Or perhaps you already own stainless steel cookware, but it’s dented, warped, or inclined to cook unevenly. In that case, we think upgrading to a stainless steel set is worth doing because it will last a lot longer—maybe even a lifetime. You don’t need to get all of these pieces if you don’t think you’ll use them.
Michael Sullivan has been a staff writer on the kitchen team at Wirecutter since 2016. Previously, he was an editor at the International Culinary Center in New York. He has worked in various facets of the food and restaurant industry for over a decade. We checked to see cuisinart knife if the pots dripped while we poured sauce into quart containers. We compared chicken breasts sautéed in each skillet, evaluating how evenly the skin browned. From an everyday set to something for special occasions, these are the best dinnerware sets on the market.
You can buy the pieces individually, but you’ll get the best bargain when you snag a set. Overall, testers found that the pieces in this cookware set felt well-built. The pieces have sturdy handles and after cooking, testers didn’t notice any warping. They specifically liked how easy the set was to clean, earning it a near-perfect score in that category. With just water and a spatula, testers were able to rid the pan of food remnants. It’s dishwasher safe too, making it even easier to give it a thorough clean.
Like purchasing any cookware set, you’ll want to make sure that what is included in the set will fit into your lifestyle. Consider how much storage space you have, how often you cook, and what you like to cook when purchasing a set. Our advice has always been to skip sets and just buy the pans you need. But new brands offering practical cookware packages compelled us to take another look. There are a huge variety of pots in different shapes, often for specific uses, like crepe pans or grill pans. In general, wide, shallow pans are best for cooking foods where evaporation is desired.
When they used the 10-inch frying pan to make an omelet, it rolled smoothly out of the pan, though some did get stuck in the rivets for the handle. The Goldilocks pot lid handles, and those on the sides of the stockpot, are wide with a slight dimple (similar to All-Clad’s handles); this makes them easier to grasp and more comfortable to hold. The stick handles on the Goldilocks set are strikingly similar to those on the Cuisinart 77-7 Chef’s Classic Stainless 7-Piece Cookware Set . A few of the Goldilocks pieces are a bit heavier than those in the Tramontina and All-Clad sets, so some people may find them more cumbersome to lift.
Every item on this page was hand-picked by a House Beautiful editor. “If the food is very stuck on then I would recommend soaking them while hot. Barkeepers friend and a scouring pad help bring the finish back to normal,” Gilson says. “Dishwashers often don’t do the trick and the drying cycle can actually bake on the stuck-on food.” Stainless steel is going to feel heavier than more inexpensive construction items like aluminum but according to experts, that’s the point.
See our guides for how to perfectly season andsafely clean a cast-iron skillet so your trusty stovetop sidekick will stay with you for decades. With the ability to hold on to heat as well as some people hold on to grudges, cast-iron cookware is ideal for searing burgers, steaks and chicken. It’s also durable as heck and will develop both a seasoning and a natural nonstick patina over time. A large collection of cookware can quickly take over your kitchen cabinets, and if you live in a smaller home or apartment, the Space Saving collection from Calphalon will be your best friend. These pans are specially designed to stack together neatly, taking up 30% less space.
The stick handles on the Anolon Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set were too short and not as comfortable to hold as the wide, longer handles on the Tramontina cookware. For information on how to prevent food from sticking to your stainless steel cookware, check out our blog post on the subject. Never clean your stainless steel cookware with harsh chemicals, like oven cleaner, that could cause permanent damage. Also, avoid using steel wool, which can severely scratch your cookware.
“If you are looking for a cookware set and are torn between stainless steel and nonstick, this is it. Some tasks are best left to a nonstick pan, and with the Sardel, you’ve got options.” Read on for our picks of the best gotham steel cookware sets for your kitchen, according to our Lab testing. Since the Goldilocks set is relatively new, we don’t know how it will perform over time (as we do with the Tramontina and All-Clad sets we’ve been long-term testing for years). However, we’ll continue to test this set to see how it holds up against our other picks, and we will update this guide accordingly.