We were impressed by the quality of the Goldilocks Cookware Set Plus, especially for its low price. Its fully clad tri-ply stainless steel heats evenly across the surface of the pans. This set also includes almost all of the pot and pan sizes tramontina cookware we prefer, including a 12-inch skillet—a rarity in most sets. However, unlike the All-Clad and Tramontina sets, the Goldilocks set doesn’t include a 3- or 4-quart sauté pan with a lid (though a cast-iron skillet would work in lieu of it).
You’ll pay the most for stainless steel and enameled cast iron cookware and the least for the aluminum ceramic non-stick pieces. After testing the Misen 3QT Saucier in our guide to the best small saucepan, we ruled out the cookware sets from Misen. Its five-ply construction made the pan slower to heat up, and its tubular handle was hard to hold onto.
That being said, we understand that there are many home cooks out there who just want to make dinner on easy mode, and not have to stress too much about technique and clean up. Especially when cooking eggs in dishes like like crepes, omelets, and frittatas, nonstick properties are an undeniable boon. Most stainless steel pans are dishwasher-safe, though we still recommend washing by hand for longevity reasons, as stainless steel can rust in the dishwasher. It’s the job of a good skillet to even these out as much as possible. Heat travels very slowly through steel, but quite rapidly through aluminum. As soon as that core starts heating up, it quickly distributes the heat all around the base of the pan.
We’ve also gathered anecdotal evidence from Epicurious staffers who’ve owned and tested these pans at home for several years and can attest to how different nonstick coatings tramontina pans fare over time. Cast iron has better heat retention, but stainless steel is more responsive. Most professionals would agree that All-Clad skillets are the cream of the crop.
Along with a good saucepot, an 8-inch skillet and a 12-inch skillet should be the first pans in your kitchen’s arsenal. Andrew is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Prudent Reviews. He’s studied consumer buying behavior for 10+ years and has managed marketing campaigns for over a dozen Fortune 500 brands. When he’s not testing the latest home products, he’s spending time with his family, cooking, and doing house projects. Connect with Andrew via email, LinkedIn, or the Prudent Reviews YouTube channel.
In our experience, pans with encapsulated bottoms performed better than those that had just a single layer of stainless steel, but we still wouldn’t recommend them for gas and electric stovetops. That said, if you have an induction stovetop, cookware with encapsulated bottoms will perform better than fully clad tri-ply cookware. You can read more about this type of cookware and its performance on induction in our guide to the best portable induction cooktop. Since this review is primarily for cookware sets, and because sets are a good way to buy clad stainless steel cookware because it’s so versatile, we thought a section on how to pick out sets would be helpful.
The different finishes on the rims are distinguishable when next to each other, but this is mainly an aesthetic issue and shouldn’t affect the way the pans perform. We’ll continue to monitor customer reviews to see if there’s an increase of complaints regarding the rims on either cookware line. For now, if you prefer skillets with rounded handles, we’d recommend getting the Tramontina set. The Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set was our previous runner-up pick. However, after a new round of testing, we found the skillets warped over high heat. The bottom of the pans bowed so much that they wobbled on a flat surface.
You can get an entire set of Tramontina cookware for less than the price of one pot or pan from a high-end brand like All-Clad or Calphalon. For the first test, I filled the Tramontina PRO Series 12-inch fry pan with two cups of cold water. Then, I put the pan on the stove and turned the heat to high. As I mentioned, the handles are about an inch longer than most pan handles. The added length keeps your hand far from the heat and provides more leverage when tilting or shaking ingredients. I’ve been testing the PRO Series frying pan for several months, and there are several pros and a few cons.
However, after testing a number of ceramic pans, the GreenPan Paris Pro emerged as the clear winner. The pan heats evenly and has a Thermolon Minerals ceramic nonstick coating that’s PTFE- and PFOA-free. It’s scratch-resistant, induction-compatible, and oven-safe up to 600°F—a huge benefit if you often would like to transfer your nonstick pan from the stovetop to the oven (hello, baked eggs). (And we agree, which is why Made In’s stainless-steel skillet beat out All-Clad’s D3 skillet for our top recommendation in our stainless-steel skillet testing).
For other cleaning options, refer to our blog post and video on the subject. Additionally, we evaluated how easy the handles were to hold, especially when retrieving the pots and pans from a hot oven using a side towel or pot holders. We also tramontina cookware took note of the individual weight and thickness of the pieces in each set. To test for dripping, we observed how easily we could pour liquids from each pot. By hand-washing the pots and pans, we got a sense of how easy they were to clean.