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The Insider Pick:
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Whether you avoid cooking whenever possible or love nothing better than preparing something tasty in your kitchen, you need a sturdy set of cookware. After all, you can’t scramble an egg, fry a burger, or whip up a healthy stir-fry without something to cook on. The Tramontina 12-Piece Tri-Clad Cookware Set is the perfect choice to cook just about anything.
Whether you’re just moving out on your own for the first time and looking to set up your new home or want to upgrade your current cookware set to something better, a kitchen isn’t a kitchen without at least a few pots and pans. Having a selection of appropriate cookware to choose from might even inspire you to spend more time preparing healthy, homemade meals.
Before setting out to buy a cookware set, it helps to know the basic types of pots and pans, and which are the most essential. It also helps to know that companies that make cookware sets count lids as a separate piece, meaning a set of two saucepans with lids would sell as a four-piece cookware set.
There are a lot of different types of cookware out there, and making a buying decision can be overwhelming. That’s where we step in. We did the research and made your decision easier by gathering up the best six cookware sets for a variety of needs. So whether you’re a whiz in the kitchen or just learning the basics, we’ve got you covered.
Read on in the slides below to find out why the Tramontina 12-Piece Tri-Clad Cookware Set is our top pick and why you might also like the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set, the T-Fal Ultimate Nonstick 17-Piece Cookware Set, the Vremi 15-Piece Nonstick Cookware Set, the Lodge Logic 5-Piece Cast Iron Set, and the All-Clad d5 Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set.
The best cookware set overall
Tramontina
Why you’ll love it: The stainless steel Tramontina 12-Piece Tri-Clad Cookware Set provides the high quality that you want at a price you’ll love and makes it easy to cook up a storm.
Fully clad with an aluminum core for even heat and excellent conductivity? Check. Riveted, cast stainless steel handles that won’t come loose? Check. Both a 10-inch and a 12-inch skillet? Check. A 12-quart stockpot, which is a rarity in a cookware set? Check. Safe for induction cooktops? Check. But the Tramontina 12-Piece Tri-Clad Cookware Set doesn’t stop there.
This excellent stainless steel set also includes 1.5- and 3-quart covered saucepans, a 5-quart covered saucepan, and a 5-quart covered Dutch oven. With a full range of the most-recommended sizes, there’s just about nothing this set can’t handle, even if you cook for a family of four or more. The set is also safe for gas or electric stovetops and oven-safe up to 500 degrees.
The Wirecutter praises the set’s durability, excellent heat conductivity, large sizes (most cookware sets include smaller skillets and stockpots), and performance in the kitchen. Pleased owners rave that the Tramontina set has the quality of a much more expensive brand at a fraction of the price.
Pros: Excellent heat conductivity and performance, great selection of sizes, sturdy handles and precisely fitted lids, reasonable price for quality cookware
Cons: Like all stainless steel cookware, you might need to scrub a bit to remove tough foods like eggs, and the cookware can discolor slightly after repeated use
Buy the Tramontina 12-Piece Tri-Clad Cookware Set at Walmart for $ 299.97
The best stainless steel cookware set under $ 100
Cuisinart
Why you’ll love it: If you just want the bare basics at a reasonable price but still demand high quality, you’ll get all three with the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set.
With a 10-inch skillet, 8-quart covered stockpot, and 1-1/2-quart plus 3-quart covered saucepans, the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set includes the basics needed to cook for one to three people.
Made of stainless steel with an aluminum-disk base, the set has stay-cool stainless handles that are riveted in place for sturdy, no-wiggle performance. The lids are glass. While you aren’t going to get top-of-the-line performance from the set, you can still expect dependable, solid results.
Experts at the Wirecutter consider this an excellent budget buy for people who love to cook. Amazon buyers are enthusiastic about the set, too. It has more than 11,300 reviews and an average of 4.3 stars.
Reviewers regularly mention the set’s quality, the size of the components, and the ease of cleanup. On the downside, some owners mention that the glass lids break easily and that the metal discolors after use at high heat. This is a common issue with most stainless steel that is not fully clad with aluminum, however.
Pros: Great price, conducts heat well, sturdy construction, some people prefer glass lids to metal for easy visibility while cooking
Cons: Not induction-cooktop compatible, not fully clad with aluminum, some buyers complained that the glass lids shatter too easily
Buy the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set on Amazon for $ 83.90 (originally $ 99.33)
The best nonstick cookware set
T-fal
Why you’ll love it: The T-Fal Ultimate Nonstick 17-Piece Cookware Set is nonstick for easy cleanup, hard anodized for strength and durability, and it’s affordable.
You get a whole lot with the T-Fal Ultimate Nonstick 17-Piece Cookware Set, including 8- and 10-inch open frying pans, a 12-inch frying pan with lid, a 10-inch square griddle pan, 1-, 2-, and 3-quart saucepans with lids a 3.5-quart deep sauté pan with lid, 5-quart Dutch oven with lid, a 3-quart steamer insert with handles, a “One-egg wonder” mini skillet, and a no-scratch spatula and spoon
Made from hard-anodized aluminum, the T-Fal Ultimate Nonstick 17-Piece Cookware Set conducts heat beautifully while resisting stains, scratches, warps, and dents. The inside of the cookware is lined with a hard titanium nonstick coating, so you won’t need much elbow grease to get your pots and pans clean after dinner is done.
A unique feature of the T-Fal pans is the ThermoSpot Temperature Indicator, which changes to let you know when your skillet or griddle has reached the perfect preheated temperature. Silicone handles won’t burn your hand and are riveted for stability, and the glass lids make it easy to see how your food is cooking.
Pros: Nonstick yet scratch-resistant, includes a griddle, reasonably priced, dependable performance and excellent heat conduction
Cons: Not suitable for induction cooktops, like all nonstick cookware, it’s best limited to low-to-medium heat
Buy the T-Fal Ultimate Nonstick 17-Piece Cookware Set on Amazon for $ 216.24 (originally $ 279.99)
Read our full guide to the best hard anodized aluminum cookware sets.
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