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Several stainless steel pots and pans crowded together on a white surface Credit: Reviewed / Timothy Renzi

The Best Stainless Steel Cookware Sets of 2024

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Several stainless steel pots and pans crowded together on a white surface Credit: Reviewed / Timothy Renzi

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Editor's Choice Product image of All-Clad D3 Stainless Everyday, 10 Piece Pots and Pans Cookware Set
Best Overall

All-Clad D3 Stainless Everyday, 10 Piece Pots and Pans Cookware Set

Check Price at All-Clad

This set checks all the boxes in terms of size, durability, and performance. And we love the lightweight design, flared edges, and comfortable handles. Read More

Pros

  • Distributes heat evenly
  • Durable build
  • Easy to handle

Cons

  • Lid handles can overheat
Editor's Choice Product image of Cuisinart MCP-12N Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set
Best Value

Cuisinart MCP-12N Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set

Check Price at Amazon

The tri-ply construction gave the pans the benefit of heat conductivity, but the aluminum core ensures they’re not too heavy to handle. Read More

Pros

  • Great value
  • Easy to use
  • Sears meat perfectly

Cons

  • Nothing we could find
Editor's Choice Product image of Hestan NanoBond Titanium Ultimate Set, 10-Piece
Best Upgrade

Hestan NanoBond Titanium Ultimate Set, 10-Piece

Check Price at Williams Sonoma

This top-tier set has all performance you expect in its high price range: even heating, steady simmering, impressive durability, and the pans are easy to work with. Read More

Pros

  • Beautiful
  • Distributes heat evenly
  • Very durable—heat resistant up to 1050°F

Cons

  • Very expensive
  • Requires polishing
Product image of Caraway Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Caraway Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Check Price at Caraway

This aesthetically pleasing set exceeded our recipe testing expectations across the board, but its high price and heavy weight fall short. Read More

Pros

  • Comfortable handles
  • Durable
  • Distributes heat evenly

Cons

  • Handles get hot
  • Handwashing recommended
  • A smaller sauce pot would be ideal
Product image of All-Clad BD005710-R D5 Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set

All-Clad BD005710-R D5 Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set

Check Price at Amazon

Despite superior heat distribution and overall performance, the heavy weight and handle design of these pans make flipping and pouring difficult. Read More

Pros

  • Superior heat distribution
  • Long-lasting

Cons

  • Hefty price tag
  • Too heavy
  • Straight-handle design
  • Best Overall All-Clad D3 Stainless Everyday, 10 Piece Pots and Pans Cookware Set
  • Best Value Cuisinart MCP-12N Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set
  • Best Upgrade Hestan NanoBond Titanium Ultimate Set, 10-Piece
  • Other Cookware Sets We Tested
  • Choosing the Perfect Cookware Set
  • Size and weight
  • Heat resistance
  • Cleanliness
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

While you might have a favorite Dutch oven or love working with cast-iron cookware, it’s unreasonable to expect a single type of pan to handle every recipe. To truly realize your full culinary potential, you need a variety of pots and pans in different shapes and sizes. By getting the right pre-packaged set of pots and pans, you can save a ton of money in the long run without sacrificing quality.

Stainless steel is great for searing meat, leaving behind those delicious fond bits that make the perfect start to a pan sauce. They also tend to last longer than most nonstick cookware, which can be easy to scratch and generally can’t go in the dishwasher.

We’ve spent several years researching and testing dozens of the most popular cookware sets around. The All-Clad D3 Everyday Stainless Steel Set (available at All-Clad) came out on top, thanks to its varying sizes, durability, and cooking performance. For a more affordable option, the Cuisinart MCP-12N Stainless Steel Set (available at Amazon) is another choice that yields excellent results.

All Clad stainless steel set laid out on a range cooktop
Credit: Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
Best Overall
All-Clad D3 Stainless Everyday, 10 Piece Pots and Pans Cookware Set
  • Included in the Set: 8.5 and 10.5 inch skillets, 1.5 quart and 3.5 quart sauce pans with lids, 3 quart saute pan with lid, and 6 quart stock pot with lid (3 quart sauce pan lid fits 8.5 inch skillet, 3 quart saute pan lid and 6 quart stockpot lid fit 10.5 inch skillet)
  • Material: Stainless Steel with aluminum core

With an aluminum core and classic tri-ply construction, the All Clad D3 Everyday Stainless Steel set exceeded all of our testing expectations and wowed us with its wider cooking surface area for each pot and pan. The shape and size of the handles make for comfortable handling when cooking and while only slightly warming to the touch, this makes them manageable to handle from start to finish.

