8 Best Cookware Sets, According to Our Rigorous Tests
We tested nearly 200 cookware sets to come up with this list.
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As someone who cooks frequently, both at work in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances Lab and at home, I know how essential it is to have the right cookware. From heating efficiency to cleanup, quality pots and pans make a big difference. While you can buy individual pieces like a Dutch oven or an egg pan, investing in a cookware set will likely save you money, as manufacturers often bundle items at better prices. I personally prefer a cookware set over a mix of pans for aesthetic consistency, but a set can also simplify cooking, since you’ll quickly adapt to how the material performs and cleans.
Below is our list of the best cookware sets, based on my team’s testing of nearly 200 options. I’ve personally tested about 80 sets over the past five years, and many of our top picks have proven their long-term value through years of use in consumer testers' homes. Each recommendation has been carefully evaluated for performance, ease of use and durability.
My quick tips for choosing the best cookware set
Choose the right cookware material for your needs:
- Stainless steel, copper and cast iron: Durable and high-performing, but pricier with a learning curve — best for confident cooks.
- Nonstick, whether traditional Teflon or ceramic: Budget-friendly and easy to clean — best for beginners and those who prioritize convenience.
Check the pieces in the set:
If you're starting from scratch, I recommend an eight- or ten-piece set to cover all the basics. (Note: Lids count toward the total number of pieces.) My must-haves are a 10-inch fry pan, small and large saucepans, a stockpot and a braiser.
Hestan Nanobond 10-Piece Essential Set
Pros
- Top-quality materials prevent sticking
- Fast, even heating
- Easy to clean
- Comfortable handle
- Durable
Cons
- Expensive
- Color deepens over time (but can be restored)
Hestan Nanobond is the cookware I most often recommend. While the price may seem steep, it's comparable to other high-end cookware, and this set includes 10 pieces that I promise you'll use regularly. The top and bottom layers are stainless steel bonded with titanium particles, which helps prevent sticking. The middle layer is aluminum for faster, even heating. Each piece can be heated up to 1050ºF.
My go-to in the set is the 11-inch skillet, a 2021 Good Housekeeping Kitchen Gear Award winner.
HOW IT PERFORMED IN OUR TESTS: In our Lab tests, it heated evenly and browned steak beautifully, thanks to its wide surface area and slightly flared edges — features that make it excellent for induction. It has a long, comfortable handle, a good manageable heft and sits balanced on the stovetop.
What I love most about this skillet, and the material overall, is how easy it is to clean. Almost nothing sticks, but if any food does, just give it a quick soak overnight and it wipes clean by morning. I've used it almost every time I cook for the past five years, and it's still in excellent condition. One thing to note is that while it doesn’t stain or collect residue, the color deepens over time. However, it can be restored to its original hue with the Hestan cleaner that comes with each purchase.
| Cookware material | Stainless steel |
| Induction-compatible | Yes |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes |
Ninja Foodi NeverStick Premium 8-Piece Cookware Set
Pros
- Superior nonstick coating
- Even heating
- Durable but lightweight enough to handle
- Easy to clean
- Wide handles
Cons
- Aluminum on base discolors over time
- Does not conduct heat as well on induction
When I first tested these nonstick pans from Ninja, I was most impressed by how evenly the 10-inch skillet heated and how well it seared steak. The saucepan simmered tomato sauce well, the handles stayed cool to touch and there was little to clean up after it was transferred to a storage container.
The pots and pans are sturdy with some heft yet they are lightweight enough to handle and the lids fit nicely. While it works on induction, we found it to not conduct heat as well as some other cookware we tested.
HOW IT PERFORMED IN OUR TESTS: The set scored high in ease of cleaning overall, thanks to the superior nonstick, which also allowed eggs to slip out of the pans when cooked with no grease, and the dark exterior that hid any potential stains.
While the nonstick coating stood up to dishwasher tests, the aluminum base on the pots and pans unsurprisingly discolored over time (this is common with aluminum; washing them by hand and drying them well afterwards can help prevent that). The ease of tossing them in the dishwasher, however, outweighed the staining for me, which I found didn't affect performance at all.
Consumer testers liked the wide handles as well as the glass lids they could see through during cooking. One family of testers with two young children used the pots and pans daily for three years, including running them through the dishwasher daily, before they had to invest in another set.
| Cookware material | Nonstick coated, hard-anodized aluminum |
| Induction-compatible | Yes, but not the strongest |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes, but base discolors |
Circulon A1 Series with ScratchDefense Technology 9-Piece Set
Pros
- Nonstick coating has held up over a year of testing
- Handles are comfortable to hold and use
- Wide, comfortable handles
- Easy cleanup
Cons
- Outside of pan scratched in our tests
Nonstick cookware is great for home cooks who don't want to worry about food burning and sticking to their pans. While nonstick cookware has a history of being thin and flimsy, my team and I like how these Circulon pots and pans have some heft to them. The wide, comfortable handles are another plus.
This set won a Good Housekeeping Kitchen Gear Award for its performance and user-friendly design. It can be used on induction, too. The 8.5-inch fry pan is one I reach for most to make quick, easy breakfasts. I'm also not afraid to put it in the dishwasher — it's stood up well.
HOW IT PERFORMED IN OUR TESTS: In our Lab tests, eggs slid off the 10-inch pan easily when cooked with no grease, and one of our Lab analysts has used hers for over a year to make "the best omelettes ever."
Even when used with metal utensils, the nonstick coating has not scratched, as promised by the manufacturer (though we did experience a small amount of scratching on the outside of one of the pots in our tests). Steak seared nicely, too in our tests, and cleanup was easy after every test. The glass lids are another feature one analyst really liked.
RELATED: The Best Nonstick Cookware Sets
| Cookware material | Nonstick coated aluminum |
| Induction-compatible | Yes |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes |
GreenPan Valencia Pro 22-Piece Set
Pros
- Lightweight but durable
- Offers good nonstick performance
- Heats evenly and sears nicely
- Comfortable handles
- Easy to wash
Cons
- Rims scratched over time
Ceramic cookware has evolved over the years from thin pieces you have to replace often to heavy ones clad with stainless steel. This set still stands out to me after years of use, because GreenPan delivers on all of the pros of ceramic-coated cookware: good nonstick properties, lightweight, heats evenly, sears nicely and cleans up easily.
The light-colored interiors stand out aesthetically and help hide inevitable scratches around the rims. They also seem to help the colors of food pop during cooking so you can see it browning better. The handles are one of my favorite parts of this cookware line. They're long and a little wide, and they protrude in the center to fit comfortably in your palm.
HOW IT PERFORMED IN OUR TESTS: These pots and pans are incredibly easy to wash and handle. They also store neatly with the help of pan protectors that help prevent scratching. I've used these pieces for about a year in my home, and I've only switched them out to get experience with another cookware set. They're induction-friendly and performed well in all of our tests.
RELATED: The Best Ceramic Cookware Sets
| Cookware material | Ceramic coated, hard anodized aluminum |
| Induction-compatible | Yes |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes, but hand-wash recommended |
Tramontina Gourmet Tri-Ply Clad 12-Piece Cookware Set
Pros
- Great value
- Long-lasting
- Even heating
- Comfortable handles
Cons
- Pan can stain when used over high heat
Tramontina offers one of the best values you can get on high-quality stainless steel cookware. This set comes with all the pots and pans you need to make an assortment of dishes, and they'll last. We've been using the fry pans in our Lab for testing for years.
HOW IT PERFORMED IN OUR TESTS: In our best cookware tests, the 10-inch fry pan heated evenly and browned steak well. It cleaned up nicely, although the high heat caused some staining. The handles are thick and comfortable to hold. The lids are light but fit each piece well. The rounded edges make stirring enjoyable, too. The pieces work well on induction.
| Cookware material | 3-ply stainless steel |
| Induction-compatible | Yes |
| Dishwasher safe | Hand-wash recommended |
Pros
- Includes a large assortment of high-quality cookware
- All pieces delivered on performance in testing
- Includes a nonstick pan
- Saucier comes to a quick boil
Cons
- Expensive
- Cookware isn't dishwasher-safe
This cookware set is a professional cook's dream. Most of the pieces you'd reach for every day are made of five-ply stainless steel, but this set also comes with a 10-inch nonstick skillet, a 12.5-inch carbon steel skillet and a carbon steel wok. All of the pieces work well on induction.
