The Best Cookware Sets of 2023

• Included in the set: 8-quart stock pot with lid, 4-quart saute pan with lid, 4-quart saucepan with lid, 10-inch frying pan
• Material: Nonstick interior, stainless steel exterior

Made In cookware provides restaurant-quality cookware through a direct-to-consumer model that's designed to be more accessible to the average consumer. During testing, we could confirm that these pots and pans made us feel like pros.

The durable, ultra-slick interior easily released everything from eggs to sausages with minimal effort. And thanks to the 5-ply construction and stainless clad core, these pieces retain heat better than most nonstick cookware we’ve tested. They also sear exceptionally well for nonstick pans.

Unfortunately, that multi-layer construction that makes for efficient heating also results in a heavy build. We struggled to flip veggies and eggs in the frying pan due to its weight. And the narrow handles also forced us into a bit of a learning curve. But the more we used these pots and pans, the easier we found ourselves handling them.

• 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

Hestan ProBond is great-looking and high-performing cookware, competitively priced with stainless steel cookware sets from All-Clad. While not as exceptionally durable as the NanoBond line, these pieces are similarly well-constructed. The set offers even heating, flush rivets, and a good weight.

The 10-piece set offers a solid assortment of basics at a better price than buying individual pieces. You can supplement your set with ProBond nonstick skillets, but you’ll have to look to another brand for a Dutch oven.

• Included in the set: 8- and 10-inch frying pans, 2- and 4-quart saucepans with lids, 3-quart saucier with lid, and 8-quart stock pot with lid
• Material: 5-ply stainless clad

There's a lot to love about this gorgeous stainless steel cookware set. Made In's signature stainless clad material is made of five layers of materials: Aluminum alloy in the center, surrounded by two layers of pure aluminum, with a layer of pure stainless steel on the interior and high-grade ferritic steel on the exterior (for corrosion resistance).

This unique design makes for impressive cookware that heats quickly and evenly. Every test we threw at it—from boiling water to shallow frying to searing chicken thighs—impressed us. We were wowed by the even heat retention and stay-cool handles. And the provided lids do a fantastic job of keeping heat and moisture locked in.

But similar to its nonstick counterparts, these pots and pans are heavy. Don't expect to easily toss veggies and stir-frys with the flick of your wrist—at least not without a learning curve.

• Included in the set: 1- and 2-quart saucepans with lids, 5-quart stockpot with lid, 5-quart sauté pan with lid, 8- and 9-inch skillets, spatula, slotted spoon
• Material: Aluminum, titanium-reinforced nonstick cooking surface

For a great, inexpensive nonstick set, look no further than the T-Fal C561SC Titanium Advanced Nonstick 12-Piece Cookware Set. Like most nonstick cookware, it’s easier to clean than regular pans, especially after frying.

While pans with nonstick coatings will rarely rival stainless steel for searing meat, this set performed admirably. It cooked eggs perfectly without requiring any extra oil, and the saucepots simmered sauces and cooked rice without scorching. To top it all off, the stockpot boiled water faster than any others in our test group, the pans heated quickly and evenly, and the comfortable, padded handles stayed cool.

This nonstick set covers all the bases and includes some extras.

• Included in the set: 1.5- and 3-quart saucepots with lids, 8.5-quart stockpot with lid, 3-quart sauté pan with lid, 8.5-skillet, 12-inch skillet with lid

• Material: Hard-anodized aluminum

At first glance, the Anolon Advanced Home 11-Piece Cookware Set doesn’t seem very different from the Anolon Advanced set. But its performance blew its predecessor out of the water.

This upgraded version has an enhanced nonstick finish that performed much better on our tests. The eggs flipped with ease, and the rice simmered perfectly without browning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. We also loved the soft, ergonomic handles, and were thrilled when they didn’t get hot after extended use.

On the flip side, the pans didn’t heat as evenly as multi-clad stainless steel, and they couldn’t produce a hard sear on the chicken thighs, either. Still, if you want a nonstick pan set, this one won’t disappoint.

