Editor-Favorite Tramontina Cookware Product Reviews
It’s difficult to get a sense of each set just by looking at pictures online. The pots and pans in the Tramontina Gourmet 12-Piece Tri-Ply Clad Cookware Set heat evenly and are a comfortable weight, so they didn’t feel as cumbersome to lift as some others we tried. We also found their rounded, Tramontina online discount store ergonomically shaped handles comfortable to hold. We’ve been recommending a version of this set for two years, and we’re confident that this durable cookware set will last. A covered saucepan is one of those kitchen essentials that ends up being way more useful than you first anticipated.
Anything abrasive can scratch the pan’s surface and damage the nonstick coating, so you should also avoid using metal utensils when you cook. Goldilocks is a direct-to-consumer cookware brand that was formerly called Potluck. (We opted not to test the former Potluck set because it came with just seven pieces and included a 10-inch skillet only.) The set we now recommend was introduced after the company’s rebranding.
Rice didn’t stick to the bottom of the saucepans, and there was no scorching in the stockpot while we were cooking tomato sauce. We had to swirl the 3-quart saucepan a bit more when making caramel, but overall we still found it distributed tramontina pans heat evenly. That said, the Goldilocks skillet did a slightly better job at retaining heat than our other picks. We prefer 10- and 12-inch skillets because they offer a larger surface area for cooking more food at once.
The nonstick coating lasted the longest of any of the pans we’ve tried, so you know you’re investing in a piece that you’ll have for years to come. 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. We tested multiple skillets to be sure this wasn’t a fluke, but all of them had the same results. Although the pans were still usable after warping, their damage voids the warranty. For each set, we started by testing how well the large skillets retained heat.
The pans come with a limited lifetime warranty that covers manufacturer defects. Should you experience any problems with this set, contact All-Clad for repairs or replacements. We dismissed sets with plastic handles, since 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; that ruled out most cookware with plastic components. Several members of our staff have also seen plastic handles crack after they spent time in the dishwasher.
We also found that the stick handles were comfortable to hold and the appropriate length, unlike the Anolon Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set’s handles, which were too short. Stick handles that provide an easy grip and a comfortable angle allow you to quickly move saucepans around the stovetop using only one hand. So we dismissed sets with small or medium saucepans that had two side handles.
The 10-inch skillet still browned chicken the same as the older model, too. 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 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.
The stick handles on the Goldilocks set are strikingly similar to those on the Cuisinart 77-7 Chef’s Classic Stainless 7-Piece Cookware Set (our former budget pick). 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. In our tests, the chicken sautéed in the All-Clad 10-inch skillet cooked evenly and turned out perfectly golden-brown with a crispy skin, about on a par with the chicken we made in the Tramontina skillet.