When I cook, I mostly use stainless steel, but a nonstick pan is essential for items like eggs, so I love that this set includes one. (I also recommend Made In's nonstick cookware line.) The nonstick fry pan offers the same heft as the brand's stainless steel fry pan and is shaped the same way, but it's coated so eggs slipped right off in our tests without leaving behind any residue. Steak also browned nicely, a win for a nonstick pan. The only fault of the nonstick pan: Scratches are noticeable over time.
HOW IT PERFORMED IN OUR TESTS: The stainless steel fry pan stood up to the heat in our tests when we cooked a steak. It was a harder to clean than the nonstick, but easier than other stainless steel cookware sets we've tested. (None of this set's pieces are dishwasher-safe.)
The saucepan offerings are the perfect size for all your needs, from breakfast to dinner, and the 3-quart saucier is one of the best pans I've ever used. It has curved edges and a wide rim, which helps it come to a boil faster than other saucepans. The design combined with the material, makes it one of the fastest pans to boil in my experience. I used this cookware for months at home and continued to reach for it even after my formal testing was complete.
My team has also tested the carbon steel pan and wok before. Both are heavy duty and need to be seasoned, but are worth the payoff. They brown food deeply and are designed to last a lifetime.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW: Made In Cookware
| Cookware material | 5-ply stainless steel, nonstick coated stainless steel, carbon steel |
| Induction-compatible | Yes |
| Dishwasher safe | No |
All-Clad D3 Tri-Ply Stainless-Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set
Pros
- High quality
- Durable, but easy to manage
Cons
- Fry pan can discolor over high heat
All-Clad is known for making top-quality cookware, and our Lab testing has proven that it's among the best. My team and I have tested about 10 different cookware lines from All-Clad and this D3 line is the one we recommend for most people. It's lighter than the popular D5 line (made of five layers) and it's cheaper.
This set is made of stainless steel with an aluminum core, so it offers good heating and durability. In fact, we rated it the best overall induction cookware. We think All-Clad's nonstick pans are also a good addition to your stainless steel set.
HOW IT PERFORMED IN OUR TESTS: This set scored high in our heat distribution test and made a nicely seared steak. It's oven- and broiler-safe up to 600ºF. It cleaned up relatively easily for stainless steel, but left behind some discoloring when used over high heat.
The 10-inch fry pan is a good, manageable weight. We like the long, indented handles that angle upward. The angle makes pots and pans easier to grab, especially the saucepan.
The straight sides stand out on the pots. The saucepan is one of my favorite pots to boil an egg in because it's very quick to fill and come to a boil. The perfect size for cooking side dishes or small batches, the 3-quart soup pot comes with two handles that makes it particularly easy to manage.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW: All-Clad Cookware
| Cookware material | 3-ply stainless steel |
| Induction-compatible | Yes |
| Dishwasher safe | Hand-wash recommended |
Le Creuset 5-Piece Enameled Cast Iron Signature Cookware Set
Pros
- Designed to last a lifetime
- Top-quality browning and heat retention
- Doesn't require special seasoning or care
- Great value
Cons
- Heavy
- Not dishwasher-friendly
A Dutch oven is a great piece of cookware to have, even if you already have all of the best pots and pans. They're typically made out of a thick, heavy-duty material that browns meat nicely and retains heat well so you can use them to braise, simmer and more.
Le Creuset is one of the most popular Dutch oven brands and I'm a big fan of the brand's Dutch ovens. They're made out of enameled cast iron, which means they can reach high temps like cast iron but they don't require seasoning or special care like cast iron. (Just remember: don't wash enameled cast iron in your dishwasher because it can wear the coating.) Cast iron and enameled cast iron also work great on induction.
While you can just buy an individual Dutch oven, this set is worth it because a Dutch oven this size (5.5 quarts) can easily cost around $400 and you get two additional pieces for a little more. All of the pieces in this set are designed to last a lifetime.
HOW IT PERFORMED IN OUR TESTS: The 10-inch pan is a Lab favorite. We love using cast iron pans and enameled cast iron pans to achieve the best crust and browning on meats and because you can transfer them to the oven to finish cooking. The saucepan is dreamy as well, perfect for sauces and side dishes.
The 7-piece set is worth it, too. It comes with an braiser, grill pan and casserole pan. The downside of these sets? They're heavy for everyday use but a good alternative to nonstick cookware.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW: Le Creuset Dutch Oven
| Cookware material | Enameled cast iron |
| Induction-compatible | Yes |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes, but hand-wash recommended |
How we test cookware sets
Any time we test a product in the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances Lab, we thoroughly assess its performance and ease of use.
