Limited storage? No problem!
By Editor Team | May 25, 2023
THE KITCHEN CAN be the hardest place to keep everything tidy and make even feel frustrated just to find the pan you need for making eggs or warming soups in a busy morning. Over and above, it’s not everyone that has a big kitchen with generous cabinet space to keep variety of this and that especially those cooking enthusiasts who can’t be satisfied just a couple of small pots and pans—maybe you live in a small studio, prepare foods on-the-go in your RVs or make easy soups a small corner in the office.
So, the stacking cookware sets that need smaller footprints to keep is a right answer for storage solution—they’re also one of the kitchen essentials for small-space living. Good news, you got many choices to pick these days, from stainless-steel, nonstick or even cast-iron
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Image: Calphalon
Best Nonstick Set
Calphalon Premier Space-Saving, Nonstick
For cooking enthusiasts who live in a small space, this Calphalon represents everything you'd want in a nonstick cookware set—effective, long-lasting and tidy. It possesses most features of the Premier: a quality hard-anodized build, with an unfailing nonstick coating. So, the performance is undoubtedly impressive, both cooking and nonstick ability. On top of that, the stack mechanism is besting. It can be nested to save up 30% of storage with the good locking device for keeping pieces unmoved, no scratching each other.
Unlike most contenders, Calphalon offers a full-sized capacity and the fixed, comfortable handles to make it easier, more practical for handling serious cooking—though the uncommon flat lids might be a bit awkward to use. It’s also safe for dishwashing and metal utensils.
Material: hard-anodized aluminum, nonstick
Oven-Safe: 450°F
Induction Compatibility: No
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Image: Calphalon
Best Stainless-Steel Set
Calphalon Premier Space-Saving, Stainless-Steel
It’s quite rare to find stainless-steel sets that can be stacked, but even rarer if you expect for high-performance ones. While offering a most capable space-saving system here, this Calphalon is a solid performer. The quality 3-ply build make heating quickly and evenly. This gives impressive sautés, deep sears, brown caramelized sauces and flavorful simmers—nearly equivalent to the All-Clad D3. It’s also flexible for any cooking techniques: all stovetops, ovens and broilers. When stacked, it can sit neatly and reduce 30% of the cabinet room.
Design-productive, we like its full-sized capacity, the strong riveted handles for solid gripping and the flared rims, but the unique lids might feel a bit tricky to use. The modern, neat craft with a lifetime warranty also makes it desirable buying.
Material: 3-ply stainless-steel
Oven-Safe: 450°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Ninja
Best Mid-Priced Performer
Ninja Foodi NeverStick Premium Nest System
This Ninja offers things you'd want in a practical space-saving set—it cooks great, is no-sticking, is robust, has practical shape with fixed handles and keeps neatly. As a sibbing of the popular Ninja Foodi NeverStick, the Nest System also has a strong hard-anodized body enforced with a 4.5mm thick aluminum base, giving pleasing durability and cooking performance. It heats fast, distributes heat nicely and retains heat quite well. At this range, we’re pleased with its workability. It gives fulfill high-heat searing and is metal utensil- and dishwasher-safe.
Actually, it feels like a normal set that can be neatly stacked to consume 55% less space with a good scratch-prevented device—a friendly everyday workhorse. A setback, it’s compatible with all stovetops but much less productive on induction burners.
Material: hard-anodized aluminum, nonstick
Oven-Safe: 500°F (400°F for lids)
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Tramontina
Best Budget (That’s Sleek)
Tramontina Nesting is the best cost-effective stackable set so far. At entry level, it feels lightweight and pretty thin (yet not flimsy) but can smoothly handle basic routines in small kitchens, like dorms or RVs. The heat performance is reasonably good, and the cooking surface is truly nonstick and quite durable. You can’t go over 350°F to fulfil browning results, but this should suffice for common nonstick tasks—eggs, fish and tacky food. The set lacks of a big pot, but a 12” sauté pan should be handy for flexible duties.
It’s one of the most space-efficient sets among fix-handled models—it can nest into less than 12” tall to save 50% more your cupboard space. Another gain, this budget set wears a glossy look.
Material: Aluminum, nonstick
Oven-Safe: 350°F
Induction Compatibility: No
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Image: GreenPan
Best Ceramic Nonstick
GreenPan Levels is a strong choice for space-limited people who are seriously into safer, less toxic cooking. Not just a fancy, this solid hard-anodized set can produce satisfying cooking performance and ease nonstick duties. The Thermolon ceramic coating gives a good scratch-resistance and cooks nearly like a Teflon cookware. This produces beautiful omelets, sautéed mushrooms and pan-seared fish effortlessly. On the top of that, it’s entirely free from PFAS, FPOA, lead and cadmium—no worry about toxic fumes released.