With extra surface area for cooking (compared to other All Clad sets), the D3 Everyday Set boasts wider vessels, which we loved for boiling pasta in the stock pot and searing a steak with even browning.

The interchangeable lids are tight fitting and double riveted, creating an evenly cooked batch of rice and successfully braising chicken thighs, while also not being too cumbersome or bulky to handle. Each pot and pan is also oven safe up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, and they're all induction-compatible.

We think for the price point and high quality of this stainless steel series, the variety of pots and pans included make for a long lasting cookware set that comprises everything you need to cook a wide array of meals.

Read the full review of the All-Clad D3 Everyday set

Pros

  • Distributes heat evenly

  • Durable build

  • Easy to handle

Cons

  • Lid handles can overheat

Buy now at All-Clad
Cuisinart stainless steel set laid out on a wooden countertop
Credit: Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
Best Value
Cuisinart MCP-12N Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set
  • Included in the set: 1 1/2- and 3-quart saucepans with lids, 8-quart stockpot with lid, 3.5-quart sauté pan with lid, 8- and 10-inch skillets, steamer insert with lid
  • Material: Stainless steel

The Cuisinart MCP-12N Multiclad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set offers incredible performance at a great value. We had no complaints with the medium-sized sauté pan (which not only comfortably fit four chicken thighs but also seared each one to perfection). The large stockpot is well-sized for making soup, cooking pasta, or blanching vegetables—and is dishwasher-safe for an added bonus.

In addition to their performance and high quality, these pans are easy to use. Triple-ply construction gives the pans the benefit of heat conductivity, but the anodized aluminum core ensures that they’re not too heavy to handle. The set includes everything you need to cook a meal: two saucepans (1.5- and 3-quart), an 8-quart stockpot, a medium-sized 3.5-quart sauté pan, two skillets (8- and 10-inch), and a steamer insert—all with comfortable handles and a design that creates a nice balance when holding the pan.

Pros

  • Great value

  • Easy to use

  • Sears meat perfectly

Cons

  • Nothing we could find

$219.95 from Amazon

$219.99 from Target

$219.95 from Home Depot

$258.88 from Walmart
Pots and pans from the Hestan NanoBond 10-piece cookware set sit on a kitchen counter.
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser

We were impressed by the exceptional performance of the Hestan NanoBond 10-piece set.

Best Upgrade
Hestan NanoBond Titanium Ultimate Set, 10-Piece
  • Included in the set: 8.5- and 11-inch skillets, 1.5- and 3-quart saucepans with lids, 3.5-quart sauté pan with lid, 8-quart stockpot with lid
  • Material: Stainless steel with titanium cooking surface

While we know every shopper can’t justify the price, Hestan’s NanoBond is an exceptional line of cookware, and is worth the dough if you have it. It’s gorgeous to look at and feels good in the hand, and you get the kind of performance you’d expect at this price—even heating, steady simmering, and no burning at the bottom or in the corners.

Thousands of titanium-based layers of stainless steel are bonded to the surfaces of NanoBond cookware, which the brand claims makes it 400% stronger than traditional stainless steel and therefore resistant to staining and scratching. These pieces can even take heat up to 1050°F!

While there are lots of good cookware sets out there, this line offers just about every performance plus and ease of use you could ever want.

Pros

  • Beautiful

  • Distributes heat evenly

  • Very durable—heat resistant up to 1050°F

Cons

  • Very expensive

  • Requires polishing

Buy now at Williams Sonoma

$1,799.95 from Amazon

Other Cookware Sets We Tested

Product image of Caraway Stainless Steel Cookware Set
Caraway Stainless Steel Cookware Set
  • Included in the Set: 10.5 in. frying pan, 3 quart sauce pan with lid, 4.5 quart sauté pan with lid, 6.5 quart Dutch oven with lid (also fits frying pan), magnetic storage rack, and lid holder with hooks
  • Material: Stainless Steel with 3 inner layers of aluminum

Sleekly designed and corrosion resistant to last a lifetime, the Caraway 4-piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set is not only elegant, but also crafted to hold heat more efficiently and evenly.

