Best 360 Stainless Steel Cookware Review

Are you worried about heavy metals and the ways they can end up in your body? One such way is through food cooked in heavy-metal contaminated cookware. For this reason, I have reviewed my cookware and got rid of all the concerning items in my kitchen. Today, my kitchen has lots of stainless-steel cookware, and I like the way it performs. Out of all cookware brands, my favorite is 360 Cookware.  It is manufactured in West Bend, Wisconsin, built to last, and comes with a lifetime warranty.

In this helpful 360 Cookware review, you’ll learn about the 360 Cookware set I own, such as a pie pan, a cookie sheet, fry pans, and a slow cooker. Here, you will also find care and use instructions for 360 Cookware pots and pans and learn about the Vapor® Seal method of cooking with some recipes. In addition, you will have a chance to decide whether you should worry about aluminum leaching into your food from stainless-steel cookware.  

Best 360 Stainless Steel Cookware Review

A series of events have brought me to where I am today – a full-time ingredient researcher purporting to reduce toxic chemicals in the consumer goods market.  My goal is to educate you, so you will be able to make informed decisions about the products you use.  I believe it is possible to reduce our daily exposure to toxins through practical changes and without stress.  

After I had been diagnosed with two autoimmune diseases, I underwent a long multi-step period of recovery.  (Learn about my journey to health in my posts about breast implants and explant surgery.)  For starters, I took multiple tests to determine the root causes of my ailments.  Among other things, the tests revealed high levels of heavy metals in my body, which had to be addressed. One of my first steps was to replace all the concerning cookware in my kitchen with a stainless-steel cookware set. 

Stainless Steel Cookware Pros And Cons

As it happens, stainless steel cookware is the top choice of professional chefs.  It is easy to clean, and with a little practice, you can make even your omelets slide off.  The key is to warm up your frying pan well before pouring the oil. And then warm up the oil before adding the eggs.  To test whether it is hot enough to add oil, I spray some water in it. And if the water beads dance around, it means the pan is ready.

Given the cookware material options available on the market, I consider stainless steel one of the safest materials. Check out the table below.

Material	Concerns
Teflon (PTFE)	– may contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other undisclosed materials
Thermolon	– has undisclosed materials (refer to my GreenPan Review)
Aluminum	– may leach aluminum salts – accumulates in the body
Clay	– may have heavy metal contaminants
Ceramic	– may contain lead and cadmium
Enamel	– may contain traces of lead or cadmium
Cast iron	– leaches iron into food, so watch out for iron overdose (refer to my Cast Iron Pots and Pans post)

Chromium And Nickel In A Stainless Steel Pan

Normally, stainless steel comes as 18/10, 18/8 or even 18/0 (360 Cookware comes in 18/8).  The first number is the percentage of chromium and the second is nickel. 

Should you worry about your stainless-steel frying pan leaching nickel and chromium into food? 

In my case, urine toxic metal tests by Doctor’s Data showed no concerning levels of nickel.  And this is despite the fact that I use stainless steel pots and pans every day.  For full disclosure, though, some people may be sensitive to nickel.  For more information on nickel leaching, take a look at my Safe Cookware Guide.

As for chromium, it is not on the toxic metal test because our bodies need this nutrient. 

360 Cookware We Own

To begin, the cookware brand 360 Cookware manufactures its products in the USA, namely in West Bend, Wisconsin.  Their stainless-steel cookware sets are beautiful, sturdy, built to last, and come with a lifetime warranty. Truly, they make cooking and baking so much more enjoyable! They are incredibly high quality and, therefore, are usually a little “spendy.”  This is a rare opportunity for you to save on high-end products that can last a lifetime. 

In addition to some great Liberty Tabletop flatware, we own the following 360 Cookware pots and pans (IREAD25 for 25% off):

• 4-quart slow cooker set
• large cookie sheet
• pie pan
• 7-inch fry pan
• 8-inch covered fry pan, and
• 8.5-inch fry pan.

Slow Cooker

First, the slow cooker is made of three primary layers bonded together with a .110 gauge of thickness.  The cooking surface layer is T-304 18/8 surgical grade stainless steel. Which means that it contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel.  The outside layer that sits on the burner (either your stove or the included base) is T-400 series stainless steel.  It has a lower nickel content and high carbon steel content to interact on induction cooktops.  Between these two layers of stainless steel, there is a layer of aluminum that ensures heat conduction and even heating.  

Should you worry about aluminum in a 360 Cookware stainless steel pan leaching into your food? 

Personally, I have found no studies that would show that aluminum may leach from under a layer of stainless steel.  If you have, please share!  Also, because aluminum does not touch the food and would take a deep scratch to get to it, I would not worry about it.

Additionally, please know that an aluminum layer is used in almost all stainless-steel cookware.  While aluminum is an excellent heat conductor, stainless steel on its own does not conduct heat well at all.

I am so glad I can use a stainless-steel slow cooker because slow cookers with ceramic inserts may leach lead and cadmium into food. 

The cookware set I own includes a casserole pan with a cover and a slow cooker base.  (Technically, it is possible to buy just the slow cooker base and use stainless steel cookware by other cookware brands that you already have in your household.) 

The casserole pans come in sizes 2.3, 4, and 6 quarts.  We have a 4-quart slow cooker set. But I recommend a 6-quart pan, even for a 3-person family (IREAD25 for 25% off). 

The great thing is that the casserole pan can be used separately on a stovetop!

Cookie Sheet

Second, the 360 Cookware large cookie sheet is very sturdy and thick (IREAD25 for 25% off).  It does not warp like the one I bought on Amazon, made in China.  I don’t even have to use parchment paper on it, and my cookies do not stick to it.  In fact, it is the highest quality cookie sheet we have ever seen or used!

