Best Cookware Sets of 2022

The glass lid allows you to easily monitor your food without lifting the lid. The 3-quart saucepan is made of aluminum and features a nonstick interior. A wok can actually be one of the most versatile pieces of cookware in your kitchen, and so a dishwasher-safe version? This cuisinart knife nonstick GreenPan wok is 11 inches in size, and is oven and broiler safe up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, which even ups the versatility of this pick. Sure, it’s a little pricey at $50, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how often you’ll be grabbing it from your cabinet.

If you love nonstick pans, but don’t like having to be careful with their coating, you’ll enjoy the extra durable finish on this set from Ninja. Made from hard-anodized aluminum, these pieces promise to never chip, flake, or stick and also hold up to metal utensils and aggressive scrubbing. In this set, you get 8-inch and 10.25-inch frying pans, a 2.5-quart saucepan, 3-quart sauté pan, and a 6.5-quart stockpot, plus glass lids. All of the pieces are oven safe up to 500 degrees and can be used on any stovetop. The nonstick cookware is made of aluminum and features a nonstick coating.

After years of cooking on PTFE nonstick, I didn’t expect much of a difference with ceramic—and I was quickly proven wrong. When I made a fried egg, tipping the pan ever so slightly, it slid out so fast that I nearly missed my target plate. When I didn’t quite get the simmer temperature right on my rice test using the saucepan, I expected a sticky disaster. Instead, every single grain came out without any coaxing, and the pan ultimately forgave my mistake even better than a PTFE nonstick would. I struggled to get a nice fond during the marinara test since nothing could stick to scrape off, and the burgers didn’t crisp up or caramelize the way I was hoping they would.

Cookware Sets

The AGA cooker was originally created by a by the Nobel Prize-winning Swedish physicist, Gustaf Dalen and it was made with energy-efficiency in mind. Glass hobs and ceramic hobs are, in most cases, made of the same material. It is basically a hybrid between glass and ceramics that combines the best features of both materials.

Valid within the 48 contiguous U.S. and APO/FPO addresses only. Offer subject to adjustment due to returns, cancellations and exchanges. Professionally styled, polished stainless steel construction looks great and is extremely durable. Click to add 1qt Stainless Steel Saucepan With Lid to your favorites. Click to add 2qt Stainless Steel Saucepan With Lid to your favorites.

The eggs and rice both came out of the pan easily without leaving any residue behind. This nonstick material allowed for a quick cleanup, and felt “durable, like it would be harder to scratch,” notes our tester. Cook up weeknight faves and family-sized weekend feasts with this essential collection of saucepans, skillets and a Dutch oven constructed from fas… Nonstick is best for easy cleanup and lower temperature settings. Ceramic usually has a higher price point than nonstick, but their performance is relatively equal. Each saucepan and the Dutch oven have pouring spouts with strainer lids, and the finish on the exterior looks great on any cooktop surface.

Though the frying pans require oil to make a fried egg without sticking, the resulting egg was delightfully even and beautifully cooked. Unlike other on the market, this one comes with four magnetic pan racks and a canvas lid holder that can be attached to the inside of your cabinets for convenient storage. They are oven- and dishwasher-safe, although hand washing is recommended to keep them looking their best . Budget cookware sets that are dishwasher safe offer easy, no-fuss clean-up. We all shop online, but if you can, handle the cookware at a retailer. If it’s heavy, think how much heavier it will feel when it’s full of food.

Halogen hobs also come with glass or ceramic cooking surfaces, but the heating technology is different. This technology allows the cooking surface to heat up almost instantly. The cast iron heats up easily from a small heat source and remains hot which allows for energy-efficient cooking. AGA hotplates usually have an electric element inside that heats the surface. Cast iron has been traditionally used to make cookware for centuries in many cultures. It is also able to withstand extremely high temperatures and it retains heat really well.

Quality cookware is at the heart of any serious cook’s kitchen. You need a variety of pots, pans, and casseroles, maybe even a few specialty items. Will a $500 set of cookware make your meals twice as tasty as a $250 set? Cladding refers to the layers of metal fused together to create the cookware.

There is also a carbon steel option which is like a cast iron pan, holding up to high heat, but needs to be seasoned in the same way so the upkeep can be more than the other options. Our testers loved how easy to clean this set was, noting that “food rinses right off.” Their nonstick coating performed well in our cook tests, too, and showed no sticking and easy movement. One thing to keep in mind is that the manufacturer recommends letting the cookware cool completely before cleaning. With an aluminum core and a copper ceramic coating, this Farberware Glide CopperSlide Ceramic Nonstick 12 Piece Cookware Set is the height of modern nonstick. It even comes with a slotted turner, slotted spoon, and a pasta fork as part of the set — all nonstick safe, of course.