The functionality is great. The set comes with a normal-sized capacity with fixed handles and a ton of useful features—pour spouts, glass lids with a built-in strainer and a foldable steamer. When stacked, it needs 30% less space, with only 13.5” tall.
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, ceramic nonstick
Oven-Safe: 400°F
Induction Compatibility: No
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Image: T-fal
Best Tiny Space Solution
Whether you travel with a RV or just need a workable set that fits your petite cupboard, T-fal Ingenio is a wise choice. It’s lightweight and cooks acceptably good. The nonstick surface is reasonably durable and effective for common nonstick duties—omelets, pastas or cheesy casseroles. The splendid part is its flexibility. It can go from stovetops to ovens, store in the fridge or even serve on the table for less pieces to wash, and it’s also dishwasher-safe.
Space-wise, we can say: this is one of the most outstanding organize-friendly set in the market. When stacked, this 13-piece set needs only a 26-cm pan footprint. The detachable Bakelite handles feels cool, comfy and secure to grip. A drawback is the on gas, it’s better to remove the handles during high-heat cooking to avoid handles to get damages.
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, nonstick
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Caraway
The Neatest Concept (That’s Minimalist)
Caraway presents a nattier storage solution—way more attractive and function. Above from the well-made side, this famed cooking set has good cooking performance. It cooks evenly, retains heat well and cleans up easily, though handwash only. We do appreciate with its nonstick coating: this is one of a few non-Teflon (and non-PFAS) ceramic products that gives effective nonstick power, decent durability and high-heat resistance, and it work with all stovetops.
Unlike those “Russian nesting dolls”-like sets, it offers four standard-sized essentials that can be stored in a rack and a wall-mounted canvas for keeping lids—this makes sprucer and more accessible to use. What’s more? The modern minimal look with some lovely color hues is truly tempting.
Material: Aluminum core, PTFE-free nonstick ceramic
Oven-Safe: 550°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: All-Clad
Best for Serious Cooks
Our love of All-Clad is deep from its reliable quality that never disappoints us. Thoughtfully designed for serious home chefs (who want everything tidier), All-Clad Essential is indisputably excellent for performance and nonstick ability—you can feel how easier to get “like a pro” outcomes. It offers a big capacity and a clever assortment for universal duties. We like the 7-quart stockpot with an insert and a large square pan—handy for preparing dumplings, steamed broccoli or larger batches.
A bugging side, since it’s quite like a regular set that can be assembled into a low-profile stack, so it’s not the smallest space-saver here. Moreover, without any nestable devices, you’ll need some cookware protectors to prevent pieces from scratching each other. Except for induction ranges, it’s an unfailing workhorse on any stovetops.
Material: hard-anodized aluminum, nonstick
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: No
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Image: Cuisinart
Best User-Friendly
Cuisinart SmartNest, Stainless-Steel
If you want a decent kitchen staple for making your small cabinet more organized and easier to grab a piece at glance, consider this Cuisinart SmartNest. The whole characteristics are equivalent to the Chef’s Classic, so it won’t give you top-level performance but does makes home cooks and beginners fulfil their cooking routines. We also like that it can work on every cooktop, broilers and ovens, and dishwasher-safe.
The most admirable part, Cuisinart never lets you down with the user-friendliness. There’re many favorable “signature” features to make you cook easier—practical shape, easy-pouring rims, ergonomic handles and measuring marks inside the pot. The stacking device is very nice. Each pot and pan comes with the solid tabs for preventing them from scratching each other and a rack to store lids separately— saving 30% more space.
Material: Stainless-steel with a 3-ply base
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Cristel
The Finest Quality & Design
Cristel Casteline is stellar in every facet—French-made quality, performance, functionality, heat efficiency and sophisticated design. Among space-saving troupes, it has the most deluxe construction. Thanks to the 3-ply walls and a 5-ply base, it feels very sturdy (but lighter than a whole 5-ply one) and gives exceptional thermal distribution and evenness. We’re impressed with fast boils, steady simmers, crusty sears and velvet caramelizes, and it noticeably needs less energy to cook. Clean-up is so breezy, either by hand or dishwasher.
Design-wise, it has the topmost space-saving mechanism here—fool-proof, safe and effective. The removable handles are secure and easy to use. If you can invest, it’s a top-notch set that can cook excellently, serve beautifully, store most efficiency and look elegant, with a lifetime warranty.
