart Control collection has black plastic handles. Both stay cool to the touch, and the silicone provides a secure grip.
The Cuisinart Ceramica collection has recycled stainless steel handles. Farberware Eco Advantage cookware has a dual riveted plastic handle with a stainless steel plate and lid loop that you can use to hang your pots pans if you’re short on cabinet space.
Lids
Cuisinart Professional and Farberware Classic pans come with tempered glass lids.
Tempered glass is heat-resistant, providing better insulation than stainless steel lids. It lets you see what you’re cooking without removing the lid and altering the temperature.
The Cuisinart Advantage line has tempered glass lids. The Farberware Smart Control cookware comes with tempered glass lids with a unique lid knob that doubles as a controlled vent to prevent simmering food from boiling over.
Cuisinart Ceramica cookware has tempered glass lids with recycled stainless steel handles. The Farberware Eco Advantage line also has tempered glass lids but with a black plastic-covered stainless steel handle that stays cool to the touch.
Difference 3: Cooking Performance
I’ve cooked with Farberware and Cuisinart pans for several years, and their performance varies by cookware type and collection.
For example, both brands’ non-stick cookware performs as advertised. It heats up fast, and eggs slide around with ease. The most significant difference is not between Farberware and Cuisinart but between both brands’ PTFE (Teflon) and ceramic-coated non-stick collections.
Simply put, the collections with PTFE coatings perform better and last longer. Ceramic non-stick coating used to make Farberware Glide and Cuisinart Ceramica starts to wear down and lose its non-stick properties after about six months.
While the difference between Farberware and Cuisinart non-stick cookware is minimal, stainless steel is a different story.
The most notable difference between Farberware and Cuisinart stainless steel cookware is its thickness. Farberware steel pans are thin. In fact, it might be the thinnest and lightest cookware I’ve tested. Because of that, they heat extremely fast.
Although lightweight and fast-heating pans come in handy when you’re in a rush and need to cook a quick meal, the lack of heft has downsides. Most notably, it’s challenging to maintain a consistent temperature with thin pans.

For example, it’s almost impossible to brown several chicken cutlets evenly. The pan gets too hot and burns the breadcrumbs before the chicken cooks. And when you add fresh oil or refrigerated meat, the pan’s temperature drops too low.

