Oven-safe temperatures for cookware by material and brand

The rule: the weakest part sets the limit

Cast iron, carbon steel and stainless steel can handle any temperature a home oven reaches. What limits a pan is everything attached to it: a phenolic or composite knob, a silicone handle sleeve, a coated handle, a glass lid or a nonstick coating. The safe oven temperature for the whole piece is the lowest rating among the parts that go in the oven.

So the question is rarely "is this pot oven safe" and usually "what is the knob rated to". Our oven-safe temperature checker asks for the material, line, knob, handle and lid, then names the part that limits the pan.

Note.The lowest-rated part sets the limit; check the maker's care page.

Maker oven limits we could confirm

These figures come from each maker's care, FAQ or product pages. A line not listed here may still be oven safe; it just means we could not confirm a number.

Le Creuset knobs and bread baking

Le Creuset is the most searched brand for oven limits because its knobs have changed over the years. Older pots and some Classic pots have a black phenolic knob that the maker rates to 390°F. That is below the 450°F to 500°F that most bread recipes call for, so baking bread in a pot with that knob risks damaging it.

Newer Signature pots have a larger black composite knob, and stainless steel knobs are also sold. We found Le Creuset pages that disagree on the figures for both, so we do not quote a number here: check the maker's care page or the paperwork that came with your pot. If you bake bread often, a metal knob is the usual choice. Our Dutch oven for sourdough page and best Dutch ovens for bread guide cover this in more detail.

See Dutch ovens suited to bread →

Lids, handles and nonstick

Glass lids are the most common weak point in a cookware set. On the maker figures we could confirm, All-Clad rates its glass lids to 350°F, Lodge to 400°F, GreenPan Valencia Pro lids to 425°F and Calphalon glass lids to 450°F. For other glass lids, check the maker's care page.

Handles matter too. All-metal riveted handles are not a concern. Silicone sleeves should come off before the pan goes in the oven, and plastic or wooden handles need the maker's figure. Nonstick coatings have their own ratings. PTFE lines are generally rated somewhere from 400 to 500°F, and ceramic lines vary widely. See PTFE vs ceramic nonstick.

Stainless steel and the broiler

All-metal clad stainless pans are the most oven-tolerant cookware most people own. All-Clad rates D3, D5 and Copper Core to 600°F, and Made In rates its stainless clad to 800°F, both well above what a home oven bake setting reaches. Broilers put intense direct heat on the top of the pan, so follow the maker's guidance on broiler use, especially for nonstick lines that the maker says to keep out from under the broiler.

If you want one pan that goes from searing on the stove to finishing in a hot oven, a fully clad stainless skillet or a carbon steel pan with a metal handle is the safe pick. See our guides to the best All-Clad cookware and best stainless steel frying pans.

What to do if your pan is not listed

This approach is how our oven-safe temperature checker works. It shows the confirmed figure where one exists and the rule where one does not.

1. 1

   Look for an oven-safe mark or temperature on the base of the pan or on the original box.

2. 2

   Find the maker's care and use page for that line, not just the brand. Limits differ between lines from the same maker.

3. 3

   List every part that goes in the oven: body, coating, handle, knob and lid.

4. 4

   Use the lowest figure you find. If any part has no published figure, keep it out of the oven or swap it for a part that does.

5. 5

   When in doubt, use a lower oven temperature or move the food to a pan with a known rating.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature is Le Creuset oven safe to? The enameled cast iron body is not the limit. The black phenolic knob on older and Classic pots is rated to 390°F by the maker. For the Signature and stainless knobs, check the maker's care page.

Is Staub oven safe? Yes. Staub rates its cocottes with metal knobs to 500°F.

Is All-Clad oven safe? All-Clad rates its D3, D5 and Copper Core stainless to 600°F and its HA1 nonstick to 500°F, not under the broiler. Its glass lids are rated to 350°F.

What is the max temperature for a stainless steel pan? For all-metal clad stainless, makers we checked rate from 550°F to 800°F depending on the line. Check the maker's care page for yours.