9 of the Very Best Cookware Sets

Material: Mixed | Number of pieces: 13 | Types: Nonstick frying pan, stainless-clad frying pan (both 10”); 12” carbon-steel frying pan, 12” blue carbon-steel wok (both 12”); 2 qt. saucepan, 4 qt. saucepan, 3.5 qt. sauté pan, 8 qt. stock pot (all stainless-clad with lids); blue carbon-steel roasting pan with rack; 2 oz. can carbon steel seasoning wax

This is the largest, most comprehensive set on this list, and it comes recommended by culinary producer Kiano Moju. As with Made In’s knife set, she first bought it when she was stocking her creative studio in Los Angeles, a kitchen she needed to outfit from scratch. “They have been used and abused since 2019 and I’ve never had to replace them,” she says. “They’re properly made. They literally still look brand-new. Especially the fact that the nonstick is still in good shape is shocking to me. I cook on pretty fast and high heat and have destroyed some other pans in like a month.” Charlie Pennes, founder of White Bark Workwear, says he uses his “for everything all the time,” and it similarly “doesn’t even have a scratch on it.”

Made In’s set even got Moju to cook on stainless steel, something she hadn’t done so much before as she perceived it as “chef-y.” “I’m really a home cook,” she says. “I bought the set because of the price — it’s discounted — but then I learned how to use them, and they’re so well-built.” Strategist editor Maxine Builder, who tested an older version of the set, agrees, adding that “since the cookware is made of brushed stainless steel rather than polished, it was easy to clean and keep clean.” For my part, I own the stainless-steel stock pot in the same eight-quart size that comes in the bundle (you can also find it in six and 12 if you buy it separately). I find that it’s perfect, big enough to handle a generous portion of stock and more than a pound of pasta if I’m cooking for a crowd, but not so big that it feels cumbersome or hard to store. The construction is super-solid and the handles comfortable.

The Sous Chef also recently expanded to include a 12-inch carbon-steel frying pan and wok, plus a roasting pan with a fitted rack in the same material (sort of like a lighter cousin to cast iron). Cookbook author Lesley Téllez owns all these pieces and calls them really sturdy. “Your pans get blazing hot, and it cooks super evenly,” she says. “You get the same high-heat conduction as you would with cast iron, but because it’s not as thick, you have more control.”

One note: You can also purchase this set with ten pieces (without any of the carbon steel), as well as six pieces (without the carbon steel and with fewer stainless-steel pans).

Material: Nonstick | Number of pieces: Two | Types: 9.5” fry pan, 11” fry pan

If you don’t need nonstick pots or saucepans, but are in the market for multiple nonstick skillets, we still think you should stick with Zwilling. In fact, it’s smart to buy a skillet set — different sizes come in handy for different purposes, and you’ll get two for $30 less than you would if you bought them separately. In this case, the 9.5-inch is perfect for feeding two to four people, but “you can also scramble eggs for one in it without it feeling ridiculously oversized and spare,” says recipe developer and cookbook author Molly Baz. The 11-inch can accommodate even more for when you’re cooking for a crowd or making something big-batch. Firkser and Baraghani are both just as big fans as Baz, noting the comfortable handle and the fact that you can put the pans in the oven and dishwasher without ruining their nonstick properties.

Material: Cast iron | Number of pieces: Five | Types: 10.5” round griddle, 8” skillet, 10.25” skillet, 5 qt. Dutch oven, one interchangeable lid

If you want to go hard for cast iron, this set by Lodge is a real deal. For only $100, you get two different-size skillets, a griddle, and a Dutch oven. As I explained when I named Lodge’s skillet the best overall in this piece, cast iron can pretty much do it all: get really hot and retain that heat, go from the stove to the oven, and hold a nonstick surface if seasoned properly. You can sear, sauté, braise, fry, and bake with it — and having two sizes of skillet, plus the Dutch oven (good for things with more volume, like soups, stews, and pastas) and the griddle (nothing better for making pancakes, eggs, and bacon), just takes it over the top.

Material: Stainless steel | Number of pieces: Five | Types: 8” fry pan, 10” fry pan, 2 qt. saucepan with lid, 3 qt. saucepan with lid, 8 qt. stock pot with lid

If you’re looking to invest in new stainless steel, All-Clad is as classic as it gets. Joy Wilson, the creator of Joy the Baker, has owned this set for over six years. While she acknowledges the high price point, she says she trusts the brand’s “great reputation” for making cookware that lasts a long time and uses at least one of the pieces in this well-rounded set every day. The skillets “give food great color and even caramelization and still deglaze perfectly, without any gunk sticking to the bottom,” she says.

Both Wilson and Matt Rodbard, a food writer, editor, and cookbook author, note that All-Clad cleans up well (Rodbard uses Bar Keepers Friend). He turns to his skillet all the time (and even commonly gifts it to people). “It’s my workhorse,” he says. “You get such an even temperature. Plus, I think that having a piece of iconic culinary gear in your house feels great. The handle is iconic. If you look through most cookbooks in the last 20 years, you’ll spot the handle.” Jamie Knott, chef of Saddle River Inn in New Jersey, told us that he uses his three-quart saucepan because “it has a heavy bottom, heats evenly, and lasts forever.” As with the GreenPan nonstick, All-Clad also offers a bigger set with more pieces if that’s what you’re after.