Pie Pan

Third, the pie pan is as easy to use and clean as both the stainless steel slow cooker and baking sheet (IREAD25 for 25% off). 

The dry sanding process, used by 360 Cookware, gives their products a smooth and non-porous surface, making it truly non-stick.  There is no non-stick coating.  Hence, I do not have to worry about toxic PFAS or other chemicals leaching into my food.  Sadly, non-stick coating is common for conventional bakeware.  And silicone is a hybrid plastic and may leach potentially harmful chemicals when heated, too. 

Fry Pans

Fourth, our 360 Cookware 7-inch fry pan, 8-inch covered fry pan, and 8.5 inch fry pan are truly non-stick (IREAD25 for 25% off).

When my husband-to-be was looking for pans before we even met, a friend of his, who is a trained chef, recommended stainless steel cookware brands over non-stick. Not knowing better, and stubborn as always, my husband opted for the non-stick. However, when much later he finally switched to stainless steel, he would not go back to non-stick. His omelets do slide off the 8.5-inch fry pan, and my fried eggs do, too. To make it non-stick, he puts the skillet on medium heat and waits for 4 minutes before adding oil. It’s a good idea to experiment with different pre-heating times (though always on medium heat) because the 7” pan requires only 2.5 minutes.

360 Cookware Pots Care And Use Instructions

To begin, among other things, the 360 Cookware Use & Care Guide gives you the exact times and ways of cooking various kinds of food. In the table below, you can learn the basic care instructions for stainless steel cookware.

Issue	Solution
Before first use	Wash in hot, soapy water.
Regular cleaning	Use a soapy non-abrasive scrubber sponge.
Soaking	Soak in hot water with an added scoop of Branch Basics Oxygen Boost.
Stubborn burnt-on food	Pour ¼ cup of water (or a mixture of white vinegar & water) in the pan and heat it over medium heat, stirring up the burnt bits with a wooden spoon. Pour off the water. Use a wet sponge and very thick paste of water and baking soda.
White or blue stains (from water, food minerals, and heat)	Make a gritty paste with baking soda and work over the area.
Lid stuck on the pan (due to vacuum)	Place the pan over low heat for a few seconds.
Lid stuck to the countertop (due to vacuum)	Wet a kitchen towel in hot water, wring it out, and lay it over the lid for a minute or two.
Loss of luster	Use a stainless steel cleaner such as Branch Basics.
Cooking temperature on a stove top	Begin cooking over medium heat, and then reduce to low for the remainder of the cooking period.
Vapor Seal	Avoid lifting the lid off your stainless steel pot while food is cooking to prevent the vapor seal from breaking.

Waterless Cooking & Recipes

Frankly, I’m thrilled with the idea of waterless and oil-free cooking that is possible due to the Vapor® Seal technology.  To clarify, vapor cooking coaxes out the natural moisture in foods and traps it under the dome-shaped lid.  This way, the heat gets captured and keeps moving around the food without escaping through the sides. 

So, if you prefer oil-free cooking, this stainless steel cookware is a much healthier option than non-stick cookware.  Actually, it is a healthier option for everybody.  It allows for all the nutrients to remain in the food instead of coming out into the water and then being drained. 

Moreover, the 360 Cookware website offers a ton of recipes for all kinds of food.  And I think it is a good idea to study them first and watch the videos. 

For example, for crisp veggies, fill your stainless-steel pot two-thirds full and cover with a lid.  Cook on medium heat until a vapor seal is formed and the lid spins, then reduce the heat to low.  In 5-8 minutes, remove from heat, and let sit 10 minutes with the cover on.  

For waterless hard-cooked eggs, place a wet paper towel on the bottom of the pan, add the eggs, and place the lid on.  Again, cook on medium heat until a vapor seal is formed and the lid spins, then turn to low.  With the cover on, cook for 13 – 15 minutes for hard eggs, 7 – 8 minutes for medium, and 5 minutes for soft.

Summary Of The 360 Cookware Review

In My Opinion, 360 Cookware Is A Great Investment As It Is Safe, Healthy, Effective, Beautiful, Sturdy, And Built To Last.

To sum up, although stainless steel is not 100% perfect for everybody, I consider it one of the safest cookware materials.  That is why I am happy to own and use a 360 Cookware set, including 4-quart slow cooker set, a pie pan, a large cookie sheet, a 7-inch fry pan, an 8-inch covered fry pan, and an 8.5-inch fry pan as well as their sister brand Liberty Tabletop flatware (IREAD25 for 25% off). I’m very happy with their performance and easy care.  So far, I haven’t had any issues with sticking food, and I do not even use parchment paper for baking cookies.

To ensure a long life for your stainless steel cookware, I encourage you to read the 360 Cookware pots and pans Use & Care Guide first.  In addition to care instructions, it elaborately explains how to cook various kinds of food with Vapor® Seal technology.  It is a waterless and oil-free cooking method that uses the moisture from the food and keeps it trapped in the pan.  This technology allows you to cook food without oil in stainless steel pots and pans instead of potentially harmful non-stick cookware.

You can buy the best 360 Cookware stainless steel cookware and bakeware, including baking sheets, on their website with my IREAD25 discount code for 25% off.  

To learn more about other cookware brands and cookware types, refer to my Safe Cookware Guide. Also, feel free to browse the I Read Labels For You blog to find answers to any other questions regarding healthy living you may have. Remember to visit my non-toxic products shop, check out my e-books, and book a service if you need any help switching to a healthier lifestyle.