The full set includes four pans, three lids, a lid holder with hooks for the inside of your cabinet, plus magnetic pan racks to keep each piece safely stored.

Each Caraway piece excelled across the board with our testing procedures, searing chicken thighs wonderfully and releasing a thick-cut steak with beautiful color. A batch of rice resulted in the best texture, thanks to each sturdy pan lid featuring a small hole for steam to escape.

While other cookware sets are tri-ply, Caraway boasts a five-layer combination of two stainless steel outer layers and three inner aluminum layers, which results in heavier handling. If you’re holding the Dutch oven with the lid on, that alone is a solid 6.2 pounds.

Despite its hefty handling nature, we appreciate Caraway’s sturdiness and sleek handles, which all feature a small bump on their undersides to indicate when the pan handles are getting too hot to handle.

While the pan handles seemed to only get slightly warm, we suggest using caution for the lid handling when cooking things like rice or pasta, as those did get very hot during the cooking process.

Overall, Caraway boasts a solid design, but it comes at a higher price point for such a small number of included pots and pans.

Pros

  • Comfortable handles

  • Durable

  • Distributes heat evenly

Cons

  • Handles get hot

  • Handwashing recommended

  • A smaller sauce pot would be ideal

Buy now at Caraway
Product image of All-Clad BD005710-R D5 Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set
All-Clad BD005710-R D5 Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set
  • Included in the Set: 1.5- and 3-quart saucepans, 8-quart stockpot, 3-quart sauté pan, and an 8- and 10-inch skillets
  • Material: Five-ply: Stainless steel and aluminum

All-Clad is well known for making top-of-the-line (and expensive) cookware. This 10-piece All-Clad stainless-steel set is no exception. While there’s no denying these pots and pans’ heat distribution and superior performance, there were a few things that caused them to fall down in the ranks.

First, the very hefty price tag is hard to swallow, especially considering that the heavy material makes it harder to flip vegetables or pour out the contents with ease. The straight, stainless-steel handle design doesn’t help in that regard, throwing off the balance and causing you to really feel the weight of each pan.

That being said, if you’re willing to dish out the coin (or have a wedding registry in your future), these pots and pans will last a lifetime.

Pros

  • Superior heat distribution

  • Long-lasting

Cons

  • Hefty price tag

  • Too heavy

  • Straight-handle design

Buy now at Amazon

$729.00 from Walmart
Product image of All-Clad D5 5-Ply Brushed Stainless Steel Cookware Set
All-Clad D5 5-Ply Brushed Stainless Steel Cookware Set
  • Included in the Set: 1.5- and 3-quart saucepans, 8-quart stockpot, 3-quart sauté pan, and an 8- and 10-inch frying fan
  • Material: Five-ply: Stainless steel and aluminum

If you’re looking for a top-rated cookware set that’ll sustain years of use, then check out the All-Clad D5 5-Ply Brushed Stainless Steel Set. It’s resistant to warps and heat up to 600 degrees in the oven. Plus, it's made for evening heating on any type of cooktop, such as induction. What’s more, this set comes with heat-resistant rims, flared rims for drip-free pouring, and 5-ply bonded layers of stainless steel.

Pros

  • Induction-top friendly

  • Aggressive heat resistance

  • Durable

Cons

  • Expensive

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Tramontina 80116/249DS Tri-Ply 12-Piece Cookware Set
Tramontina 80116/249DS Tri-Ply 12-Piece Cookware Set
  • Included in the Set: 3- and 5-quart sauce pots, 5- and 12-quart stockpots, 5-quart sauté pan, and 10- and 12-inch skillets.
  • Material: Tri-ply: Stainless steel, aluminum core, magnetic stainless steel

If you regularly make large amounts of soup or stock, you may want to consider the Tramontina 12-piece, tri-ply set. It comes with a 12-quart stockpot—that’s overkill for boiling pasta or blanching vegetables, but perfect for larger batch recipes. The handles are comfortable, and the triple-ply construction provides even heating, from browning chicken to making the perfect sauce.

