Tramontina Gourmet 12 Piece Tri-Ply Clad cookware Set. This is the most affordable set of cookware. $530* on Walmart. $330 on Wayfair. Tramontina Gourmet 12-Piece Tramontina Premium Tri-Ply Clad Cookware are easy to use and maintain a consistent heat. The handles have a rounded and ergonomic shape that is easy to grip. We’ve long-term tested an older (now discontinued) version of this set for two years, and we’re confident that this durable cookware set will provide you with many years of use. Tramontina sells the complete set open stock. This means that you can make your own set at a similar price if you are unable to locate the set. If you aren’t sure you will use the items, you can get them all. A 2-quart saucepan with lid, 12-inch skillet and an 8-quart pot are all you need to get started. Or, you can combine and match pieces. Advertisement

$700 on Wayfair. $700 Amazon. All-Clad Stainless 10-Piece Cookware Set – This set is superior-quality and will last a lifetime. All-Clad tri-ply cookingware, according to the pros that we spoke with, is excellent for home and professional use. All-Clad pans cooked evenly and were very comfortable to hold. Even though the biggest skillet is only 10 inches rather than 12, the set can be used to outfit any kitchen. You may also like to keep your cookware shining and new looking. This set performed well in our testing.

Sets of fully clad stainless steel tri-ply sets are ideal. These have an aluminum core sandwiched with layers of stainless and running up the sides. The best choice for professionals and home chefs is fully clad triply stainless. It has even heat distribution. (Aluminum heats fast and evenly distributes heat; steel is extremely durable and retains heat beautifully). The stainless steel can also be washed in the dishwasher. Because stainless steel is not reactive to acidic substances like tomatoes or vinegar unlike aluminum, it doesn’t retain a metallic flavour. Stainless steel pans can be used over high heat, and they can also be moved from the stovetop directly to the oven. Bottom line: Good-quality stainless steel pans are buy-it-for-life items.


Tri-ply cookware is not the only option. Most high-end brands also make sets made with five layers or more of stainless steel, aluminium, and occasionally copper. With each additional layer, the pans become more expensive. The five-ply pans didn’t heat nearly as evenly or as well as the regular tri-ply ones in our testing. One exception is the Demeyere 5-Plus 10-Piece Cookware, which heats up very evenly. The pans of this set were slower to heat than the All-Clad. In addition to being more durable, five-ply cookingware takes longer to heat up and reacts when your heat is lower. Ultimately, we don’t think the extra cost of five-ply cookware is worth it.


As they can be scorching hot, sets with aluminum cores not fully covered are best avoided. However, if you’re looking for a less expensive set, cookware with tri-ply disks welded to the bottom of the pan (also called encapsulated bottoms) will distribute heat more evenly than pans made from a single piece of stainless steel. In our experience, sets with encapsulated bottoms performed better than those that had just a single layer of stainless steel, but we still wouldn’t recommend them. Fully clad tri-ply cookware is the way to go.

Glass lids are not recommended as they may break or crack easily when dropped. You can’t see past them if they’re covered in condensation. They are therefore not as effective as stainless steel lids. With just enough steam escape, pot and pan lids must fit comfortably.


We dismissed sets with plastic handles, because even those made to withstand high temperatures can deteriorate over time. Ideally, we wanted cookware that could safely withstand oven temperatures of at least 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which ruled out most plastic components. Some of our members have witnessed plastic handles cracking after being washed in dishwashers.


We looked for saucepans with stick handles, such as the Tramontina (left), and avoided saucepans that have two side handles, like the one included in the All-Clad set from Williams Sonoma (right). Photo: Michael Hession. The stick handles provide both a good grip and an angle to allow one-handed use of the saucepans. Therefore, we discarded small and medium saucepans that come with two handles. We also looked for sets that included a hole for hanging on each handle. If you have large saucepans (that are over 4 quarts), or larger stockpots, the side handles will work well.


While many sets will include a stockpot steamer basket and a pasta insert, they are often unnecessary. These pieces either take up too large space or don’t provide enough ventilation for the pasta to boil.

Tramontina Gourmet 12-Piece Full-Clad Tri-Ply Clad Cookware. This set is the best! It distributes heat evenly, and it’s durable enough for everyday use in busy households.


$430* from Walmart $330 from Wayfair Buy from Home Depot May be out of stock *At the time of publishing, the price was $330.


Tramontina Gourmet 12-Piece Tri-Ply Clad Cookware Set we like for its even heat distribution. Tramontina saucepans and stockpots made perfect brown chicken pieces. The handles of both cookware and lids are large, making them easy to grasp. Although the cookware did not discolor when heated, it was consistent with all sets in the same price range. All of the cookware in this collection is dishwasher-safe, induction-compatible, and oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.


Tramontina includes twelve pieces, including an 8″ and 10-inch pan, a 6-quart deep, lidless saute pan, 1-1/2 -, 2-, 3-quart and 3-quart saucepans as well as an eight-quart stockpot. We wish the set had a bigger 12-inch skillet. However, the 6-quart deep skillet is 11.5 inches in diameter (and approximately 3 1/4 inches thick), and can hold whole chickens. If you want to grow your set, the Tramontina 12-inch skillet can be purchased separately we recommend it as our runner-up pick in our guide to the best skillet . Alternatively, all of these pieces are sold open stock, so you can piece together your own version of this set with just the pieces that you want (If we were to do that, we’d skip the 8-inch skillet, and get a 10-inch and a 12-inch skillet instead).


