Is nothing-stick the most favorable thing for cooking?
By Editor Team | April 6, 2023
YOU MIGHT HAVE gone through everyday duties with a great stainless-steel set, some cast-iron workhorses and other preferred pots and pans, but it can’t deny that nonstick cookware is a flattering assistant for any kitchens. Whether among beginners, avid foodies or pros, it lets you cook delicate, tend-to-stick foods way easier—that’s why it’s a beloved item for everyone.
Unlike those metal stuffs, nonstick cookware excels at no-brown omelets, thin crepes or other egg- and fish-based recipes, and it’s much easier to clean. Besides, since the nonstick surface requires very few (or no) oil or grease, it’s a go-to choice for healthy enthusiasts or weight-losing people.
With utterly crowded nonstick competitors, we built the best list of nonstick sets for every need and budget. Also don’t miss our review on Best Nonstick pans.
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Image: Calphalon
Best All-Around
Calphalon Premier has it all—reliable quality, impressively even heating, literally slick, durable surface and sophisticated beauty. Made of thick 3.6-mm anodized aluminum and rigid PFOA-free nonstick, it’s outstanding for both durability and performance. It heats very evenly and steadily and releases food impressively, giving satisfying browned sears, slide-around eggs, flavorful simmer without scorches. The nonstick coating is smooth and long-lasting, allowing for dishwashing and metal utensils.
The whole design is modernly sleek and ergonomic. The stainless-steel handles are big, comfortable and stay cool during cooking. There’re a big covered 12” pan—handy for universal duties. A drawback, it can’t work with induction hobs.
For tidier practice, if you have a limited storage or want your cabinet more organized, the Premier Space-Saving can be had to save up 30% more of your space.
We Picked: 11-piece set
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 450°F
Induction Compatibility: No
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Image: All-Clad
Best Reliable Performer
All-Clad HA1 has long been some of our beloved products that outperforms other runners in every way—it’s robust, heats evenly, holds heat well and release eggs effortlessly even without fat. It heats very fast and evenly among most contenders, producing very satisfying sears and beautiful scramble eggs excellently on all stovetops, including induction and ceramic hobs. The construction is reliably quality, showing no irritating warping or chipping even through heavily uses.
Design-practical, the untraditional wide, rounded base might feel a bit unfamiliar, but this is good to prevent foods from trapping in the corners and use as a wok substitute to make Pad Thai. Besides the slightly heaviness—a tradeoff with the solid construction—and unfavorable flat handles, this is a strong performer for serious cooking.
We Picked: 10-piece set
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: T-fal
Best Buying
For years of reviewing, we’ve continuously recommended the T-fal Ultimate as a no-brainer “cheap but reliable” choice. There’re a lot to love: it has very effective nonstick power, is practical to use and don’t hurt your wallet.
At under $120*, it heats evenly and successfully releases fluffy scramble eggs, ultra-thin crepes, fish filets, super-gluey ingredients and fragile recipes, with zero sticking—say, far better than many pricier players out there. Plus, its very lightweight and comfy soft handles should be a fondness for small-wrist people and beginners.
Any drawbacks? Above from a small capacity, it won’t give you high rigidity—it can’t go over medium-high cooking and can warp when left on high heat. But, this budget-friendly set does provide a decent cooking ability, ideal for students and entry-level cooks, especially on gas stoves.
We Picked: 12-piece set
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 400°F
Induction Compatibility: No
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Image: Made-In
Best Upgrade Performer
Made In comes so close to a position taken by the All-Clad D5 stainless nonstick, an upper performer. It’s a solid US-made, 5-ply clad build with a remarkably slick, quality nonstick.
The heat ability is as exceptional as its stainless-steel edition, producing admirable outcomes on high-heat cooking, significantly better than most nonstick players—steadier heating, crispier searing and nicer sautéing. Moreover, it’s a rare nonstick model that can work great on every stovetop, including induction and ceramic ranges—not just reasonably good but excellent.
A hiccup, a substantial weight might be unwieldy for tossing food and some people's liking, but it has a good weight balance in hand. We also like the practical shape, rolled rims and comfortable (than All-Clad) handles. It comes with a premium price, but its strong performance and long-lasting nonstick are the real things.
We Picked: 7-piece set
Material: 5-ply stainless-steel nonstick, stainless-steel lid
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Ninja
Editor’s Favorite
Ninja Foodi NeverStick Premium
Everything we like about this Ninja: it has effective nonstick ability, is made solid, can resist high heat, works with most stovetops and lets to use metal utensils and dishwashers (though we recommend hand-washing). Given the mid-priced range, the nonstick coating is unsurpassed—not literally slick but pleasingly tough. We impress for its even and crisp sears, slide-off-the-pan eggs, long simmers and no-sticking outcomes. It’s excitingly thick like a cast-iron pan with a heft weight, not too heavy to hold and flip comfortably. A 10-year warranty is backed up.
There’re some designs drew our scores back: pans come with a too broad cooking surface and less-sloped sides, and handles are too boldly straight—but it’s still capable to get jobs done smoothly. You can consider a Nesting version to save more room of your cupboards.
We Picked: 12-piece set
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Caraway
Best Minimalist Set (That’s Prettiest!)
If you’ve found the cooking time in your small-spaced kitchen to be one of the deep pleasures, nothing looks better than Caraway. This social-media-raved cooking set also makes no disappointing on the cooking performance. It cooks evenly, maintains heat well, releases food nicely with a little oil and is breezy to cleanup, though you need to hand-wash.
