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 varieties, 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. These are our top picks for the best stainless-steel pots-and-pans sets you can get online right now.
If this is your first set of cookware or if price is your priority, then this Cuisinart Chef’s Classic set of stainless-steel cookware is a solid pick. According to reviewers, the performance is good for the price—they also find that it’s beginner friendly. This 7-piece set includes measurement markings for ease of use, a handle to keep your hand protected from hot spots, and a flavor lock lid. It’s also easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.
The one downside is that this set seems to stain easily. If you’re looking to keep your cookware fresh for the long run, then investing in a more expensive starter set may be your best bet.
Beginner friendly
Great for the price
Affordable
Stain easily
The Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad is a 10-Piece stainless steel cookware set. It’s a solid, budget-friendly option that’s made to support all of your cooking needs. It works with all cooktop types, including induction. It also comes with a stainless-steel handle and glass lids to keep your pots and pans covered.
Induction-top friendly
Great for the price
Affordable
None that we could find
Our testers have put various GreenPan products through the paces in the past, and they’re a joy to use, making cooking both pleasurable and mess-free.
Their signature nonstick coating is top of the line, so you won’t have to worry about scraping them clean after frying up some eggs. On the other hand, they’re also safe for the dishwasher as well as metal utensils, so you don’t have to worry about scratching your new high-quality cookware—all you have to think about is the hot dish you’re preparing.
They work well with gas, electric, and induction cooktops, and they’re oven safe for high heat—up to 600°F. If you’re shopping for the best stainless steel cookware sets and want something that’s made to last, these nonstick frying pans, saucepans, and more ought to satisfy you for many years to come.
Ceramic nonstick coating
Heavy-duty feel
Even heating
None that we could find
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.
Great value
Easy to use
Sears meat perfectly
Nothing we could find
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.
Beautiful
Distributes heat evenly
Very durable—heat resistant up to 1050°F
Very expensive
Requires polishing
Hestan ProBond is great-looking and high-performing cookware, competitively priced with stainless-steel sets from All-Clad. While not as exceptionally durable as Hestan’s NanoBond line, the ProBond pieces are similarly well constructed, with even heating, flush rivets, and a good weight.
The 10-piece set has a good assortment of basics that definitely make for a better buy than collecting individual pieces. You have the option of supplementing your set with ProBond nonstick skillets, but will have to look to another brand for a Dutch oven.
Heats evenly and sears well
Handle stays cool
Oven safe to 600°F
Induction and Dishwasher safe
Only moderate at keeping a steady simmer
Difficult to clean
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.
Superior heat distribution
Long-lasting
Hefty price tag
Too heavy
Straight-handle design
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.
Induction-top friendly
Aggressive heat resistance
Durable
Expensive
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.
Even heating
Large enough
Roomier pans
Lacks smaller pans
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.
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.
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.
If you have any questions on stainless steel cookware wholesale distributors. We will give the professional answers to your questions.