The Top Cookware Sets for Every Home Chef's Budget

If your pots and pans are showing signs of wear, it's time to consider upgrading. Depending on your needs, you may want to opt for a multi-piece set with 8- and 10-inch skillets, 1.5- and 3-quart covered saucepans, a 2.6-quart saute pan, and lids.

While different cookware materials tout their merits, our top picks include tri-ply clad sets like the Tramontina that work on all stovetops including induction, and even feature a Dutch oven.

All-Clad Stainless Steel 12-Piece Set

Many professional chefs and enthusiastic home cooks choose stainless steel for its superior cooking performance, durability, and ease of care and cleaning. If you're ready to make the move to this time-tested material, you can't go wrong with this comprehensive set that includes all the pieces for a well-equipped kitchen.

This 12-piece set has everything you need to cook up a dinner for one or more, including a large saute pan and a 3-quart saucepan. Its bonded construction uses layers of durable stainless steel pressed together with a responsive thick-gauge aluminum core to the rim, which evenly distributes heat when cooking. The starburst finish of the interior offers natural stick resistance, letting you know when it's ready to release food. The interior is easy to clean and doesn't react with acidic foods, making this set a great choice for home cooks.

Testers liked how even and quickly this set heated during our tests, which included searing scallops and whipping up a frittata. But they also noted that the walls of the pots are thin and that they're prone to minor flexing and discoloration, especially when used over high heat and with rapid temperature changes.

If you want a more budget-friendly option that still provides excellent cooking performance, look no further than this 12-piece set from Tramontina. This set has all the essentials for everyday cooking, and testers loved how easy it was to cook with and clean. The handles are comfortable, and the inside of each pan has measurement markings so that even beginner cooks can use them with confidence. But be sure to keep in mind that the rounded, dome shape of the lids may make them difficult to stack or store in your kitchen.

Tramontina Stainless Steel 12-Piece Set

A stainless steel set is a good option if you want a durable, long-lasting cookware collection that can take a beating. Stainless steel conducts heat evenly, so your food will brown more evenly in the pan and will also be easier to remove from the pan when it's done cooking. It's important to note, however, that if you do not season your stainless steel, it will eventually develop a build-up of carbon and become tarnished over time. To prevent this, season your pots and pans with regular cooking oil before using them.

If you want a set that can stand up to the tests of everyday use, we recommend the Tramontina Stainless Steel 12-Piece Set. In addition to its great performance, this set is NSF certified and has a lifetime warranty. It is also induction compatible and features a mirror finish. Another perk of this set is that its handles stay cool, even when the pans are blasted with 500-degree F heat, which is a big deal for those who prefer to cook on induction stovetops.

Home & Garden Coupon Codes can help you save money on a variety of home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers. Check out their website to see the current deals and discounts available.

This is one of our best sets in the test, and it comes close to matching the performance of the All-Clad set for a lower price. It has two large skillets, two nice saucepans, and a 12-quart stock pot. These are larger pieces than most of the other sets in our test, which means you'll get more value out of this set in the long run than other smaller sets.

Buying a set is typically the best way to buy clad stainless steel cookware because you'll get more cookware for your money than you would if you bought individual pieces separately. However, it's important to consider how many pieces you'll use before committing to a set. Look for a set that has as few "filler" pieces (i.e. small saucepans that are cheap to include but will likely go unused) as possible.

Sardel Stainless Steel 6-Piece Set

If you're a budget-conscious cook that still wants the versatility of stainless, Sardel makes one of our top picks. This set comes with the essentials, with 8- and 10-inch skillets plus a 6-quart saute pan and a 3-quart saucepan. Its tempered glass lids have to strain holes that line up with pour spouts on each piece, so you don't need to grab a separate colander when draining liquids. It also features an ergonomic handle design that's comfortable to hold at high temperatures.

One of the newest direct-to-consumer (D2C) cookware brands, Sardel offers a range of clad stainless and carbon steel sets at prices lower than retail brands. We put their cookware to the test to see how it performed compared to All-Clad and other top-rated stainless steel cookware sets. We found Sardel cookware to be lightweight, heats evenly, and is a good value for the money.