You’ll get some larger pots and pans with this set for a great price (if you’re looking for small 1-quart saucepans, this isn’t the one for you). The roomier pans are nice, giving you more space to cook larger quantities while still fitting on a standard range top.

Pros

  • Even heating

  • Large enough

  • Roomier pans

Cons

  • Lacks smaller pans

Buy now at Amazon

$299.95 from Walmart
Product image of Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set
Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set
  • Included in the Set: 8 and 10 in. Skillets, 1.5 Qt, 2.5 Qt. & 3 Qt. saucepan with glass lids, 6 Qt. Stock Pot with glass lid.
  • Material: Stainless Steel with Aluminum Core

Calphalon is a well-known brand for its affordability and lifetime warranty, with the Classic line of stainless steel cookware being competitively priced, yet not as durable or long lasting as its competition.

This set offers innovative perks like pouring spouts, measuring marks, and vented straining covers on the tempered glass lids. But during the recipe testing process, there were a few downsides.

The stock pot lid and handles became too hot to handle while cooking pasta, and we encountered the same issue with the 2.5-quart saucepan when cooking a batch of rice. We also found that the saucepan full of rice took longer to cook than our recipe called for, and even with some extra time, textural results were uneven.

When searing skin-on chicken thighs in the 3-quart saucepan, achieving the right color without burning the chicken took longer than expected, and the stuck-on bits seemed more challenging to release from the pan when creating a reduction sauce. However, if the pans are properly preheated for cooking proteins, the results of pan-searing a steak resulted in a nice even char and color without burning.

Similar to its stainless steel competitors, we appreciate that the Calphalon Classic line is induction-safe and dishwasher-friendly, but these pans are not safe for the broiler and also appeared to stain easily—after both hand-washing and running them through the dishwasher.

Pros

  • Pouring spouts and measuring marks in pots

  • Dishwasher safe

  • Lightweight

Cons

  • Handles get hot

  • Not broiler safe

  • Doesn’t heat evenly

Buy now at Calphalon

$199.99 from Amazon

$199.99 from Best Buy

$248.18 from Walmart

Choosing the Perfect Cookware Set

Several stainless steel pots and pans laid out on a cooktop and countertop
Credit: Reviewed / Timothy Renzi

There's a lot to consider before investing in your go-to stainless-steel cookware set.

Size and weight

When purchasing a set of pots and pans, consider the amount of space you have in your cabinet and the size of your cooktop. You won’t want a pan that exceeds the size of your biggest cooktop, nor one that’s too small and therefore may heat up the handle.

In addition, trying to store large pots and pans can be a hassle if you lack the storage space. It can also cause you to scratch other pots and pans if you’re storing a bunch on top of one another. And since you’ll most likely be lifting pots and pans to serve meals, drain water, and perform other cooking needs, you want to make sure you buy a set that’s a comfortable weight for your lifting abilities.

Heat resistance

Some cookware sets can sustain high oven temperatures while others have a handle that gets hot easily. Check the heat resistance on each set to ensure it aligns with your cooking needs. If you’re looking for a set to not only sauté vegetables and boil water with, but also broil some steak, then a set that can handle going in the oven is a must.

Cleanliness

When it comes to sustained cleanliness, a cookware set that doesn’t stain easily comes into play. This has a lot to do with how you take care of your pots and pans and the type of stainless steel material your set is made of.

You can keep your cookware set clean with a cleanser such as the highly rated Bar Keepers Friend Powder Cleanser. This versatile cleaner has over 17,000 reviews and a solid 4.7 stars.

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Meet the testers

Lindsay D. Mattison

Lindsay D. Mattison

Professional Chef

@linzdmattison

Lindsay is a professional chef, recipe developer, writer, and developmental editor. After years of working in restaurant kitchens, she turned to writing to share her passion for local, organic, and seasonal ingredients with home cooks and food enthusiasts.

See all of Lindsay D. Mattison's reviews
Jillian Pfleger

Jillian Pfleger

Contributor

Jill is a freelance food writer and avid home cook based in coastal New Jersey. She earned her Masters in Gastronomy from Boston University, and has had work featured in The Boston Globe, GBH Craving Boston, and her personal blog, Recipes By Jill.

See all of Jillian Pfleger's reviews

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