I Mostly Cook With Stainless Steel, but These Nonstick Sets Might Have Changed My Mind

Caraway is synonymous with fun colors and the slickest of nonstick ceramic-coated surfaces, but the company is equally thoughtful in creating pans of varying sizes to accommodate smaller kitchens or storage spaces, like this mini duo.

This set includes an 8-inch mini fry pan and a 1.75-quart mini sauce pan with lid as well as a storage organizer for the pans to lie safely rather than stack and get scratched. While compact, both pieces are still practical for cooking one or two servings at a time — exactly what many small-space kitchens need.

Caraway provides clear instructions for caring for your pans to maintain their longevity. In addition to proper storage details, Caraway recommends not heating the pans to over 550 degrees F, which may mean not using your broiler. They’re hand-wash only, too, so avoid the dishwasher.

While we tested these small-but-mighty pans as a part of a larger cookware set, our tester Katie Tuttle, writer and food editor, found herself reaching for these pans as her “go-to for more delicate proteins, like eggs and fish.” She says the pot worked well for sauces or soups. “Food released very easily from every piece of cookware I used. The rounded bottoms of the pans made it fairly easy to clean; truly, the most it took was the swipe of a sponge,” Tuttle says.

For a nonstick set that offers cheery colors and makes the most out of a small kitchen, look no further than the Caraway Minis Duo. 

Storing a full set of pots and pans without a dedicated organizational system can mean stacking pans, scratching and damage, and difficulty finding what you need, so we consider it a huge win when a cookware company goes the extra mile and includes an attractive and functional storage system with its set of pans, like the Our Place Essentials Cookware Set.

We tested the 11-piece set, but there are other alternative sizes available as well. Ours included a 10-inch fry pan with lid, a 3-quart sauce pan with lid, a 4-quart sauce pan with lid, a 7-quart stock pot with lid, plus a nesting stainless steel strainer and two storage system components. The pans in this set are a great size, whether you’re cooking for smaller households or larger ones, and cover a multitude of use cases, from searing to sautéing. They’re also oven-safe up to 450 degrees F (glass lids up to 425 degrees F).

Freelance health writer and editor Sophia DeVito tested this set for us. While she found the storage shelves a bit bulky and the pans on the heavier side, she did love the pans’ aesthetic. She found that she used the frying pan the most, and cleanup was easy due to the “almost too nonstick” coating.

The set struggled to achieve a harder sear on some foods, as you’re instructed to cook only on low to medium heat. That said, if your priority is finding an attractive, well-sized set of pans that offers storage and you have the space for it, the Our Place essentials set may be just what you need.

While some may prefer ceramic-coated, stainless steel, or cast-iron pans, for folks who prefer a classic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nonstick set, this option from All-Clad is a complete set with all the easy-clean benefits you expect from this type of pan.

All-Clad is synonymous with great pans. With this set you’ll find even heating, thoughtful sizes and quantities of pans, and a nonstick coating that even melted cheese won’t have a chance of sticking to. DeVito says, “You get everything you need in the set, and they are good pans. I’d rather spend a little more to get something that’s going to be good and last.”

In testing, DeVito cooked a variety of foods, from eggs and quesadillas to searing ground meat and making cream-based pasta sauce. While these are certainly foods that can be prone to adhering to your pan, she “didn’t notice any sticking at all.” While the pans were substantial, they weren’t “overly heavy” in most cases, and they’d make a great “one-and-done” purchase for someone looking to buy a full set of pans. Her favorite part, though, was how easily each and every pan came clean. 

Pans are a category of kitchen products where you can spend under $20 or well over $500, depending on what you buy and the size of the set of pans. But even the cheaper pans can feel like they’re not worth the cost when they degrade quickly and leave you hanging.

This set from All-Clad won’t have you wondering whether your pans were worth it. For starters, the set includes a full set of pans with two sauce pans, two fry pans, a sauté pan, and a stock pot, so you can cook practically anything you like for groups of all sizes. The lids are glass, so you can see how your food is progressing. The handles stay cool and comfortable, and the pans feel balanced.

I tried this set of pans myself, and while I was initially skeptical of ceramic coatings (I usually prefer stainless steel or traditional nonstick pans), these really impressed me with how slippery they were. I cooked multiple sticky proteins with and without oil and popped them in the oven at the maximum approved temperature. Every single pan came clean with a quick wipe, which is great since they’re hand-wash only.

