April 18, 2019

Last Updated: May 19, 2024



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Clad Stainless Cookware: Micro-Reviews to Help You Choose

By trk

Last Updated: May 19, 2024

best stainless cookware, cookware brands, cookware reviews, stainless steel cookware

When All-Clad's patent on tri-ply cookware expired in the early 2000s, hundreds of brands sprang up to compete with them, with new ones coming to market almost daily. If you're trying to select a good brand, especially at a good price, it can be overwhelming. 

We can't test every brand, but we know enough to make a solid assessment and steer buyers in the right direction. 

These clad stainless cookware micro-reviews will help you narrow the field. 

Brands are listed in alphabetical order, so if you've come here to look for a specific brand, it will be easy to find. Just scroll through the table of contents and click to jump to the micro-review. (And if we don't have it, leave a comment or shoot us an email and we'll take a look at it.) Brands we like and recommend have an asterisk.


Table Of Contents (click to expand)

What Is a Micro-Review?

A micro-review is just a short, one paragraph blurb about why we like or dislike the cookware, followed by a recommendation. Our writeups are backed by extensive research and cookware knowledge, which you can read about elsewhere on The Rational Kitchen. Check out our Cookware Archives for more information.

We thought this was a good way to cover a lot of ground in one article and provide the info you need to make a good purchasing decision.

Some Cookware Gets Great User Reviews, But We Don't Like It. Here's Why.

If you go just by Amazon reviews, you may get unlucky and end up with poor quality cookware. Here's why:

  • Not every reviewer knows enough about stainless cookware to write an accurate review (in fact, many--maybe most people--do not know enough).
  • Many reviews are written when cookware is new, and they're not updated when the person has discovered the down side(s) to it.
  • People can be biased towards liking a purchase and believing it to be better than it actually is.
  • Finally, the truth is that even low quality stainless steel is going to hold up pretty well and feel well made, especially when compared to cheap aluminum cookware with plastic handles and glass lids. So, people who have no experience with stainless cookware may perceive it as the best cookware they've ever used. If so, then why not just buy the cheapest stainless cookware you can find? Because cheap stainless cookware is going to lack enough aluminum to spread heat evenly (yes, this is true despite glowing reviews claiming great performance), it's going to be thin and therefore prone to warping, and it's just not going to have the feel and heft that makes high-end stainless steel cookware a joy to use. 

Conversely, cookware can also get negative reviews, which are common among people who are unfamiliar with stainless steel cookware. Negative reviews frequently say the cookware is "sticky" and "hard to clean." If you see a lot of negative reviews about food sticking, you can disregard them: these are by people who are used to cooking with nonstick cookware. (And yes, stainless steel is harder to clean, but sticking food has a lot more to do with cooking technique--such as using a too-high heat setting--than with stainless steel being inherently bad. In fact, stainless steel is the best cookware for most uses, and if you know how to cook with it and wash it, it will become your favorite cookware.)

User reviews are great, and they can be really helpful. But you also need to educate yourself about clad stainless cookware if you want the best chance of getting a set you can love. 

For more info, see Can You Trust Amazon Reviews? 

*360 Waterless Cookware

360 cookware set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See 360 cookware on Amazon

Fully clad tri-ply made in USA (West Bend, WI). It's well made stuff and will certainly last beyond its lifetime warranty. 

This is standard clad stainless cookware, made of 304 stainless and magnetic ("400") on the exterior for induction compatibility. This is the configuration you'll find in most clad stainless cookware. 

We suspect that the high price point is due to this being "waterless" cookware, which is traditionally higher priced than "regular" cookware. Waterless cookware is high quality, but it also a bit of a marketing gimmick, as any cookware will work in this way (as long as it has a lid). See our detailed article on waterless cookware for more info.

The steeply curved lids and wide rims on the pots are going to be hard to clean around--a lot of nooks and crannies. (Of course, if you're only steaming food, this may not be an issue). 

All-Clad D3 is prettier, cheaper, and offers quality as good or better. And you don't need special, high priced cookware to cook "waterless." While there's no doubt that this is good quality cookware, it's probably not the best option out there.

