Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
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This hard-anodized nonstick cookware set contains everything you need to cook a fantastic meal. Read More
During tests, this set cooked eggs perfectly with no extra oil and simmered sauces and cooked rice without scorching. Read More
This hybrid cookware set exceeded our expectations by balancing the benefits of stainless steel cookware with the ease of use of nonstick. Read More
These ceramic pans are a little on the heavy side, but we think they’re worth it for their superior nonstick abilities. Read More
The Anolon Advanced Home has an improved nonstick finish, and we love that the soft, ergonomic handles don’t get hot—even after extended use. Read More
Nonstick cookware can bring a lot of joy to your culinary life. Foods that can stick relentlessly onto stainless steel slide effortlessly out of these nonstick pots and pans without the use of excess cooking oil or butter. The nonstick coating is not only attractive to health-conscious cooks but to anyone who wants easy-to-clean cookware.
Some cooking surfaces, like cast iron pans, develop nonstick properties after a seasoning process, but building up the seasoning layer takes time and a lot of maintenance.
That’s why we love the nonstick cookware sets in this guide. We’ve tested dozens of pots and pans for their cooking performance, durability, and ease of use. We looked for sets that provided a good value for the price and whose individual pieces performed well.
After extensive testing, the best nonstick cookware set is the All-Clad HA1 Hard-Anodized Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set (available at Amazon for $498.99) . Our favorite hybrid set is the HexClad Hybrid Cookware Chef's Package (available at HexClad) for its nonstick coating and stainless steel cooking performance.
The T-Fal C561SC Titanium Advanced Nonstick 12-Piece Cookware Set (available at Amazon), remains our Best Value pick thanks to its excellent performance at a low price.
Our favorite nonstick cookware is the All-Clad HA1 Hard-Anodized Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set.
The T-fal C561SC set combines great performance, it's easy to clean, and is available at a low price, making it our choice for best value nonstick cookware set.
HexClad was the best cookware set we tested, providing a hybrid cooking surface that combines stainless steel with the ease-of-use of nonstick.
Great nonstick properties
Offers a variety of pots and pans
Easy to clean
Heavy
Doesn't heat evenly
Food doesn’t stick
Easy to clean
Comfortable handles
Doesn’t heat evenly
Doesn’t sear as well as stainless
Beautiful appearance
Easy to store
Includes a Dutch oven
Doesn't offer a variety of cookware sizes
Food doesn't stick
Comfortable handles
Boils water slowly
Lightweight
Great nonstick properties
Quick to heat
Hard to clean
Difficult to stir
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
Compact to fit into small spaces
Handle design helps with balance
Heavy pans
Easy to store
Good variety of pots and pans
Great nonstick performance
Doesn't heat evenly
Difficult to clean
We cooked a complete meal using multiple pots pans to help determine each set's performance.
After researching some of the best nonstick cookware sets on the market, we cooked a multi-component meal using each set. To function for everyday life, the pots and pans sets had to be sized appropriately to cook dinner for one, but able to handle a larger dinner (like Thanksgiving). To earn our 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 nonstick pans, simmered sauces and cooked rice in the saucepots, and blanched vegetables in the stockpot. We also fried a few eggs without oil to see how well the coating worked.
Finally, we measured any noticeable hotspots 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. We also compared how easy it was to clean each pot and pan and found out whether they were dishwasher-safe.
Cookware sets try to anticipate your needs by providing 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 prioritize a selection of saucepots, or one large skillet.
In general, a good set should have at least two small saucepots, one large stockpot or Dutch oven, a small fry pan, and a larger skillet or fry pan. Anything extra is considered a bonus!
When looking at nonstick, keep in mind there are two material types: The hard-anodized aluminum pans are Teflon-free and tend to be heavier (and more durable) than the coated varieties.
What should a good nonstick pan do well? It not only has to release your food without sticking, but should also be properly balanced and weighted. If it's too heavy, it'll feel cumbersome and hard to clean. It’s also important that the heat distribution on your nonstick pan is even, otherwise there’s no chance your fried egg will look Instagram-worthy.
Most sets come with a lid for every saucepan, stockpot, and sauté pan. Sets count these lids as extra pieces to increase the count—for example, a set with five pots and pans will be called an 8-piece set to account for the three additional lids.
Try to look for stainless-steel 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, giving them a longer lifespan than the glass variety.
Many nonstick cookware sets are dishwasher safe these days, which can be an added benefit if you want to expedite the clean-up process after cooking a meal. This is an important feature to consider if you truly aren’t a fan of washing your pots and pans by hand. (Note that hand-washing will likely extend the life of your nonstick cookware).
The heat resistance of a cookware set is also an important consideration, especially if you tend to broil foods or use high temperatures frequently. You’ll probably want a set that is oven safe up to 500°F.
The chemical coating previously used in nonstick pans contained the "forever chemicals" PFOAs. These coatings, which were responsible for health concerns, aren’t used anymore. In fact, you’ll find the words “PFOA-free” on nearly every nonstick pan on the market. Today, there are two types of coating choices for nonstick pans: PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and ceramic.
PTFE (commonly known as Teflon) is a synthetic chemical with friction-resistant properties. Over time, the Teflon coating can scratch or wear off, and it will no longer retain its nonstick properties. High heat also degrades PTFE, and the chemical breaks down at high temperatures exceeding 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ceramic nonstick pans have gained popularity because of their “green” status and safety concerns of chemical coatings. When the pan is heated, the ceramic coating releases a silicon oil (different from synthetic silicone) that resists sticking. Like PTFE, the silicon layer degrades over time (especially when in contact with high heat), so the pan has a limited nonstick lifetime.
When we tested nonstick pans, we picked a few pans with PTFE and ceramic coatings to perform destructive tests designed to test the pan’s ability to hold up over time. We used steel wool and metal cutlery (which you should never use on a nonstick pan unless the manufacturer states otherwise) to get a sense of each pan’s durability.
Almost all of the pans scratched when we hacked at them with steel wool, and some did better than others when used with metal utensils. Many warped when we exposed them to thermal shock, dunking the pan in cold water after heating it on high heat. The destructive tests taught us that almost all of these pans can be damaged with little effort, so it’s important to take care when using nonstick cookware!
To avoid damaging your nonstick pots and pans, choose wooden, silicon, rubber, or nylon utensils instead of metal ones to help prevent scratching. When cooking, use low or medium heat settings instead of high heat, and it’s best to avoid using these pans in the oven (especially if they have plastic handles).
Never use stainless steel scrubbing brushes when cleaning your nonstick pans. Always use gentle detergents, and you’ll prolong the life of your pans if you avoid the dishwasher—even if they say they’re dishwasher safe.
Finally, take care when storing nonstick pans. Stacking them on top of each other can damage the coating on the edges of the pan. If stacking is your only option, place a towel or cork trivet in between the pans for protection.
Lindsay is a professional chef, recipe developer, writer, and developmental editor. After years of working in restaurant kitchens, she turned to writing to share her passion for local, organic, and seasonal ingredients with home cooks and food enthusiasts.
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