Material: Stainless-steel: 5-ply base with 3-ply walls.
Oven-Safe: 450°F (400°F for lids)
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Anolon
Best for Large Capacity
Large size is rare to find among space-saving comrades, but Anolon SmartStack is a strong choice if you need to feed a family group. It feels solid and has a slippery, durable nonstick surfaces that gives even cooking and pleasing nonstick outcomes. It offers some cook-friendly facilities: comfy silicone handles, big knobs on the lids and flat rivets, and it allows for dishwasher and metal utensils.
Everything comes in larger size—even between a standard set. We like a generous stockpot with an insert for handily preparing a big batch soup and steamed potatoes at the same time. The storing system isn’t our liking as lacking of solid scratch-preventing devices, but it can be put in under a 13” cabinet to save 62% more storage.
Material: Hard-anodized aluminum, nonstick
Oven-Safe: 400°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
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Image: Magma
Best for RVs and Camping
Magma’s nestable set has long been in favorite camping cookware, endorsed by outdoor exerts, Practical Sailor Magazine's and Good Sam's Club. Made of a 100% mirror polish, marine-graded stainless-steel with a 3-ply induction base, it feels solid and cooks great—far from those cheap nestable gears. The ceramic nonstick is effective and non-toxic, no PFOA and PTFE.
Traveler-friendly, the removable-handled design makes it ready to cook on every stovetop and serve readily, without additional pieces to wash more. Dishwasher-safe is a gain. When nested, it needs a less than ½ cubic feet that tightly secured with a strap to enlarge spare rooms in your baggage—highly recommend for RVs, boats, car camping or even an at-corner cooking.
Material: Stainless-steel with a 3-ply base, ceramic nonstick
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes
These are some of second-rounded choices that might lack of something—maybe price, usability or solidity—to trigger our top scores, but it’s also worth to consider:
All-Clad D3 Compact ($700* for a 10-piece set): If you want a quality that equivalent to the All-Clad D3 but can be stored more compactly into a much lower profile (and has more comfortable handles and flared rims to easy pouring liquids), the D3 Compact is recommended. It has no scratch protector, so you will need cookware protectors to prevent scratching.
Cuisinart SmartNest Nonstick Hard-Anodized ($200* for a 11-piece set): The overall specs are quite similar to the Chef’s Classic Nonstick but has a good nestable device. Since the Cuisinart’s user-friendly feature are besting, it’s a reasonable value-buying for regular home cooks.
Cristel Strate ($1,400* for a 13-piece set): It has a thick 3-ply base makes less stellar than the Casteline, which has 3-ply walls and a 5-ply base, but it still be a solid performer with a quality craft. Above from the modern esthetics, it’s one of the most space-efficient set in the market if you can afford.
Cristel Mutine ($1,100* for a 13-piece set): It has an extensive range of adorable-colored detachable handles to add some spices to your kitchen. However, with an even smaller aluminum-disc base than Cristel Strate, it mightn’t bring smashing heat performance. It’s acceptable for common tasks.
Neoflam Midas ($100* for a 9-piece set): The set works if you want a reasonable set in this budget range. It gains our big scores on a super compact stickability and the PTFE- and PFOA-free nonstick. We’ve also heard some complaints about issues with the durability.
Staub Cast Iron Stackable Set ($500* for a 4-piece set): If you’re passionate in cast-iron cooking, it’s good to invest. It comes with the set of 4 cast-iron essentials—a cocotte, a braiser, a grill pan and a universal lid that fits every pieces. Like the original pot, the lid also has the signature pikes inside to help producing juicer, tastier braising. We also like a compact nestable design and attachable rubbers for preventing scratches.
Stackable cookware—a.k.a. nestable or space-saving cookware—has its own distinctive. So, not only containing good cooking qualities, the good sets to pick should have a “workable” nesting method. For making the right choices, we recommend sticking with these followings:
Removable (or detachable) handle is preferred if you have a very deficit storage, cook on RVs, go camping or want a workable gear for occasional food preparing.
It can stack completely without losing any untapped spaces in a lower profile, and it’s versatile for serving and storing foods in the fridge. The flat-designed lids can massively maximize space.
Fixed handle is recommended if you expect for a practical cooking set that can handle serious cooking while help decluttering your kitchen or preserving more cabinet spaces. Many of them also offers full essential pots and pans at the same capacity as a common set. Remember, the traditional lids and handles provide much more comfortable and securer to use.