We do appreciate that this ceramic cookware is “totally free-from-PTFE” (along with also PFAS and heavy metals) and gives desirable nonstick ability and durability—a rare to find. It can cook on every stovetop with a high heat endurance.
Design-thoughtful, not only offering essential fundamentals needed for a minimalist kitchen, it includes a magnetic rack and a canvas lid holder to keep things organized. Best of all, there’re dazzling adorable colors available for matching your modern décor.
We Picked: 7-piece set
Material: Aluminum with ceramic nonstick, aluminum lid
Oven-Safe: 550°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Calphalon
Best User-Friendly
Calphalon Classic with No Boil-Over Inserts
This Calphalon lets you cook without a mess. Though not that top-end caliber, it’s a decent set that delivers reasonably fast and even cooking. The nonstick is pleasingly good—not highly durable but handling eggs and flour-base recipes effectively, even without oil.
What we like the most, there’re tons of useful features to let you cook way breezily—the measuring marks inside the pots, pouring spouts, lids with integrated strainer for draining water easily and comfortable handles. The most glowy part is two inventive BPA-free inserts that nicely prevent annoying boil-over spills, no need to stir or monitor—God-sent add-ons for those who frequently deal with ingredients that tend to foam-up later, such as beans, potatoes and rice.
But if you don’t want to sacrifice a small 1.5-quart saucepan for these inserts, the original Classic Nonstick is also a good value.
We Picked: 10-piece set
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 450°F
Induction Compatibility: No
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Image: GreenPan
Best Ceramic Nonstick
GreenPan is considered one of “the OGs” in the ceramic cookware garden, and this Valencia Pro is assured by America’s Test Kitchen and other dependable pros as a perfect combination of a solidness, effectiveness, and functionality. The construction is neat and solid, but not weighty. Considering being completely PFAS-free, it has an effective, sturdy nonstick coating, producing even and consistent outcomes. We like its spacious, flat cooking surface and a high-heat resistance, which let producing good sears for both delicate white filets and red meats—better than many traditional nonstick models.
The usability is besting among nonstick ceramic comrades, it can cook everywhere: on every stovetop (including induction), in the oven or in the broiler, and also being allowed for dishwasher and metal utensils. The classy look is another aesthetic delight perk.
We Picked: 11-piece set
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum with ceramic nonstick, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 600°F (425°F for lids)
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Le Creuset
The Toughest
Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick PRO
If you want a great nonstick cookware that lasts long, the Le Creuset is to consider. It’s built quality with a forged hard-anodized aluminum and a fully encapsulated aluminum base, making its durability absolutely no-frail. The performance is exceptional. It does heat impressively evenly even on high-heat cooking and bring impressive steaks, pan fries and browning effects—quite like a lighter cast-iron pan.
A surpassing part, it offers one of the finest and most rigid nonstick coating here. Not only literately nonstick for making scramble eggs and thin crepes flawlessly, it’s a truly robust workhorse. Like their famed French oven, Le Creuset is nothing light—either price, quality or weight. But it’s definitely worth if you want that exceptional level.
We Picked: 10-piece set
Material: Forge hard-anodized aluminum, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 500°F (425°F for lids)
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: HexClad
Best Sear Master
HexClad is an up-leveled innovation of nonstick world. The cooking surface is unique, fusing nonstick with a hexagon pattern of elevated stainless-steel for utilizing the ability of both nonstick and stainless-steel. This hybrid cookware doesn’t touch the real fully-clad ones, but it does produces evenly and far better seared results than most coated rivals here—delivering deeper-browned steaks and crispier fries. We also like its usability: it’s lightweight, works with all cooktops and allows for metal utensils and dishwashers.
A thing to remind, it doesn’t outperform in areas that need a highly nonstick ability. You still need some fat to smooth out eggs and cheesy recipes. Overall, it’s a nice compromise if you expect for improved searing, sautéing or stir-frying but still want to have its acceptable nonstick ability for dealing with not-so-tacky dishes.
We Picked: 6-piece set
Material: Hybrid stainless-nonstick, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Anolon
Best Mid-Priced Performer
Anolon Advanced has been one of the pro’s favorites so far. At mid-price, it heats a steady-fast and even all over the pan, producing lightly browned sears and pleasing sauté, though the heat endurance is quite lower. The nonstick coating is very effective for handling delicate proteins or egg-based recipes. We also like the measuring marks inside the pots and the soft silicone handles, which are super comfortable and stay-cool when cooking. There’s a 12” covered pan included—a fewness for this budget.
The durability is moderately good—not outstanding, but far from flimsy. The weight should be pleasing for those people who can’t bear hefty things. The deep skillet might be a setback for searing or sliding-off eggs but good for cooking wok’s dishes. The velvet beauty is another charming incentive.
We Picked: 11-piece set
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, tempered glass lid
Oven-Safe: 400°F
Induction Compatibility: No
There’re a lot of nice products out there since we don’t have enough room to fit them in our ranks. These’re some nonstick sets that we’re also interested—they might miss some things to hit our scores but might be exactly what you want.
This is a new technology by embeds stainless-steel engages into nonstick surface to take benefit of both materials in the same pan. Hybrid cookware excels at high-heat cooking, searing, frying and caramelizing, developing crispier, darker-browned effects—it can’t reach to multi-clad models but much better than regular ones.
However, it can’t beat traditional nonstick at food releasing. It can still handle not-too-gluey foods but not ideal for eggs, thin crepes or cheese-based dishes.
See our full review of ceramic cookware here.
If none of these nonstick sets ring your bell, that’s understandable. There’re an ocean of nonstick pots and pans out there that will be satisfied your liking. The help you make good choices, we recommend sticking to these basic rules: