10 Best Stainless Steel Cookware Sets Reviews 2024

THERE’RE MANY DIFFERENT cookware types these days, from nonstick, ceramic nonstick, hard anodized aluminum, cast iron and, or even mixed materials. But whether a novice or a pro, good stainless-steel cookware always takes the topmost place in any kitchens.

Think of a workhorse that lets you do almost everything—from simply boiling eggs, simmering hearty soups, sauteing veggies, searing beautifully browned steaks to roasting something in the ovens. Say, it’s a foundation staple to handle most culinary tasks and cooking techniques. So, buying a quality stainless-steel set rather means an investment than a splurge—not yet to mention about its nearly everlasting lifetime and low maintenance.

However, finding the right one among the huge selections on the market isn’t easy. Lucky for you. Here, we’ve rounded up the top picks you can buy right now.

Our Best Picks

Image: Cuisinart

Best All-Around

Cuisinart MultiClad Pro

For years of reviewing, this Cuisinart stands out as a great mixture of efficiency, practicality and value. This 3-ply cookware performs nearly as equivalent to high-end sets—conducting heat evenly and bringing impressive sears, with very few hot spots.

On top of that, it has finest ergonomic designs and features that are beneficial for home cooks. We also like its good weight balance, appreciably comfy, stay-cool handles and flared rims for preventing messy pouring liquid. It can cook on most stovetops, including induction hobs.

There’s a steamer insert in the set—a useful tool if you love steamed veggies and Asian foods. It’s solid but not reach the higher-end models and found some discoloration (that can be painlessly solved by Barkeeper Friends). All-around, with a reasonable cost and a lifetime warranty, it’s an unbeatable pick.

We Picked: 12-piece set
Material: 3-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: Tramontina

Runner’s Up

Tramontina Gourmet Tri-Ply Clad

Tramontina has proved: you can find a decent stainless-steel set that won’t bleed your wallet. Given this mid-price, this pro’s favorite gives a well-constructed 18/10 fully-clad build and impressive heat performance. It cooks evenly, produces beautifully brown searing and simmers with less scorches.

An infrequency for a mid-price range, it offers a good assortment and a spacious capacity as including an 8-quart stockpot and a 6-quart (nearly 12”) sauté pan—functional for multitasks and feeding a home party. If you don’t like stainless-steel lids, you can consider its glass lid model instead.

It feels solid but not too weighty to hold. The handles are wide and good to grip snugly. We prefer the newer version for a bigger cooking surface, though a bit heavier. Some hiccups, it tarnishes quite heavily and dribbles every time when pouring—still not inexcusable flaws that stop us from recommending it.

We Picked: 12-piece set
Material: 3-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: All-Clad

Best Reliable Performer

All-Clad D3

This is the gold benchmark of any tri-ply cookware, widely endorsed by many reliable professionals. Down to the unsurpassed US-made original clad, the All-Clad D3 heats up fast, evenly and very steadily without drastic temperature changes. This delivering perfect crusty, golden-brown sears without spot or harsh burns, even on induction and ceramic burners.

Every pot and pan are perfectly designed for serious cooking, which making smoother movements when tossing and pouring foods. The construction is praiseful: it’s solid but significantly lighter than most top-end peers while easy to clean and keep brand new. Moreover, All-Clad is barely found any warps or dents, even on high heat or after years of use.

Except for the expensive side, the flat handle might be a bit sore for some folks, but not a killing drawback. A worthwhile investment for excellent performance and longevity.

We Picked: 10-piece set
Material: 3-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 600°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: Goldilocks

Budget Buying

Goldilocks Cookware Set Plus

At $225*, Goldilocks—formerly known as Potluck—performs impressively far from the price. It takes more time to heat up and gets food sticks quite easily, but when ready, it heats very evenly all over the surfaces and delivers impressive browns and sautés close to the expensive contenders. Assortment-wise, the “Plus set” definitely has what you need: two saucepans, a roomy 8-quart stockpot and two open skillets—with a 12” skillet to perfectly fulfill the set.

As an economical choice, the durability is quite lowered. The construction is thinner and easy to bend and scratch, but it’s amply for beginners and budget savers to handle daily duties smoothly and dishwasher-safe. Plus, if you’re about to set up your new kitchen, consider their Essential Bundle to save even more.

We Picked: 8-piece set
Material: 3-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 550°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: Made In

Best Versatile

Made In Stainless Clad

Made In is a most prominent player in the company-to-consumer cookware market. It’s a US- and Italy-made, solid quality 5-ply stainless-steel and the craftmanship feels very solid and neat. The overall performance is outpaced. We can say: this is the closest thing to the All-Clad D5 in every facet—heat conductivity, steadiness, and retention. The set has a flat-bottom saucier (in place of a sauté pan) that helps making restaurant fully blended sauces, risottos or smooth chocolates effectively.

The craftmanship is neat. It has an indestructibly solid build and a substantial weight, which help preventing warps and sitting firmly on the stove. The long handles have quite lower angle but still feel friendlier than the All-Clad’s. Besides slightly less evenness and a big weight, it stands atop of other alternatives in at least $100* cheaper than the D5.

We Picked: 10-piece set
Material: 5-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 800°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: Calphalon

Most Stylish Performer

Calphalon Premier

Not only be fabulously designed, Calphalon Premier cooks very remarkably. It heats very rapidly, evenly and steadily—delivering good sears and sautés and steady boils. It’s built sturdily—don’t touch the All-Clad but pleasingly fine for the upper tier. We also like its no-painful weight, practical designs and stay-cool ergonomic handles—a favor for home cooks. Cleanup is easy, both by handwashing and dishwashing. It works flawlessly on flat and glass stovetops, except induction hobs.

The collection of pieces is decent. It comes with a useful covered 12” pan and lids for most pieces. We do like the thoughtfully designed saucepans as let cooking, straining and pouring liquid stuffs smoothly. Another delight, its sophisticated look makes it a stylish staple in your kitchen.

We Picked: 11-piece set
Material: 3-Ply stainless-steel, glass lids
Oven-Safe: 450°F
Induction Compatibility: No

Image: All-Clad

Best Performance Accorded

All-Clad d5

This is an acclaimed cookware for those who expect for advanced cooking experience. As a gold benchmark of 5-ply cookware, the D5 has a US-made patent quality, unfailing performance and high durability—no distortion, rusts or pits are found even after long heavy uses.

Comparing to the All-Clad D3, the D5 heats slightly slower but produces more consistent outcomes. It gives the same fantastic searing and sautéing like the D3 but gives better braising and steady stewing. Also, it’s friendlier to use with the curled rims for easier pouring and more comfortable round handles.

Barring its steep price, the big downside is a huge weight from the nearly indestructible build—might be taxing for people with small-wrists, particularly when tossing or jumping sautéing. Thinking of a workhorse that does excellently for any cooking techniques and on stovetops, it’s a great upgrader.

We Picked: 10-piece set
Material: 5-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 600°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: Misen

Pro’s Essential

Misen Stainless Cookware Set

Misen presents a superlative quality in an excellent value. This direct-to-consumer cookware has a luxurious and extremely solid build: a thick 3.0-mm, 5-ply clad construction—making it a real hefty and reliable performer here. It’s slightly heavier and heats up slower than the All-Clad D5, but it produces impressively even outcomes—developing fonds and deglazing perfectly like a pro. Unlike traditional norms, it has a saucier—a beneficial stuff if you enjoy the expert high-stirring sauces or smooth caramels, without burnt food stuck in the corner.

This set includes all fundamental pieces in a spacious size—handy for preparing flexible duties. It also has the comfortable rounded handles and well-designed pots and pans for serious cooking. At an about half price of the D5, it’s a no-regret alternative, with a lifetime warranty.

We Picked: 9-piece set
Material: 5-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: Sardel

Best Basic Set

Sardel Small Set

This is a perfect small-but-effective workhorse for occasional cooks or couples who are into serious cooking. Don’t overrate this mini collection. By cutting a middleman, this Italy-made set offers neat craftmanship, effective performance and practical designs at a reasonable cost. It performs pleasingly as a decent 5-ply cookware does—not at the same peak of the All-Clad but still in an inspiring range. Also, it’s all stovetop-compatible and dishwasher-safe.

The overall design is classy beauty and practical for cooking: the flared rims, roomy cooking surfaces, a well-balanced weight, comfortable to grip handles. The Small set offers all useful pieces for any kitchen basis, including a game-changing 10” nonstick skillet. There’s a 30-day trial period, so you can return it if you’re not pleased with free return shipping.

We Picked: 6-piece set
Material: 5-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: Calphalon

Best Starter Set

Calphalon Classic

Calphalon Classic is a workable set for students, newbies or those who want a simply good set for a little upgrading. Among the 3-ply bonded base comrades, it’s outpaced for sturdiness and cooking ability—heats faster and gives acceptably good distribution. It won’t give you top-notch performance and solidness like those multi-ply models, but it does fulfill your daily functions and is all stovetop-compatible.

A strong reason to buy it is: there’re tons of supportive features for beginners and home cooks. Given an entry level, it has the ergonomic stay-cool handles, the measuring marks inside the pots, and the glass lids with pouring spouts and strainer holes to help preventing nasty drips and draining pastas without a need of additional strainers.

We Picked: 10-piece set
Material: Encapsulated 3-ply disc bottom, glass lids
Oven-Safe: 450°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Image: KitchenAid

Cooking with Stylish

KitchenAid 5-Ply Clad

This is a nifty choice if you’re fascinated to cook with style and don’t want to sacrifice the performance. Not only an esthetic beauty, it has pleasing performance—producing evenly outcomes and holding heat quite well. The construction is well-made and solid. It’s not as extremely sturdy like the top-end models but should be desirable if you want a lighter version of a 5-ply workhorse. We love a spacious 5-quart sauté pan—an equivalent to 12” covered pan—a versatile stuff.

The design is practically good. There’re the volume marks inside the pots for measuring food conveniently and the flared rims for no-messy pouring liquid. On top of that, the black stainless-steel handles aren’t only comfortable to grip but also bring everything chicer. A hiccup, it gets food sticks and discolorations quite easily.

We Picked: 10-piece set
Material: 5-Ply stainless-steel, stainless-steel lids
Oven-Safe: 500°F
Induction Compatibility: Yes

Honorable Mentions

Image: Le Creuset

There’re some interesting products in the market. Though lacking some things that would make them miss our favorites, they’re inspiring to mention.

Budget Choice (under $250)

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless-Steel ($160* for a 10-piece set): It does reasonably good among encapsulated clad models but far from those fully-clad competitors—more likely to cause hot spots and food burns. But, unlike most cost-effective norms, every set of the Chef’s Classic series (even a 17-piece set) includes only pots and pans—no spatulas or miscellaneous pieces. a value-worth option.

Mid-Priced ($250 - $600)

Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless-Steel ($300* for a 10-piece set): We highly admire its wise composition: a powerful 3-ply base with mixing layers of conductors (aluminum and copper) all over the base that highly improves cooking quality. It’s a prominent heat performer at this range, though the big pans that are very weighty don’t have a helper handle.
Cuisinart French Classic ($500* for a 13-piece set): This made-in-France series share the same characteristics of the Multi-Clad Pro but come with a “French style” design—taller sides and straighter rims. If you don’t mind for spending an extra $100, it’s worth to buy.
Kitchara Brushed Stainless-Steel ($500* for a 13-piece set): Given this price, this 5-ply cookware make a wonder for its cooking ability, solidness and spacious capacity—containing a 12” pan and an 8-quart stockpot. Though giving less even, more food sticks and less long-lasting than the All-Clad D5 or even Made-In, it’s a viable value-worth alternative.

Steller Performer ($700 and up)

All-Clad Copper Core ($1,400* for a 10-piece set): With a nearly 1-mm copper layer inside, it conducts and spreads heat across the pan very rapidly. It’s solid but much thinner and lighter than the D5, while it has user-friendlier designs than the D3. However, if you’re not passionate or skilled enough for this “highly heat responsive” characteristic, this super car mightn’t be worth the hype than the D3.
All-Clad G5 ($800* for a 5-piece set): It proposes a luxurious, innovative construction: a 5-ply build with layers of aluminum and graphite, that make it a real swift player. It heats rapidly and evenly—much faster even than the Copper Core—while it’s appreciably lighter. Above from its bleeding price, it’s a defeating pick if you want a lightweight yet vivid performer.
Fissler Original-Profi ($700* for a 9-piece set): It’s a rare encapsulated-disc cookware that performs better than most fully-clad ones. It’s constructed with an extremely thick 6-mm base, so no wobbly or warping issue has found (many owners even claimed that it’s solider than the All-Clad D3)— quite like a last-to-the-lifetime workhorse. It heats admirably fast and evenly without hot spots, even on induction and other flat stovetops—highly recommend if you use these heat sources. Though, this German tank might be too weighty for some people.
Demeyere Industry or 5-Plus ($1,000* for a 10-piece set): This quality Belgium cookware is built neatly and vigorously with 3-mm 5-ply clad structure—25% more aluminum than the D5. It produces incredibly even results, less sticking even no stirring and longer heat retention. We also like the “Silvinox” finish—the solider and slicker surface than normal stainless-steel that shiny finish longer. It also has the rivet-less handles.
Demeyere Atlantis ($1,800* for a 10-piece set): It’s like the Fissler Original-Profi in an even better edition. Probably, it’s one of the most deluxe constructions we’ve found: a built-to-last stainless-steel with “Silvinox” treatment and a 7-ply base—two silver layer and a 2-mm thick copper layer. It gives stellar even and steady heating all over the pan and develops fonds impressively. It also offers practical, ergonomic designs to use. But, all of these finest features require a massive weight and price.
Le Creuset Tri-Ply Stainless Steel ($800* for a 10-piece set): The cooking ability and craft quality are both excellent. It has an iconic elegant design, like their French ovens. A vexing thing, it develops scorches and dull spots quite easily—demanding some effort to keep polish.
Mauviel M'cook 5-Ply Stainless-Steel ($1,400* for a 12-piece set): This French cookware shares many resemblances of the All-Clad D5—a 5-ply build with a 2.6-mm thick and rolled rims. It gains our big scores from excellent thermal performance and solid quality—though the handles are pretty uncomfortable to grip and maneuver.