Cook Serve Enjoy offers affordable cookware sets, and you can save even more with their discount code. Check their website for available options and use the Cook Serve Enjoy Discount Code at checkout to enjoy the savings.

However, its finish wasn't as attractive in the appearance category and was more prone to scratching in our hard-use test. Its handles are also shorter and more squared off than other sets', which some testers didn't find as comfortable to grip when handling heavy or hot pots and pans. Still, the cookware performs well and is a great option for those who want a budget-friendly stainless set with some added touches, like dripless pouring lips and interior measurements.

Unlike nonstick cookware, which can't be used at high temperatures and may be damaged by metal utensils or wooden and wood-burning skewers, stainless-steel pots and pans are compatible with a wide variety of cooking tools and utensils. They also are dishwasher safe, oven-safe and typically come with a limited lifetime warranty. In addition, many good-quality stainless-steel sets are induction-compatible.

Zwilling Madura Plus 10-Piece Set

If you're looking for a nonstick set that will last you for years, this one is worth the investment. This 14-piece set includes a pair of 8-inch and 10-inch fry pans, 3-quart saucepans, a 5-quart Dutch oven, and lids. It's made with hard-anodized aluminum and diamond-infused Thermolon, which is a metal-reinforced coating that holds up well to real-life use. It's also listed as PFOA-, PFA-, and cadmium-free, which isn't something you'll find in many other nonstick sets on the market. Testers loved the feel of this cookware, and it performed well in all our tests. The only downside is that it's a bit on the expensive side, but the extra durability and performance make it worth it.

This Zwilling Madura Plus set is the best of both worlds, combining design and functionality for a high-quality, durable set that'll be an everyday workhorse in your kitchen. The elegant black set features a forged aluminum body with plasma primer that's resistant to scratches, chips, and dents. It's safe to use with metal utensils and comes with a 3-layer DuraSlide granite nonstick coating that offers serious cooking performance.

Zwilling is known for their premium cutlery, and this cookware is a great example of the brand's dedication to quality. This set performed well in our tests and was easy to clean, but it didn't have the best heat retention or even heating we saw. However, if you're willing to sacrifice a little performance for style and branding (the handles are covered with Zwilling stickers), this is a solid choice for your kitchen. It's a little more expensive than some other nonstick options, but less expensive than brands like Le Creuset and Hestan.

Cuisinart Stainless Steel 10-Piece Set

The Cuisinart set is our top pick for affordable stainless steel cookware. It features pots and pans for every cooking task a home chef will face, including an additional saucepan with convenient measurement markings and a versatile saute pan that can double as a Dutch oven. Plus, the lids are glass so you can watch your food while it cooks. The stainless-steel construction is durable and long-lasting; it will hold up well to metal utensils, harsh abrasives, and dishwashers.

The design of this set is a little more modern than some of our other sets, and testers liked it for that. The brushed finish looks sleek and professional, and the handles have a substantial feel to them that made them easy to grip when holding a full pan or lid. The Cuisinart set also scored highly in the stability test, which measures how well a piece of cookware stays flat on the stove and doesn't warp when heated.

Like all stainless-steel cookware, this set is heavy but that's because it is made of thick material. However, it will still be lighter than a cast iron set, which can feel clunky in the hand. The bottom of each pan has an aluminum encapsulated base that heats quickly and evenly, eliminating hot spots. This is a very durable set and should last for decades.

The only downside to this set is the price. It's a bit more expensive than the All-Clad set, but we found that for most home chefs, it's not worth paying 5x as much to get a better-performing product when you can buy individual pieces for less. Still, if you're a sucker for brand names, this set is worth considering.

Conclusion

Many professional chefs and enthusiastic home cooks choose stainless steel for its superior cooking performance, durability, and ease of care and cleaning. A stainless steel set is a good option if you want a durable, long-lasting cookware collection that can take a beating. The Cuisinart set is our top pick for affordable stainless steel cookware.