To test performance, we start by conducting a heat distribution test to see how evenly the pan heats.
Some materials heat completely even, while others, like carbon steel (pictured), are super responsive to heat and have hot spots. Pans that heat more evenly are usually scored higher, but, in this case, we learned that carbon steel pans had to be treated differently than other pans.
Then we cook a steak in the pan over high heat to see how evenly it cooks food and how well it can brown. This test also helps us understand how easy the pan is to clean.
We simmer sauce in the saucepan to see how well the pots can maintain a simmer, and then how well they clean up. We also use this opportunity to see how well the handles resist heat.
We boil pasta in the stockpot and track how long the water takes to come to a boil, and then how easy the pot is to handle and strain.
For ease of use, we consider factors like how easy are the pots and pans to clean and whether they're dishwasher safe. We often send cookware sets home with consumer testers when we're done testing in the Lab to get long-term feedback (we also continue to use the pots and pans in our Lab).
When we test nonstick cookware, we test the nonstick properties by cooking eggs in them without grease, both over easy and scrambled.
What to look for when shopping
✔️ Material:
- Stainless steel is ideal for those who are familiar with cooking and who like to cook over high heat. It's often combined with other materials, like aluminum, to help it perform better. This type of cookware is also often induction-compatible. The downside? It can be hard to clean and pricey.
- Nonstick is great for cooks who like simplicity or those who value easy cleanup. Some are induction compatible but it's usually not the best choice unless the outside of the pan is made of a strong material like stainless steel. Nonstick pots and pans comes in two main types: traditional nonstick (made with PTFE/Teflon) or ceramic. Traditional nonstick tends to be slicker and longer lasting than ceramic-coated cookware. Some people choose to avoid PTFE because it's part of the PFAS family, which includes some compounds like PFOA that have been linked to some health and environmental concerns. In the U.S., PFOA can no longer be used in the cookware manufacturing process, but traditional nonstick cookware coatings are still commonplace. They're recommended to be used with care, preferably under 400ºF, and to be tossed when scratched or nicked. To compare, ceramic-coated cookware is made with a newer and different family of compounds that isn't known to release the same fumes as traditional nonstick coatings.
- Cast iron can handle high heat and is designed to last a lifetime, but can be hard to handle since it's so heavy and more involved to maintain. It's the most induction compatible cookware material.
- Enameled cast iron is cast iron coated with enamel, which offers nonstick properties and doesn't need to be cleaned and taken care of a certain way like cast iron does.
- Carbon steel is making its way into more home kitchens since it offers many of the same qualities as cast iron (including induction compatibility) but it's lighter.
- Copper is another popular cookware material that responds to heat well but tends to require a more in-tune type of cook whose willing to put in the work to keep it looking new. It's not often a good cookware material to use with induction.
✔️ Price: Each material has different costs associated with it.
- Stainless steel tends to be the most expensive, especially the higher quality sets that are often three- or five-ply, which means they are composed of three to five layers of material.
- Nonstick cookware can range in price from low to high, depending on the material of the pots and pans. The bases can vary from aluminum to stainless steel.
- Cast iron can be affordable depending on the brand, but enameled cast iron tends to be pricier.
- Carbon steel ranges in price from low to high.
- Copper tends to be more expensive.
What pieces should you look for in a good cookware set?
A 10-inch fry pan is my go-to for almost everything. A good one can sear well, make quick sautes and, most importantly, cleans up well. Larger families might prefer a 12-inch fry pan that offers the same abilities with more space.
My second-most used cookware piece is a small saucepan for boiling eggs in the a.m. or heating single portions of soup, and then a good, bigger saucepan or soup pot for sides, sauces or small batches. I also love a big, but lightweight stockpot to boil a pound of pasta when I need to. Braisers come in handy, too, but I reach for them less often, since they're best for longer cooks.
When shopping for a set, keep in mind that the number of pieces listed often includes the number of included lids.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances Lab where she's tested and overseen the Lab testing of more than 80 cookware sets since she started in 2019. It's one of her favorite category to test. She's a trained cook and an avid home cook, and is basically always testing cookware as a result.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
