It is hard to beat the reliability of stainless steel cookware.

It is low-maintenance (it doesn’t require a breaking in period like cast iron does), it isn’t difficult to clean, and it provides a fairly consistent cooking experience. With all this in mind, you may be curious as to what the best stainless steel cookware is.

In this article, we are going to review some different sets of really high-quality stainless steel cookware and let you decide what the right set is for you. If you want our recommendation, the best set is the Duxtop SSIB-17 Professional 17 piece Stainless

 

A Spotlight On Some of The Best Stainless Steel Cookware 2019

 

Best Stainless Steel Cookware Reviews:

T-fal C836SD Ultimate Stainless Steel Copper Bottom 13 PC Cookware Set

Walk down the aisle of any store that sells cookware and you will no doubt see the brand T-fal pop up a lot. They are popular because they make very reliable, high-quality cookware sets.

So, you probably aren’t shocked to see them also make an appearance on our best stainless steel cookware review list. The T-fal C836SD Ultimate Stainless Steel Copper Bottom 13 PC Cookware Set is a great cookware set that will be an amazing addition to any kitchen.

First off, let’s talk about what exactly is included in this ginormous 13-piece set. Included in this set are 3 frying pans (an 8-inch one, a 10.5-inch one, and a 12-inch one), 3 saucepans (1-quart, 2-quart, and 3-quart), a massive 5-quart pot, and a colander for steaming food.

If that isn’t enough for you, or if you want even more, the T-fal also comes in a 12-piece, 14-piece, and 17-piece set. While this set alone isn’t enough for a really well-stocked kitchen, it is certainly pretty close to everything that you need.

You get a bunch of different sized frying pans and various different sized pots. With this set, you can cook just about anything that you can think of.

The actual make of each piece of cookware is simply amazing. They are made from T-fal’s signature stainless steel. It is tough, durable, and it looks very sleek. Not to mention the fact that it provides a great surface to cook on. Getting a good sear on meat is easy with the frying pans and the pots work great as well.

Of course, because this is a best stainless steel cookware list you know that every entry is made with 100% safe materials. However, we still think that it is worth mentioning that all the T-fal cookware in this set is made without lead, PTFE, PFOA, or cadmium.

The cookware is also rated safe for use in temperatures as high as 500 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that you can sear food on the cooktop and then move it to the oven to finish. It also heats very evenly, ensuring that you get consistently good quality.

Cuisinart MCP-12N Multiclad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set

For the next review, we want to continue the trend of reviewing cookware sets from really well-known brands, by reviewing a set of cookware from Cuisinart. The Cuisinart MCP-12N Multiclad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set is another really good set of cookware that will be a very welcome addition to any kitchen.

Let’s start off this review like we started off the previous one, by discussing what you actually get in this cookware set. First off, this review is based primarily on the 12-piece cookware set, but you can also get this exact cookware set in a 7-piece or 10-piece set, so you can pick a set that works best for you.

Included in the 12-piece set are 2 saucepans (1.5-quarts and 3-quarts), 2 skillets (8 and 10-inches respectively), a stockpot, and a steamer pot. Overall, a pretty balanced cookware set. Each piece of Cuisinart cookware is made with a core of hardened aluminum. This is good for a few different reasons.

First off, aluminum is a great conductor, that means that it heats up really fast. This means that you spend less time cooking your meals and more time enjoying them.

Secondly, aluminum is good at heating evenly. This means that you can trust that your food won’t be unevenly cooked because the pan heats up in an odd way. Finally, aluminum is a really durable material, and it helps to make this cookware really tough and long-lasting.

One added bonus that we should also mention is the fact that they are compatible with induction cooktops. So, the aluminum base ends up working really well with the stainless steel exterior of the cookware.

The cookware in this set from Cuisinart is also very versatile. Each piece of cookware is completely safe to use in the oven (they can withstand temperatures up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit). Likewise, unlike some other pieces of cookware, Cuisinart pots and pans can be safely put in the dishwasher, so cleaning up isn’t difficult at all.

Duxtop SSC-9PC 9 Piece Whole-Clad Tri-Ply Induction Cookware, Stainless Steel

If you are looking for a smaller, more manageable set of cookware to compliment your existing cookware, then you might want to seriously consider this set of cookware from Duxtop.

They may not have the same clout as more popular brands like T-fal or Cuisinart, but they still manage to produce some really great cookware. The Duxtop SSC-9PC 9 Piece Whole-Clad Tri-Ply Induction Cookware, Stainless Steel is a good example, as this definitely deserves to be in consideration for the title of best stainless steel cookware.

This 9-piece set comes with 2 frying pans, 3 saucepans, and a pan holder. So, while the set isn’t enough to completely stock a kitchen, it certainly acts as a good compliment to an already stocked kitchen. You can always use more high-quality pots and pans, and this set delivers. The biggest issue is the lack of a steamer, but you can always buy one separately.

One of the main benefits of Duxtop cookware is its special whole-clad tri-ply design. We won’t bore you with the details, but essentially what this does is help to eliminate “hotspots.”

For those who aren’t familiar with hotspots, that is the name for spots on a pan that get hotter than other spots. This causes issues when making some dishes because some parts of the food will cook quicker. However, this doesn’t end up being an issue with the Duxtop cookware set.

The Duxtop cookware set is useful for use in various extreme temperatures. This includes ovens and freezers. That’s right, not only can this cookware be put in an oven, but you can even freeze them without doing any damage to the cookware. This is very useful, and it helps to expand the number of dishes that you can make with the cookware.