I’m a big proponent of following care instructions closely to get the most longevity out of a pan, so while I wish these were dishwasher-safe, that’s my only real complaint. I’d have no problem recommending these to someone with a higher budget on the hunt for a new full set of nonstick pans. 

Seeing a full 12-piece set of nonstick cookware for under $200 might ring alarm bells that the quality could be poor, but our own editor and health journalist Ashley Ziegler gave us good reason to recommend this set not only for its functionality but also its longevity.

The set includes two saucepans, a stockpot, two fry pans, a sauté pan, lids for most of these, and an added bonus of bamboo utensils and a sponge for cleaning. While we would gladly test this set under typical circumstances, Ziegler already owns it and purchased it herself based on her own preferences. She says, “We do a lot of pasta, and I like that it has three pot sizes, and the sauté pan is great for when my husband makes his Alfredo sauce.”

Ziegler’s family owned the set for around four months at the time of submission for testing. She says the pans heat evenly and the handles stay cool. These pans have been in regular rotation in her kitchen, used anywhere from daily to once per week.

In terms of use and care, Ziegler says they are “very careful and only use bamboo or silicone when cooking with these. The instructions are pretty clear that if you use metal, you risk scratching them up.” These are dishwasher-safe, but hand-washing can help extend the lifespan of the pans.

Even after several months of repeated use, Ziegler notes the pans come clean easily. Overall, she would gladly recommend them to others, saying, “It’s a great set that’s affordably priced.” We love this cookware as a starter set, a first-apartment purchase, or a full replacement when budget matters.

We love a pan that can do it all without taking up a ton of kitchen space. While there are a lot of options in this category, the All in One Plus Pan from Tramontina struck our fancy for its reasonable price point and multifunctional design. While this one pan does take up a fair amount of space with its 5-quart size, it works overtime for braising, frying, and sautéing. It also includes a steamer basket, trivet, and a bamboo utensil.

Nicole Bonaccorso, a health journalist and editor with more than 10 years of experience, tested this pan and says it was “easy to store all the pieces together. However, it’s quite a large piece.” She notes, though, that the size is one of her favorite elements and “it’s great for my family of four,” and recommends it for one-pan meals.

Overall, in testing, we saw that food released easily as you’d expect from a nonstick and that the ergonomics of the pan are comfortable for repeated use. Whether for families, individuals, or couples, this could make a great housewarming or milestone gift for anyone who wants to cook a bit more. 

While OXO’s brand is typically associated with thoughtfully designed kitchen utensils and instruments, we were pleasantly surprised by its ceramic nonstick pans, which proved dishwasher-safe without causing damage.

True to the company’s design roots, these pans are engineered with more surface area for browning in the fry pans and with glass lids that let you keep an eye on what you’re cooking. The full set includes two fry pans, two saucepans, a sauté pan, a stock pot, and lids.

Health writer and product tester Riley Blanton subbed these in for her standard cookware. While the pans did prove a bit bulky and heavy at times, she “really liked how easy these were to clean. It took a quick rinse of water and some soap to get everything off. Much better maintenance than my cast-iron pans.”

Blanton cooked sticky proteins, like eggs and ground beef; noodles, like lo mein; and a variety of vegetables without issue. She thinks these would be a great starter set or serve well as a replacement for someone looking to switch from other types of cookware to ceramic. We love its moderate price point, too. 

Hybrid cookware is designed to combine the easy-release appeal of nonstick with some of the heating performance and durability benefits of stainless steel. While there are many brands offering this type of pan, we loved this 10-piece set from GreenPan for its performance, design, and easy cleaning. The set comes in a gold tone or the signature stainless steel. The 10-piece set includes two fry pans, two saucepans, a sauté pan, and a stock pot — enough variety to serve as a full set of cookware but not so much it would overwhelm a kitchen.

For testing, we entrusted this set to Marisa Olsen, a seasoned food and lifestyle writer. Her feedback was an overall rave review, though she cautions that the price point can be a big commitment. She says, “I really tried to put these pots and pans to the test, and they held up quite well, so I was impressed, especially with their nonstick quality and ease of cleaning.”

There can be a learning curve, as it’s recommended that you preheat the pans, similar to stainless steel. But when doing this properly, Olsen found the pans had “barely any issues with sticking; cooking on this nonstick set was a dream for the most part.” Olsen does advise that if the full set is not needed or out of budget, opting for a frying pan or sauté pan would still be a worthy addition to the kitchen, as that’s what she reached for most.