Compare Stainless Steel Pans
Heritage Steel Eater Series 12-inch Frying Pan scores higher on safety - here's why.
The most important dimensions, side by side.
360 Cookware discloses their steel grade (T-304, equivalent to 18/8) clearly on the product — an important transparency for buyers who need to assess nickel content. Both 18/8 and 18/10 are safe for general use.
Heritage Steel explicitly labels their pan as '304 stainless steel (also known as 18/10)' — the clearest grade disclosure of any pan in this comparison. You know exactly what you're cooking with from day one.
360 Cookware uses a 3-ply design — functional and fully-clad, but below the 5-ply benchmark that independent safety researchers consider optimal. For most daily cooking tasks the difference is minimal, but 5-ply pans distribute heat more evenly, especially at high heat.
Heritage Steel's 5-ply fully-clad construction is the recommended benchmark — five bonded layers running the full height of the pan, not just the base. Heats evenly from edge to edge.
360 Cookware's cladding is uniform from center to rim at .110 gauge — fully-clad construction that delivers even heat up the sides. A genuine advantage over disk-bottom pans that only heat the base.
Five layers extending throughout the entire body — Heritage Steel is explicit that their cladding doesn't stop at the base. One of the strongest construction disclosures in the category.
500°F is the standard market floor for oven-safe stainless pans — sufficient for most home roasting and broiling tasks. Consistent with other 3-ply products in this price range.
800°F is the highest oven-safe rating available in stainless cookware — equal to Made In and far above most competitors. The all-stainless handle makes this possible. You'll never hit a residential oven ceiling with this pan.
360 Cookware doesn't publish the 10-inch weight, so we can't confirm where it falls. Based on the 7-inch (2.6 lbs) and 8.5-inch (2.8 lbs), the 10-inch likely lands in the 3–3.5 lb range — estimated to be within the optimal zone.
2.9 lbs for the 12-inch is exactly in America's Test Kitchen's sweet spot (2.8–3.0 lbs) — substantial enough to feel premium, light enough for effortless daily use and one-handed cooking. Best weight-to-construction ratio in the category.
At $190 for 3-ply, 360 Cookware is priced at a premium relative to construction. You're paying for USA-made manufacturing — a genuine value if that matters to you, but not purely on specs.
At $150 with lid, Heritage Steel offers 5-ply construction, 800°F oven rating, optimal weight, and explicit grade disclosure — the strongest value proposition in this comparison when weighed against specs.
Everything you need to make the call - who each one is for, and who should skip it.
Go for it if you...
USA-made cookware is important to you and you're willing to pay for it
You're comfortable with 3-ply construction for your cooking style
You're already a 360 Cookware customer and want to stay in the ecosystem
You cook primarily on the stovetop and rarely use the oven above 500°F
You want the highest-scored stainless steel pan in this category with the best oven rating
You frequently use the stovetop-to-oven workflow and benefit from 800°F headroom
You want USA-made cookware with the most transparent steel grade disclosure in the category
Weight efficiency matters — 2.9 lbs for a 12-inch 5-ply pan is the best ratio here
You want a pan with lid included at the $150 price point
The main thing to know
3-ply is the acceptable floor, not the recommended standard — and at $190, you're paying a premium over 5-ply alternatives like Heritage Steel ($150). The USA-made origin is the key differentiator.
Heritage Steel uses nickel-containing stainless steel — the same as most premium cookware. If you have a diagnosed metal sensitivity and have been told to avoid nickel, this pan isn't for you. New pans release more nickel until they're broken in over the first several cooking sessions.
Skip this if you...
You want the recommended 5-ply standard — Heritage Steel and All-Clad D5 are better choices at comparable or lower prices
You need to confirm the current steel grade — the T-304 vs T-316 conflict should be resolved before buying if grade matters to you
You have a diagnosed metal sensitivity that requires nickel-free cookware — look for pans made from nickel-free grade stainless
You prefer a brand with wider retail availability — Heritage Steel is primarily direct-to-consumer
Neither of these quite what you're looking for?
I've reviewed all Stainless Steel Pans options at every price pointEvery Stainless Steel Pans in our database is scored using R3's deterministic scoring system - the same inputs always produce the same score. For this comparison, we evaluated 360 Cookware and Heritage Steel across 3 independent criteria: Safety (54%), Efficacy (44%), Usability (2%). No sponsored rankings. No paid placements.
Straight answers - no sponsored content, no filler.
I'd start with Heritage Steel Heritage Steel Eater Series 12-inch Frying Pan - it scored 8.9/10 overall in our scoring system. Safety is our top-weighted scoring pillar, followed by efficacy, and usability. Check which pillar matters most to your family and compare those specific scores.
R3 uses a deterministic scoring system - the same inputs always produce the same score. We evaluate each Stainless Steel Pans across Safety, Efficacy, Usability using independently verified data. No sponsored rankings. No paid placements. Every score is fully reproducible.
Not necessarily. The overall score reflects our weighted rubric, but your priorities may differ. If you care most about safety, compare the safety scores directly. If budget drives your decision, the prices tell a clearer story. The "right" pick is the one that matches what matters most to your family.
Not the right match? Explore these alternatives in the same category.