*All-Clad D3 (Tri-Ply)

All-Clad D3 set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See All-Clad D3 at Amazon

See All-Clad at Williams-Sonoma

Made in USA, tri-ply. All-Clad's original and still most popular line, this is great cookware. It has more heat-spreading aluminum than almost any other brand (some are equal, Demeyere and a few others have more) with a durable, high-polished stainless exterior. Expensive--about $700 for the 10 piece set and $120 for a 12" skillet--but with a lifetime warranty that A/C has a reputation for honoring, the cost-per-year-of-use is low. 

For more info, see our Ultimate All-Clad Review and All-Clad Vs. Demeyere: Which Is Better?

Highly recommended.

All-Clad D5

All-Clad D5 set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See All-Clad D5 on Amazon

See All-Clad at Williams-Sonoma

Made in the USA, 5-ply. All-Clad D5 has 5 alternating plies of stainless and aluminum (s-a-s-a-s). It's billed as All-Clad's "induction" line, with more even heating than D3, but all that internal stainless layer does is impede the efficiency of the aluminum. It's more expensive than D3 but with the same wall thickness plus an interior layer of stainless, it actually contains less aluminum.

If you need induction compatible cookware, the All-Clad D3 is better cookware for less money.

*All-Clad Copper Core

All-Clad Copper Core set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See All-Clad Copper Core on Amazon

See All-Clad at Williams-Sonoma

If you want an upgrade from tri-ply D3, Copper Core is the way to go. Copper Core, made in the USA like all of All-Clad's clad cookware lines (their other products are made overseas), is a 5-ply cookware with a stainless-aluminum-copper-aluminum-stainless configuration (s-a-c-a-s). The copper layer is about 1mm thick, which is enough copper to provide slightly faster and more even heating than D3. 

It's beautiful cookware, and if you can afford it you will love it. But you may not notice a lot of difference in performance over D3. For more info, see our article All-Clad Copper Core: Is It Worth It?

Amazon Basics 15 Pc. Stainless Cookware Set

Amazon Basics 15 Pc Stainless Cookware Set

See Amazon Basics cookware set on Amazon

Disc-clad, made in China, 18/8 stainless. This set gets great reviews, but it's nothing special. It's really a 10-piece set plus five utensils, but even so, at about $140, it's a bargain basement set, with each piece coming in at about $10-12 each. At this price, how good can the quality really be?

The good: 18/8 stainless steel, a lot of pieces, steamer piece is great (you will get a lot of use out of it), utensils included.

The bad: The disc cladding is somewhat thin so it will have mediocre heat transfer; glass lids aren't as durable; the saucepans and skillets are on the small side, with the largest sauce pan only 2.5 qts and only one 8-inch skillet.

*American Kitchen

American Kitchen pans: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See American Kitchen skillets on Amazon

Fully clad, made in USA by Regal, a company that's been around for several decades. This is a really nice line of cookware with good construction and high quality. It is equally heavy to All-Clad D3, meaning a good amount of heat spreading aluminum, durability, and almost zero chance of warping. It's drawbacks are that it's expensive, and it isn't available in sets (except for the 3-skillet set shown here).

We like the handles, which have enough indentation for a firm grip but not so much that they'll cut into your hand. You can get a set of 3 skillets for about $230, although you may not need all three sizes. 

Recommended, with reservations due to lack of experience using the cookware. 

Anolon Nouvelle Copper Clad Stainless Cookware

Anolon Nouvelle Copper stainless set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Anolon Nouvelle Copper on Amazon

Made in China. Bottom clad with a sandwich of copper and aluminum. They have a surprisingly thick layer of copper (about 0.6mm--that's a lot at this price point), which is enough to affect heating performance. In general, though, you want more copper than that in a disc-clad piece, though the performance of these isn't too bad. Also, they're very pretty, but those curved sides are harder to clean and use. If you love the looks, they're probably a decent choice for the price (about $300 for the 10pc set shown).

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3.

Anolon Tri-Ply

Anolon stainless set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

Anolon Tri-Ply 12 Piece Set (Amazon)

Anolon Tri-Ply 12.75-inch Skillet (Amazon)

Anolon is the house brand of Meyer Corporation, the largest cookware maker in the world. They make many recognized brands, including many of the celebrity-endorsed brands. 