Cuisinart’s fully-clad stainless steel cookware, like the MultiClad Pro collection, heats much slower and more evenly. And when you slap a cold steak on the pan, the temperature doesn’t drop significantly. It stays hot so that you can get an even sear. This collection performs similarly to brands like All-Clad and Made In.
Cuisinart impact-bonded stainless steel cookware, like the Professional collection, won’t heat as evenly, but the base is still thicker than Farberware’s base. And because of that, it will retain heat better and maintain a more stable temperature.
Check out my in-depth Farberware review and Cuisinart review to learn more about both brands’ performance in the kitchen.
Difference 4: Oven-Safe Temperatures
Many recipes call for food to be transferred from the stovetop into the oven, so the oven-safe temperature of cookware is a vital detail to consider.
Cuisinart’s oven-safe temperatures range from 350-500°F. However, the collections with non-stick coating and plastic handles typically have lower oven-safe temperatures than the stainless steel collections.
Farberware’s cookware is almost exclusively oven-safe to 350°F. However, its Millennium line is oven-safe up to 500°F.
The table below shows the oven-safe temperatures of both brands’ collections.
Collection | Type | Oven-Safe Temperature |
---|---|---|
Cuisinart Dishwasher Safe Anodized | Anodized Aluminum | 500°F |
Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Non-stick Hard-Anodized | Hard-Anodized Aluminum | 500°F |
Cuisinart GreenGourmet Hard-Anodized Non-stick | Hard-Anodized Aluminum | 500°F |
Cuisinart Advantage Non-stick | Aluminum | 350°F |
Cuisinart Contour Hard-Anodized | Hard-Anodized Aluminum | 500°F |
Cuisinart Ceramica XT Non-stick | Aluminum | 350°F |
Cuisinart Elements Pro Induction Non-stick | Aluminum | 500°F |
Cuisinart MultiClad Pro | Stainless Steel | 500°F |
Cuisinart Chef’s Classic | Stainless Steel | 500°F |
Cuisinart Copper Tri-Ply | Stainless Steel | 500°F |
Cuisinart Hammered Tri-Ply | Stainless Steel | 500°F |
Cuisinart Professional Series | Stainless Steel | 500°F |
Cuisinart French Classic Tri-Ply | Stainless Steel | 500°F |
Farberware Classic | Stainless Steel | 350°F |
Farberware Classic Traditions | Stainless Steel | 350°F |
Farberware Eco Advantage | Aluminum | 350°F |
Farberware DuraStrong | Aluminum | 350°F |
Farberware Glide | Aluminum | 350°F |
Farberware Millennium | Stainless Steel | 500°F |
Farberware High Performance | Aluminum | 350°F |
Farberware Cookstart | Aluminum | 350°F |
Farberware Smart Control | Aluminum | 350°F |
Farberware Neat Nest | Aluminum | 350°F |
Difference 5: Induction Compatibility
If you have an induction stovetop or oven, which uses electromagnetism to create heat, you need to select induction-compatible Cookware. Cuisinart has several induction-compatible collections, including:
- Ceramica XT non-stick
- Elements
- Pro Induction non-stick
- MultiClad
- Pro
- Chef’s
- Classic Stainless (even the copper option)
- French
- Classic Tri-Ply
- Professional
- Hammered
- Collection Tri-Ply
Farberware, on the other hand, only has two induction-compatible collections: Millennium and 120 Limited.
Difference 6: Company History
Carl Sontheimer founded Cuisinart in 1973 after seeing a demonstration of a “professional food preparation machine” in a restaurant kitchen in France.
He was impressed with the machine’s speed and efficiency and adapted the technology into a product suitable for use at home — the food processor. After his food processor’s success, Sontheimer turned his attention to other domestic kitchen products like cookware.
In 1989, the Conair Corporation took over Cuisinart, retaining its philosophy of putting function first. Today, Cuisinart makes blenders, coffee makers, mixers, knives, and other small kitchen appliances, as well as its cookware collections and famous food processor. If you want to learn more, I recently reviewed Cuisinart knives and mixers.
Simon Farber founded Farberware in 1899, launching its first line of serving accessories and giftware in 1910. The company launched its first cookware line — the Farberware Aluminum-Clad Stainless Steel line — in 1949. Since then, the brand has launched various reliable and respected kitchen products.
However, in 1996, Farberware closed its Bronx, New York, factory, and the company was acquired by the Meyer Corporation. Meyer transferred manufacturing to Thailand and China to reduce costs. Today, Farberware targets budget-conscious home cooks. The brand is optimized for affordability rather than performance and durability as it once was.
Difference 7: Price
Farberware is one of the most affordable cookware brands I’ve reviewed. Although prices vary across collections, it’s less expensive than Cuisinart.
You can buy an entire set of Farberware cookware for less than the cost of one pan from high-end brands like Demeyere and All-Clad.
Cuisinart is affordable too, but some of its collections — like the fully-clad stainless steel options — are slightly more expensive.
The chart below shows the current prices of several Cuisinart and Farberware pans and sets.
Cookware | Price | View Details |
---|---|---|
Farberware Classic 2-Quart Saucepan | Amazon | |
Farberware Aluminum 3-Piece Set | Amazon | |
Farberware Classic 8.25-Inch and 10-Inch Fry Pan Set | Amazon | |
Farberware Dishwasher-Safe 15-Piece Set | Amazon | |
Farberware Millennium 10-Piece Set | Amazon | |
Farberware Classic 15-Piece Set | Amazon | |
Farberware Glide Pro Hard Anodized 11-Piece Set | Amazon | |
Cuisinart French Classic 8-Inch Fry Pan | Amazon | |
Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 12-Inch Skillet | Amazon | |
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 11-Piece Set | Amazon | |
Cuisinart Professional Performance 10-Piece Set | Amazon | |
Cuisinart Smartnest 11-Piece Set | Amazon | |
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 17-Piece Set | Amazon |
Difference 8: Downsides
While Cuisinart and Farberware both offer a variety of affordable cookware, both brands have a few downsides.
Cuisinart Downsides:
Overall Construction: While testing the Cuisinart Professional skillet, I noticed several dents and dings on the handle, which is a sign that the company’s quality standards are lacking.

Uneven Heat Distribution: I also noticed that Cuisinart impact-bonded stainless steel cookware doesn’t distribute heat evenly. When I simmered water in the pan, the bubbles concentrated toward the sides where the walls were thin.