What To Look For

Image: Made In

As a basis of your kitchen, good stainless-steel cookware sets that we looked for should at least pass these key qualifications:

Fully clad is preferred. The common rule of thumb: either cooking efficiency or durability, sufficiently thick clad is far better than encapsulated clad base (or disc base). The difference is clearly visible when cooking thick and solid foods, like meats or very dense stews. That’s why we prefer clad cookware—particularly for skillets, sauciers and sauté pans. However, this doesn’t mean for the excellencies (that are very expensive)—like Fissler Original-Profi or Demeyere—that can overcome most fully-clad models.
Encapsulated base is still welcomed for boils and simmers, like making stocks or soups. Most disc-based products have too small aluminum discs to reach to the edges of the bottom, which cause uneven thermal areas and food scorches easily.
Practical pieces. It’s true that buying the whole set is cheaper than pieces, but many cookware sets in the market include unnecessary things you’ll barely use. So, pick one with pieces and sizes that best suits your cooking habit. If you love healthy dishes or Chinese cuisines, a set with a steamer will come in handy. Commonly, a set with a large stockpot and skillet is favored.
Right size. For common tasks, a set with 8 to 12 pieces set that filled with other mixed essentials, like a cast-iron skillet, a Dutch oven and a nonstick pan is more efficient than a huge set with one material solely.
Comfortable weight. Although thick clad is considered better, too heavy cookware can hurt your wrists and is easy to lose balance control, making unwieldy to use. Think about lifting or tossing a 5-pound pan with one hand—such a pain. So, be careful of the weight, especially for skillets and sauté pans.
Ergonomic handles. Most home cooks are familiar with rounded handles than flat or sharp-angled ones, but this also depends on your preference. Good handle should be just the right length and wide enough to hold firmly and comfortably in your hand.

Good Questions

Q: What items should be included in a practical set?

It depends. Everyone needs different essential pieces for their own set. In common, for handling various culinary tasks smoothly, a good stainless-steel set should include these pots and pans:

A small 2-quart covered saucepan for melting butter, heating soup or preparing smaller servings side dishes.
A 3- to 4-quart covered saucepan for making sauces, rice, oatmeal or a small batch of pasta.
A 3- to 4-quart sauté pan or covered deep skillet for cooking extra-spaced foods, shallow-frying, braising or one-pot meals.
A small 8” to 10” skillet for making a single serve of steak or a small portion of vegetables, breadcrumbs, toasting spices. Some cooks might prefer nonstick skillets for the small size, though.
A roomier 10.5” to 12” skillet is a universal workhorse—perfect for searing steaks, roasting, stir-frying, pan-frying, and cooking a larger quantity as needed.
A big, covered stockpot for cooking a large feed of pasta, corn or lobster and making stocks.

If you’re tired of heavy cast-iron pots, you can have a 6- to 7-quart covered Dutch oven for preparing noodles, braising and stewing more comfortably.

Q: Is stainless-steel cookware nonstick?

No. However, with properly prepared, you can make your stainless-steel pans less stick and develop a temporary nonstick surface. To reduce sticking,

Place your empty pan over medium heat. Let the pan heat up for 2-3 minutes.
Add oil and allow it to come up to temperature in a few minutes.
If you hear ‘sizzle’ sound when dripping a single drop of water, your pan already to cook.

Q: Is stainless-steel cookware safe for cooking?

Yes. Commonly, it’s safe to use. Still, for a peace of mind, some experts suggest avoiding cooking high acidic foods, like lime juices or concentrated tomato sauces, with these types of pans to prevent the leaching of some heavy metals (nickel and chromium)—a trigger for people who’re allergic to them.

Also, make sure to use reliable food-grade products and avoid harsh scratching the pan to reduce the risk.