Made in China, it's a reasonably priced, mid-range quality cookware: good enough (and pretty enough) to please buyers who've never used high-end cookware, but not anywhere near high-end quality. (Which is fine: this is nice enough cookware to make a lot of home cooks happy.) 

Sidewall thickness: At just under 2.4mm, it's going to be thinner and lighter than All-Clad D3 (2.6mm), with less aluminum and thus mediocre heating properties. This means you may have some issues with scorching/hot-cold spots that you wouldn't have with a heavier/thicker cookware (like All-Clad or Tramontina).

The sets have average (meaning: small) pieces. If you want a lot of cookware and don't mind small sauce pans and skillets, this is pretty and functional cookware that offers average quality and performance, plus the backing of an established manufacturer. And, it's pretty; we like the stainless lids, often not found at this price point.

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad (for about the same price), Cuisinart MC Pro (similar price), or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3.

Avacraft Stainless Cookware

Avacraft Saucepan with Strainer Lid

See Avacraft Sauce Pan with Strainer Lid on Amazon

See Avacraft Skillet on Amazon

Avacraft is an American-based company which manufactures their cookware in China. Avacraft makes a variety of designs, including dic-clad and fully clad stainless cookware. The stainless is 18/10 with induction compatible steel on the exterior. 

We really like the sauce pan with the strainer lid pictured above. The cookware gets good reviews, and is priced such that it is probably fairly high quality--yet far cheaper than a premium brand like All-Clad.

We can't recommend it because we haven't actually tested it, but it's probably decent cookware.

Belkraft International Cookware

Belkraft pot: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

Go to the Belkraft website

Made in USA. Part of the "waterless" cookware selling point, which is a bit gimmicky. 7-ply stainless with stainless lids and plastic handles. They use a stainless steel with titanium in it which sounds great, but is really about equal in durability and rust resistance as regular 18/10. 

For more information, see our article Waterless Cookware: A Detailed Analysis.

We couldn't find a price anywhere; you probably have to sign up for a demonstration to get prices. Much as we like made in USA products, we suspect this cookware is extremely high quality, but vastly overpriced--as is most USA-made waterless cookware. The plastic handles are not great. They're billed as a unique feature of the cookware, but they're almost certainly there because they cut manufacturing costs.

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3.

Bonazza 8"/10" Sauté Pan Set

Bonazza saute pans: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Bonazza pans on Amazon

Made in China. Under $40 for this two pan set. Poor quality, thin, prone to warping. Probably prone to rusting, too.

Bonazza sells an array of different power adapters on Amazon...and this set of sauté pans. Not really a ringing endorsement for quality, despite the many positive reviews. Also: sauté pans without lids doesn't really make sense. (To learn why, see Should I Buy a Skillet or a Sauté Pan, or Both?)

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3.

Brandless Cookware

Brandless 6pc Cookware set

See Brandless cookware on Amazon

5 ply (s-a-a-a-s), probably made in China, supposedly 18/10 steel (which is good). At $99 for a 5-piece set, this may not be great quality. But it gets pretty good reviews on Amazon, so it may be worth a try. 

It's hard to beat the prices, but without more research and testing, we can't recommend it.

Buffalo AtSpotSet Stainless Cookware

Buffalo AtSpotSet: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See AtSpotSet 6pc set on Amazon (about $130)

See other Buffalo cookware products on Amazon

Fully clad tri-ply, made in China. You may have never heard of Buffalo cookware, but we've included it because it has a presence on Amazon that's only going to get bigger. We never heard of it, either, but it appears to be the Asian equivalent of All-Clad: popular cookware with an excellent reputation. Buffalo also makes pressure cookers as well as some other kitchen products, which you can view at the link above. 

It isn't very pretty, unless you want something with a waterless vibe that's a bit foreign looking. Also, it's difficult to determine the quality level of this cookware and to know how it will perform. It's even hard to determine the piece sizes, as they are all in metric measurements. (A 24cm skillet, the largest in the image above, is about 9.4 inches--so small.)