Lightweight and Unbalanced Feel: Cuisinart pans are heavy at the bottom, but the handles are light and hollow, which makes them feel unbalanced. You must use two hands to transfer a full pan from the stove to the oven.
Made In China: Cuisinart cookware is made in China, which explains the low prices but could be why the quality control is lacking.
Farberware Downsides:
Uneven Heating and Poor Heat Retention: Farberware cookware is thin, which results in uneven heating and rapidly fluctuating temperatures. As you add ingredients, the pan’s temperature drops, which makes it difficult to brown and sear. You need to pay close attention while cooking and constantly monitor the heat.
Short Handles: The handles within the Farberware Classic collection are two inches shorter than most brands. You’ll be gripping the handle closer to the heat if you have large hands.

Low Oven-Safe Temperatures: Farberware is not ideal for cooking in the oven. Most pans can only handle up to 350°F because their plastic handles will melt at higher temperatures.
Difference 9: Accolades
Farberware receives little praise from media outlets and product testing companies. However, Cuisinart is often featured in “best cookware” lists. Here are some of the brand’s recent accolades.
For example, The Spruce Eats ranks the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set as the overall winner in its list of the six best stainless steel cookware sets. They praised its brushed exterior, stay-cool handles, and tight-fitting lids. They also named the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic set the best budget pick.
Better Homes & Gardens included two Cuisinart lines in its list of the best stainless steel cookware sets. The Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel Cookware set was ranked best overall, and the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7-Piece Cookware set was the best budget pick. Testers liked the overall durability and performance of these pans.
Neither brand The New York Times list of the best cookware sets. Cuisinart MultiClad Pro was the former runner-up, and the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic was the former budget pick. However, both were downgraded after further testing, resulting in warping and uneven heating (hot spots).
Food & Wine named Cuisinart GreenGourmet Cookware set the best large set in its list of the best non-stick cookware sets. They highlighted its modern design and slippery ceramic non-stick surface. Farberware didn’t make the list but was named a “strong contender.”
Bottom Line: Should You Buy Cuisinart or Farberware Cookware?
Now that you know the key differences between Cuisinart and Farberwaer, it’s time to decide which pots and pans are right for your kitchen.
Before I offer my recommendation, let’s quickly recap:
- Both brands offer aluminum non-stick and stainless steel cookware, but only Cuisinart makes fully-clad stainless steel pans.
- Farberware stainless steel cookware is thinner and doesn’t heat as evenly or maintain its temperature as well as Cuisinart.
- All Farberware cookware is oven-safe up to 350°F, except the Millennium collection, which is safe up to 500°F. Most Cuisinart cookware is oven-safe up to 500°F.
- Only two Farberware collections are induction-compatible, while Cuisinart offers over ten induction-compatible collections.
- Cuisinart was founded in 1973 and has become one of the largest kitchenware brands in the world. Farberware was founded in 1899 and was originally known for durable, high-performing cookware. But since being acquired in the 90s has switched its focus to affordability.
- Farberware cookware is less expensive than Cuisinart.
- Several media outlets praise Cuisinart for its performance and durability. Farberware rarely makes “best cookware” lists.
Bottom Line — both brands have been around for decades and offer decent cookware at a fair price. Neither brand makes my list of the best cookware, but it will get the job done, especially if you’re looking for an affordable non-stick pan.
If you’re on the fence, I recommend Cuisinart. Its stainless steel pans, especially the fully-clad collections, are thicker, sturdier, and heat more evenly than Farberware. Also, Cuisinart can handle higher oven temperatures, and almost all pans are compatible with induction.
You can read more reviews and compare both prices across both brands at the links below:
- Cuisinart: Amazon
- Farberware: Amazon, FarberwareCookware.com
That said, I recommend several other brands over Cuisinart and Farberware. If you’re on a tight budget, consider Misen. Its 5-ply stainless steel cookware is thick and sturdy, and its non-stick pans feature a 3-layer coating designed to last over 200% longer than traditional non-stick. Check it out on Misen.com.
Made In is my top recommendation if you’re willing to spend a little more. It’s made in the USA, Italy, and France and used in several Michelin-star restaurants.
Based on my testing, Made In is one of the best-performing brands with exceptional heat retention. They offer 5-ply stainless steel, 5-ply non-stick, carbon steel, copper, and enameled cast iron cookware. Learn more about the brand and check the current prices on MadeInCookware.com.
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