Duxtop SSIB-17 Professional 17 piece Stainless Steel Induction Cookware Set

For the next review on this best stainless steel cookware list, we are going to be reviewing yet another cookware set from Duxtop. This one is 17-pieces, as opposed to the 9-piece set that we reviewed previously. This cookware set also brings some more unique features to the table that make it worth reviewing.

This cookware set is, in our opinion, the best stainless steel cookware set that you get on the market currently. For starters, it has a wide variety of different pieces in the set. Of course, you get a bunch of different sized frying pans and saucepans, but you also get a bunch of other really useful pieces of cookware as well.

You get a steamer insert, a steamer basket, and 3 different cooking utensils (a spatula, a spoon, and a prong). With this cookware set, you can cook just about any kind of meal that you can think of. Meat, fish, pasta, fried foods, it doesn’t matter, the cookware set can handle it all.

Each piece of cookware in this set is built very well. The majority of the cookware is made from very solid, durable stainless steel. However, the frying pans and saucepans are made using a combination of stainless steel and aluminum.

As we mentioned in a previous review, aluminum is a great conductor and it also allows the cookware to be used on induction cooktops. The Duxtop cookware is very tough and it should last you for decades if you maintain it properly.

Likewise, this Duxtop cookware set, much like the previous one that we reviewed on our best stainless steel cookware review list, can handle very extreme temperatures. You can put the cookware in the dishwasher, in an oven, or even in a freezer. This makes it a lot easier to cook certain items.

The price of this set is definitely on the higher side but given that you get so much in this cookware set, we aren’t going to list it as a negative. Despite the price, you are still getting a really good deal if you go with this cookware set.

Calphalon Contemporary Stainless 13-Piece Cookware Set

For the last review on this best stainless steel cookware article, we saved the priciest and highest-end cookware set for last.

The Calphalon Contemporary Stainless 13-Piece Cookware Set is by far the most expensive cookware set on this entire list, which may make it a non-starter for some. However, if the price isn’t an issue, then the Calphalon cookware set is a really high-quality option.

As you might expect from such an expensive brand, the quality of each piece of cookware is exceptionally high. The cookware is made using a combination of exceptionally high-quality stainless steel and aluminum (the stainless steel is for toughness and the aluminum is for the added conductibility). The cookware is all rated for use in ovens as well.

The cookware selection is a bit disappointing. All the frying pans and saucepans are there, but the cookware set could have done with something extra like cooking utensils or a steam insert. It is still a very good cookware set overall, but given that so many other entries on our best stainless steel cookware list had things like steamer inserts, it is a bit disappointing.

Stainless Steel Cookware Buying Guide

Because we love our readers so much, we wanted to supplement our best stainless steel cookware reviews with some extra content that will also be very helpful.

As you can no doubt guess from the name of this section, this is going to be a buying guide dedicated to picking out really good stainless steel cookware.

This buying guide isn’t going to go any sort of specific order, instead, it will just be a series of helpful tips dedicated to helping you pick out stainless steel cookware that will last.

Know Your Cooktop

Not all cookware works well every kind of cooktop. The best example of what we are talking about are induction cooktops. Induction cooktops use a chemical reaction to generate heat and so they work best with certain kinds of cookware.

Even though this article is based around the best stainless steel cookware, we must stay that pure stainless steel isn’t the best option for those of you who use induction cooktops.

However, that doesn’t mean that stainless steel isn’t an option at all. Plenty of stainless steel cookware is made to be compatible with induction cookware, and they do it by having the base (which is what touches the cooktop and triggers the chemical reaction) be made of a different metal.

A good example would be the Cuisinart MCP-12N Multiclad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set, which had a hardened aluminum base to go along with a tough stainless steel exterior.

Even Cooking Is The Most Important Thing

Remember when buying a cookware set that number one thing that you need to be looking for is even cooking. Even cooking is crucial because otherwise, you end up with overcooked or undercooked food all the time. Also, if your cookware doesn’t cook evenly, then you can forget about making dishes that require any sort of finesse.

Ideally, you want cookware that eliminates hotspots, as these are usually the prime culprit when it comes to uneven cooking. On our best stainless steel cookware review list, we featured quite a few sets of cookware that made even cooking a lot easier.

However, when it comes to even cooking, the Duxtop SSC-9PC 9 Piece Whole-Clad Tri-Ply Induction Cookware was probably the best of the best.

Balanced Cookware Sets

When looking for a cookware set, you should try and determine what you want the set for. Did you just move into a new home and are looking for a brand-new set of cookware to stock your kitchen? Or, do you already have a stocked kitchen and are simply looking for some extra cookware to give you more options?

Generally speaking, larger cookware sets are better for equipping a kitchen because not only do they come with staples like pots and pans, but they also have useful extras like steamer inserts. If you already have a pretty well-stocked kitchen, then maybe go for a smaller set to just give you more options.

Oven Safe

Another really important aspect to consider is oven-safe cookware. When shopping for cookware sets, you might not prioritize finding cookware that can handle extreme temperatures, but it can really make cooking a lot easier.

The best example to use in this situation is meat. Say you are trying to cook something like steak or chicken. Cooking either of those things entirely on a cooktop is difficult. However, quickly searing them in the pan and then finishing them in the oven is a much easier and more precise way of cooking them. But you can only do this if the cookware is oven safe.

All the various cookware sets that we reviewed for our best stainless steel cookware article were oven safe (able to withstand temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit or more) because we understand how useful it is.

Conclusion

We want everyone to leave us a comment or two telling us what you thought about the reviews and our pick for the best stainless steel cookware set.