The Tramontina 3 quart saucepan produced perfect caramel in our tests. However, some testers felt that they needed to stir the pan more to evenly distribute heat. The tomato sauce was not burned in the stockpot. This was not the case for the Cuisinart Classic Stockpot. The sauce had to be stirred frequently. Also, the 10-inch Tramontina skillet made perfectly golden-brown chicken breasts with extra-crispy skin.


Testers also loved the Tramontina’s weight, which was strong enough to stand up to daily cooking. Even when using a pot holder or side towel, the handles of stainless steel lids felt large enough for us to grasp onto. The stick handles are also comfortable and long, as opposed to the shorter handles of the Anolon Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 12-Piece cookware set.


This Tramontina set comes with a lifetime warranty that covers manufacturer defects. Tramontina will replace any cookware that fails to perform under regular household usage.

$700 from Wayfair. $700 Amazon. You will likely never need to buy another All-Clad Stainless 10-Piece Kit. This set was the highest-quality we tried in the same price bracket ($700 at time of testing). Pots and pans of the right weight cook foods evenly and more efficiently than top-pick sets due to better heat conduction. The cookware set is one of few that was spotless clean even after it had been oiled. We think this cookware set is more durable and lasts longer than our top pick.


All-Clad Stainless 10 Piece is a set that includes a 10 and 10-inch skillet, 2- and 3-quart saucepans (with lids), a 3-quart saute-pan and a 4-quart stockpot. Although the set doesn’t come with a 12-inch skillet, this is not a major drawback. But, you could always add that item to your collection. We also highly recommend the 12-inch All-Clad skillet, which we ranked as our best choice in our list of the top-rated skillets. This set contains all of the items that are safe for dishwasher and induction compatibility. They can also be oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.


Our testers loved the All-Clad set’s angle stick handles. They have a smooth bottom, so they fit comfortably even when held in one hand. However, many preferred the Tramontina sets thicker, more round handles. We liked the ease of picking up the lids, as opposed the small handles found on the Mauviel Cook set.


Our tests showed that the All-Clad 10-inch skillet baked the chicken evenly. The chicken was crispy and golden brown, just like the Tramontina pan-fried chicken. In our tests, caramel bubbled in an All-Clad 3-quart saucepan. This was not the case for other sets. Also, because the saucepan distributed heat so well, our testers didn’t have to swirl the sugar in the pan as frequently as they did in the saucepans from other sets. The stockpot did not scorch while it was simmering the tomato sauce. Even though there were very few stirrings, they didn’t seem to have any burning. We noticed that some tomato sauce dripped down the side of the stockpot while we poured, but there were no splatters on the counter.


This set was the best for keeping cookware shiny and bright. It can be more difficult to remove grease or oils from your cookware with only regular dish soap. Bar Keepers Friend, warm water and a mixture of baking soda with warm water (and some elbow grease) are all good options. While the All-Clad skillets were slightly stained by heat, this was not as severe as any of our other tested cookware.

Our 10-piece All-Clad d5 Brushed Stainless All-Clad Stainless 10-Piece Set lasted longer and held heat better. This allowed us to create caramel, as well as a nicely golden-brown chicken. This set comes in at $100 more than the upgraded pick.


This 9-piece stainless steel cookware set (now not available as a whole set) did well. However, the 1-quart saucepan was smaller than a 2-quart saucepan. We also found the handles of the lids to be difficult to reach and that the set only includes one skillet.


The 12 1/2-inch Breville Thermal Pro 12-inch skillet was tested previously for our guide on the best skillets. Breville weighed just 5 pounds. Due to the thicker base, it retained too much heat and made it hard for temperature control. These results led us to decide not test the Breville Thermal Pro Clad Stainless 10-Piece cookware set.


This set has a small cooking area. It also comes with very lengthy handles that we find awkward on small cooking surfaces. The Signature Thermo Clad pan at 3 pounds 14.8 ounces was too heavy for many of our testers.

Copper Core, All-Clad’s best-selling cookware line is its top-line Copper Core range. The Copper Core product line features a five-ply laminated construction with magnetic stainless steel exterior, aluminum core, copper layer and an interior 18/10 stainlesssteel cooking surface.


Due to its copper core, this line is the most efficient at spreading heat throughout the pan evenly without worrying about hot spots. This line has the same heat distribution advantages as copper cookware, but it is much more durable and easy to maintain because it’s lined with steel on both sides.


All-Clad 60090 Copper Core 5-Ply Bonded Dishwasher Safe 14-Piece Cookware Set, Silver available from Amazon Copper Core series is compatible with all ranges, so you can go stove top ( including induction ) to oven with no issues.


The line can be washed in a dishwasher, but it’s not available in nonstick. For such a powerful tool, this is an acceptable price. Sticker price will be the biggest cost. This line is most expensive.


This option is great if you are looking for copper’s incredible cooking qualities but also want something less fragile.