Your Kitchen With Kitchen-Aid

Which Cookware Set is Best?

Can you give me your opinion of which cookware set is best and why?

Here is what consumer reports recommends:

Quality cookware isn’t about price or celebrity-chef endorsements. Our tests found good performers at all price levels for both nonstick and uncoated cookware. Indeed the best performer overall was a $150, 14-piece set from Costco. We think most everyday cooks will do well with a set of nonstick cookware that includes the basic saucepans and skillets and a stockpot. If you want to whip the potatoes in the pot you’ve cooked them in, make a smooth roux or delicate sauce, or deglaze carmelized bits in a frying pan to add flavor to meat, you can supplement the nonstick set with a couple of pieces of uncoated cookware.

The Ratings rank models by overall performance. Quick Picks takes other factors into account, including value and versatility.

Quick Picks

Best value in a nonstick set:
Kirkland Signature (Costco) $150,
CR Best Buy
A generous set with 14 pieces of anodized aluminum. Cooking was very even, and the nonstick surface was very durable. Safe, sturdy, comfortable handles. Easy to clean (though dirt does collect around handle rivets, which is typical). But not dishwasher safe. Not available as open stock.

Best value in an uncoated set:
Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club) $130
This 11-piece stainless-steel over aluminum set includes a small-diameter frying pan and a steamer. Mirrorlike finish makes the set look more expensive than it is. Cooking was very even. The handles are safe and comfortable, but they could be sturdier. Dishwasher safe. Cleaning fairly easy for an uncoated set. Not available as open stock.

If you want a bit of both in one set:
Calphalon $150
The eight pieces of stainless steel over aluminum include uncoated saucepans and large and small nonstick frying pans with glass lids. Set scored excellent for evenness of heating, and the coating performed reasonably well in our test of nonstick durability. Handles could be sturdier, but they are safe and comfortable. Cleaning the uncoated pieces requires some elbow grease, but all components except the frying pans are dishwasher safe. Some cooks may want to add an uncoated skillet to round out the set. If you’re the absent-minded type, note that this was one of the sets that oozed molten metal in our empty pot/hot burner test (see Avoid cooking accidents).

If your cooktop is an induction model:
KitchenAid $150
The 10-piece set of uncoated stainless steel over aluminum will work on an induction cooktop and can go in the dishwasher afterward. Silicone rubber handles are ovenproof and comfortable, but they could be sturdier. Typically, handle rivets collect dirt.

Best value if your budget is tight:
Bialetti $50
This inexpensive nine-piece nonstick set cooked very evenly. The handles aren’t particularly strong, but they’re comfortable to hold and stayed fairly cool during cooking. This was also the lightest cookware set we tested, despite its glass lids.

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