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Whether you're buying a starter set of cookware or are upgrading, this set by Cuisinart aims to please and does. It's an excellent option. Read More
During tests, this set cooked eggs perfectly with no extra oil and simmered sauces and cooked rice without scorching. Read More
The performance on this hard-anodized nonstick cookware set was top-notch, and it comes with a lot of pots and pans for the price. That said, it’s missing a few key features. Read More
We loved the value price of this inexpensive nonstick cookware set, but some of the features fell short. Read More
One of the few sets that didn’t have blazing-hot stockpot handles after boiling water. Read More
If you’re looking for a cookware set but don’t want to break the bank, you might encounter some difficulty. The average set costs nearly $400, with some clocking upwards of more than $1,000. A good set of pots and pans doesn't come cheap. The good news, however, is that you're not just buying a product: you're making an investment.
Cookware sets can last for up to a decade (depending on how much you use them). That’s why we went looking for the best budget cookware sets—like the Cuisinart TPS-10 10-Piece Cookware Set (available at Amazon for $114.34) and the T-Fal C561SC Nonstick (available at Amazon).
High prices don’t necessarily guarantee high quality, but they usually provide a durability indicator. With less expensive cookware, over time, the pots and pans often develop warped bottoms, scraped coating, loose knobs, and rickety handles. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a good inexpensive set—so we put a few less expensive cookware sets to the test to find the best value options to get you started.
Here are the best budget cookware sets we tested ranked, in order:
Heats evenly
Great value
Comes with metal lids
Doesn’t stack well for storage
Doesn’t include a large skillet
Inexpensive
Comes with bonus utensils
Heats up quickly
Handles get hot
Difficult to store
Comfortable, padded handles
Bonus of a second, larger skillet
Nonstick coating is utensil safe
Nonstick surface needs added oil
Easy to store
Good variety of pots and pans
Great nonstick performance
Doesn't heat evenly
Difficult to clean
Colors help to look more expensive
Small size isn't functional for a large dinner
Plastic handle looks cheap
Subpar cooking performance
Super lightweight
Heats up quickly
Lose heat quickly
Handles overheat
Lacks skillets
Hi, I’m Lindsay Mattison, a trained professional chef and dinner party enthusiast. I’m the type of person that uses every single pot and pan in the house when I’m cooking dinner (and, I’ll probably dirty up all the tasting spoons and mise en place bowls, too). So, I definitely understand the importance of having the right set of cookware to get the job done!
It wasn’t easy testing all these cookware sets (and my house was quite cluttered for a few weeks), but it was well worth it to help you find the best cookware set for the value.
After selecting 10 top-rated cookware sets (half stainless steel, half nonstick and at all different price points), we decided to cook a multi-component meal using each set. To function for everyday life, the pots and pans had to be sized appropriately to cook dinner for one, but we also wanted to know if you could easily cook a larger dinner (like Thanksgiving) using the set.
To earn our seal of approval, at least two saucepans, one sauté pan, and a stockpot had to fit on a standard cooktop range at the same time.
Keeping that in mind, we designed the tests to evaluate performance, ease of use, and value. We seared chicken thighs in the sauté pan, tossed vegetables in the skillets, simmered sauces and cooked rice in the saucepots, and blanched vegetables in the stockpot.
If the set came with nonstick gear, we fried a few eggs without oil to see how well the coating worked. Finally, we measured any noticeable hot spots and maybe did a little taste testing to see if one set made a tastier meal than the others. In the end, none of the sets completely failed, but we did have a few favorites.
Although I wish it weren’t true, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all pot or pan. Each cooking task requires a specific size. You wouldn’t want to boil pasta in a small, one-quart saucepot because it won’t all fit. And, it certainly wouldn’t make sense to cook up one-cup of oatmeal in a large, 8-quart pot. (For those of you who opted out of culinary math: one quart = 4 cups)
So, cookware sets try to anticipate your needs by providing a variety of small, medium, and large pots and pans. Before you jump into a set, consider your cooking style: Do you usually cook for one or for a crowd? The former means you can opt for smaller cookware. Do you cook mostly soups and sauces, or are you a fan of scrambles, stir-fries, and pasta? The answer determines whether you want a selection of saucepots or if having a large skillet is more important in your set.
In the end, it’s best to look for a set that has at least two small saucepots, one large stockpot, a small egg pan, and a larger skillet or sauté pan. Anything extra, I consider a bonus! Most sets come with a lid for every saucepan, stockpot, and sauté pan. Sets count these lids as extra pieces to increase the count, so the above set would have five pots and pans but will be called an 8-piece set.
While we’re on the topic, try to look for metal lids. Yes, that means you can’t see what’s going on inside the pot, but those glass lids always fog up anyway! The metal lids will never drop and shatter, so they’re more likely to last a long time than the glass variety.
Again, this goes back to your cooking style. 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 the nonstick varieties, which can be less scratch-resistant and generally can’t go into the dishwasher.
That said, nonstick is easy to cook on and even easier to clean. Many people find themselves attracted to nonstick pans when they start out as home cooks. It’s a low-cost investment that can be upgraded in the future. When looking at nonstick, keep in mind there are two material types: The hard anodized pans are Teflon-free and tend to be heavier (and more durable) than the coated varieties.
Lindsay D. Mattison is a professional chef, food writer, and amateur gardener. She is currently writing a cookbook that aims to teach home cooks how to write without a recipe.
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