In that case, we think upgrading to a stainless steel set is worth doing because it will last a lot longer—maybe even a lifetime. Cookware is the cornerstone of your kitchen, so it’s worth investing in a set that is beautiful and durable and that heats evenly. We researched more than 80 cookware sets and rigorously tested 19. And we believe the Tramontina Gourmet 12-Piece Tri-Ply Clad Cookware Set is the best for most home cooks because it offers solid construction at an affordable price. Unlike the other frying pans in this set, the deep skillet comes with a lid of its own.
This set is priced on the “affordable” end of the market when compared to competitor brands, and carries a lifetime warranty from manufacturer defects in materials and workmanship. If you are purchasing an individual fry pan, rather than the set, size the pan to fit your burner. The 12 inch fry pan may be a good fit if you have many mouths to feed, but for most kitchens the 8 inch or 10 inch version may be a better fit for your stove top element.
This means they stay in place but don’t create dangerous suction. These articles deep-dive into what cookware chefs use at work and in their own homes. No matter which pan you tramontina cookware choose, they’re perfect for a variety of needs. You can snap up the smaller 8-inch size (which is 14% off) for eggs, toasting nuts and seeds, or personal frittata-bakes.
Five-ply cookware also holds onto more heat, so it’s slower to react when you lower the heat on your stove. Ultimately, we don’t think five-ply cookware is worth the extra cost. All told, I’ve spent more than 140 hours researching and testing cookware sets for this guide.
After testing Tramontina’s redesigned 8- and 10-inch skillets, we still recommend its cookware set as our top pick. Nonstick pans are good for cooking quickly because they typically get hot fast. Its slick interior is also great for making eggs, especially rolled omelets and frittatas. In our tests, steaks seared evenly, and eggs needed a little nudge to release from the pan but didn’t require any oil or grease. While a ceramic cookware set is probably the most affordable cookware category you can buy, one common owner complaint is durability issues.
We also 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.
Read on to learn more about the company where Tramontina pieces are manufactured. Another shopper who said the pan made cooking fun raved over its nonstick capabilities too. “I always thought ‘nonstick’ was just a marketing gimmick for pans that were only slightly easier to clean, but this thing is legit. The stickiest foods slide off with ease.” Take the pan from the stovetop to the oven easily too, since they’re oven-safe up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. They’re nonstick coating also makes cleanup a breeze just by using warm water and soap. Their heavy-gauge aluminum construction means they’re light but strong.
A few of the Goldilocks pieces are a bit heavier than those in the Tramontina and All-Clad sets, so some people may find them more cumbersome to lift. You’ll likely never have to replace the All-Clad D3 Stainless 10-Piece Set. It was hands down the best-quality cookware we tested in this price range tramontina cookware set ($700 at the time of publishing). The pots and pans are the perfect weight, and due to their superior heat conduction, they cooked food more evenly than our top-pick set. This cookware set was one of the only ones that became spotlessly clean after washing—even when coated with burned-on oil.
And we looked at how well each set nested for convenient storage. We like the Tramontina ceramic cookware set as an affordable option to outfit a kitchen. Compared with other makers of ceramic cookware, this set has good durability and is compatible with gas, electric and ceramic glass cooktops. Do not buy this set if you plan on using an induction cooking surface – it won’t work. Weighing just under three pounds, it was hefty enough to offer great heating, but not so heavy as to cause wrist strain.