5 Best Stainless Steel Cookware Sets, According to Expert Testing

This cookware set excelled in our tests. The pots and pans are infused with titanium, which makes them strong and practically nonstick, which can be one of the biggest pain points of stainless steel cookware, especially when it comes to cleaning. In our Lab tests, they barely required any elbow grease, and, in our home tests, testers found that soaking them for a bit makes them even easier to clean. Plus, they have flush rivets so food has even fewer areas to get stuck in. Their color deepens over time but can be brought back to like-new condition with the included Hestan cleaner.

The 11-inch fry pan is our go-to for almost every meal. (We've been using it at home almost daily for the past three years and then some!) In our tests, it heated evenly and browned steak nicely on both sides with little staining. Like the rest of the pans, it's sturdy with a long handle and finger grip on the underside that helps balance the pan well. Plus, it has a wide surface area and shallow edges that make it great for sauteing. The other pieces in the set are useful as well with two saucepans that retain heat well. They cleaned up with a quick wash after our sauce scorching test. All pieces are oven-safe up to 1050ºF. While the Hestan Nanobond 10-Piece Cookware set may seem pricy at first glance, it's priced competitively with other high-end cookware.

Goldilocks products are sold direct-to-consumer, so by eliminating the outside retailer they can sell top-quality cookware at a fraction of the price of many other pots and pans on the market. The tri-ply (one layer of aluminum inside two layers of stainless steel) pots heated super evenly in our tests, and the skillet was able to sear a steak evenly from edge to edge.

This set includes all the essentials for a first-time cook or small kitchen, including two different-sized saucepans. The fry pan has taller, more sloped edges than most fry pans, which makes it good for pan sauces, sautés and searing juicy proteins, especially if you finish it in the oven. These pieces are all oven-safe up to 600ºF. To step it up, check out the brand's Essentials Bundle which contains knives, various cooking tools and more — it costs less than $300 for 22 pieces.

All-Clad's D5 line features five alternating layers of stainless steel (for top-notch durability) and aluminum (for even heating). They're top-quality with tight-fitting lids and strong, angled handles that stay cool. Their 18/10 stainless steel interior helps with sticking, and the exterior is brushed, which helps prevent fingerprints.

All-Clad's pots and pans have excelled in previous Kitchen Lab tests, with saucepans that boiled water the quickest and fry pans that offered quick, even heating. We particularly appreciate the straight-edged design of the saucepans that make boiling an egg even easier since you need less water to cover it than wider saucepans. The handles on the lids are wider than most, too, so they're easier to grab. The stock pot is also a tad shorter and wider than others for a quicker boil and easier cleaning.

Made In's solid pots and pans have a restaurant-kitchen feel to them. They're five-ply, meaning they're made with five layers of stainless steel and aluminum, so they heat evenly and are super durable. They're sturdy with a long, ergonomic handle designed for easy handling and moving around the stovetop. Plus, they're oven-safe up to 800ºF (except for the nonstick skillet which shouldn't get hotter than 500ºF). This smaller set comes with four cookware essentials: A 10-inch skillet, a 10-inch nonstick skillet, a 2-quart saucepan with a lid and a 5-quart stock pot with a lid. Made In also sells a 10-piece set with more frying pans and a 13-piece set with a wok and roasting pan.

In our tests, both skillets heated evenly and produced nicely browned steak, though the stainless steel skillet was hard to clean. Eggs slid off the nonstick pan with no added oil. Water also boiled quickly compared to other saucepans.

This set is both stylish and functional. It includes a small ceramic-coated skillet, a fry pan with tall walls that can also be used for braising, a wide saucepan, a large stockpot and an oval-shaped dutch oven, which comes in an assortment of bold colors. Thoughtful design elements like measurement markings inside the saucepan help this set stand out.

In our tests, the fry pan was able to sear steak well — though it was a little hard to clean — and water came to a boil quickly in the saucepan. The handles were also surprisingly comfortable to hold, and they stayed cool during cooking. This set is perfect for home cooks looking to do it all — and the price is hard to beat!