• Included in the set: 10.5-inch frying pan, 3-quart saucepan with lid, 4.5-quart sauté pan with lid, 6.5-inch Dutch oven with lid, storage rack, lid holder
• Material: Ceramic nonstick

If the aesthetic of the Caraway Cookware Set doesn’t make you want to buy it, the attention to detail may convince you. The set comes with four pans, three lids, and two specially-designed storage pieces. The modular racks house the pans on their side so they’ll easily fit inside a cabinet. And the genius canvas lid holder can hang on the inside of the door.

The pans’ performance absolutely met our expectations. The lid features a small hole to allow steam to escape, producing some of the better rice in the group. It also passed our nonstick tests, allowing eggs to slide around without any cooking oil.

That said, the set lost some points because it doesn’t contain a full array of pots and pans, despite the high price tag. And we have noticed consumer reports of serious damage and wear-and-tear after months of usage.

• Included in the set: 1.5- and 3-quart saucepots with lids, 8-quart stockpot with lid, 3-quart sauté pan lid, 8- and 10-inch skillets
• Material: Stainless steel

All-Clad is well known for top-of-the-line (and expensive) cookware. The All-Clad BD005710-R D5 Brushed 18/10 Stainless Steel 5-Ply Bonded 10-Piece Cookware Set is no exception. These 5-ply, bonded stainless-steel pans offer undeniably superior heat distribution and performance, but a few shortcomings pushed them down in the ranks.

First, the very hefty price tag is hard to swallow, especially since 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 either, throwing off the balance and making you really feel the weight of each pan.

That said, if you’re willing to shell out the money (or have a wedding registry in your near future), this stainless steel set will last a lifetime.

• Included in the set: 3- and 5-quart saucepots with lids, 5- and 12-quart stockpots with lids, large 5-quart sauté pan with lid, 10- and 12-inch skillets
• Material: Stainless steel

If you regularly make large amounts of soup or stock, you may want to consider the Tramontina 12-Piece Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Clad Cookware Set. It’s the only set that came with a 12-quart stockpot. That's overkill for boiling pasta or blanching vegetables, but perfect for larger batch recipes.

The wide handles were comfortable to hold, and the tri-ply construction provided even heating, from browning chicken breasts to cooking sauces without scorching.

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

• Included in the set: 1-quart pouring saucepot, 2- and 3-quart saucepots with lids, 8-quart stockpot with lid, 3-quart sauté pan with lid, 8.5- and 10-inch skillets
• Material: Hard-anodized aluminum

Each pan in the Circulon Symmetry Black 11-Piece Cookware Set has raised, concentric circles on the nonstick surface. However these ridges came to be a Circulon signature trait, they definitely work to keep food from sticking to the pan.

In addition to acing the nonstick tests, the Circulon pans performed well overall, except that the tall-and-skinny stockpot design took the longest in the group to boil water. Overall, these were some of the more comfortable pans we used, with well-thought-out, padded handles and nicely balanced weight.

• Included in the set: 8.5-inch nonstick frying pan, 10.25-inch deep sauté pan, 3-quart saucepan with lid, 8-quart stockpot with lid, 6.75-quart Dutch oven with lid available in several colors
• Material: Stainless steel, stainless steel with ceramic nonstick cooking surface, enameled cast-iron

From a performance perspective, we really liked the pans included in the Great Jones Family Style Set. The small nonstick pan is one of our favorites, and we loved the way the saucepan had measurements etched into the side for ease of measuring. The handles are welded to the pans, too, making cleanup so much easier than scrubbing around traditional rivets.

The pans passed our tests with flying colors, but the set itself doesn’t contain all the items we consider essential. For example, we’d really like to see a small saucepot and a 12-inch skillet in the mix. And while we liked how the sauté pan and stockpot share a lid to save storage space, we wondered what we’d do if we wanted to cook with both pans covered at once.

The price seems high for a set that’s missing so many pieces. That said, it does include a Dutch once, which is a big selling point.