From rusting to warping, age-related factors can impact how well your cookware will perform.

After years of braising meats and vegetables or cooking pasta and rice, pots and pans can start to show their age. While browning or rusting on a once-shiny, stainless-steel pan can be removed with a bit of elbow grease—and a lot of help from a cleaning product like Bar Keeper's Friend ($4.95, williamssonoma.com)—other issues like warping or scratched coating on a nonstick pan can be a sign that the performance of your pan is no longer top notch. "The lifetime of a pan will vary depending on the material and/or coating, how often you use it, and how you care for it," says Wendy Dyer, international product director for All-Clad. When taken care of properly, good-quality cookware should last a lifetime. Here are the signs that your cookware may be degrading. Plus, we explain how to safely and sustainably dispose of old pots and pans when that time comes.