For these reasons, we can't recommend this cookware, but we can't tell you to avoid it, either. If you want a waterless type of cookware, you might really like this. At about $42 per piece (lids included), the quality is probably okay.

Calphalon Stainless (all lines)

Calphalon Signature Set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Calphalon Signature 5-Ply on Amazon

See Calphalon Premier Space Saving set on Amazon

Made in China, tri-ply and 5-ply. (Note: Calphalon's nonstick Unison line is still made in the US but is being phased out and replaced with lines made in China. All other Calphalon lines are made in China.)

Calphalon makes several lines of clad stainless cookware, with the Signature line (pictured above and linked to) being the highest priced and presumably the best (just under $600 for the 10-piece set). The Signature line has walls 2.5mm thick, as are their other clad stainless lines (compare to All-Clad D3's 2.6mm). 

It's not terrible cookware, but we don't love the glass lids, and some of the pans have 3 rivets to clean around--not good!

Although it's actually very pretty cookware, and decently made for a Chinese product, there are better options.

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3

*Cameron's Multi-Roaster and Stock Pot

Camerons MultiRoaster
Camerons Stock Pot

See Cameron's stock pot

See Cameron's Multi-Roaster

Made in China, bottom clad. Cameron's makes numerous grill products and just a couple of pieces of cookware. The multi-roaster is kind of a neat idea, technically giving you 3 pieces in one: a pan you can use as a roaster or stock pot, and a lid that doubles as a frying pan, plus a rack (which has numerous uses).

There's nothing special about this cookware, but for roasters and stock pots, it's perfectly fine. Reviewers say it's good quality and durable. Note that the roaster is oval: it looks round in the pic, but it isn't. Some reviewers say it doesn't really work as a frying pan because of the shape, but they like the piece anyway.

The prices aren't really all that good compared to other Chinese made stainless cookware. But if you like the design and don't mind the bottom cladding, you might be happy with either of these pieces; disc cladding is perfectly fine for a stock pot, and also fine for a roasting pan, though not great for a skillet.

Chef's Secret Stainless Steel Waterless Cookware

Chefs Secret Waterless Set

See it on Amazon

Made in China, bottom clad. Induction compatible?? They don't say, so may not be, especially if made of 304 stainless, which is not magnetic. (They have a more expensive set of waterless cookware that they do say is induction compatible.) Chef's Secret is another Chinese import with gimmicky "steam control knobs." The company makes several cooking products, including a few different sets of waterless cookware, a stainless griddle, tea kettles, and tortilla presses. Probably the biggest complaint among reviewers is that the knobs loosen and fall off--in some cases, the first time a pan is used. The claim to fame of this set is all the accessories it has, including a deep fry basket, steamer basket, covered mixing bowls, pan top grater (who knew such a thing existed?), trivet, and measuring spoon set. The pieces are small and include a 1.5-, 2-, and 3-quart "stockpots" (more accurately called "sauce pans"). Comes with a "limited lifetime warranty" but other reviewer complaints include no response from manufacturer. At under $200 for this large set, we think it's got to be mediocre to poor quality. Not recommended.

Chef's Star Induction Cookware Set

See Chef's Star cookware on Amazon (about $190 for the 17 piece set shown)

Made in China, bottom clad. ("Impact bonded" means bottom clad.) This Chinese cookware is "built to last" but has only a 1-year warranty--compare that to other Chinese brands Tramontina and Cuisinart MC Pro, which both have limited lifetime warranties. 

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad  (best prices at Wal-Mart) or  Cuisinart MC Pro. These brands cost a little more, but the big bump in quality makes them well worth it.

Ciwete Stainless, Tri-Ply, and Professional Cookware Sets

See Ciwete cookware on Amazon

The two polished sets are disc-clad, the hammered set is fully clad. The nonstick skillets are PTFE. Probably made in China, but they are not forthcoming with that information. A fairly typical, inexpensive set of cookware. Good, not great, with a price to match. The hammered set is pretty (and fully clad), but you can get better quality name-brand cookware for about the same or just a little more.

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad  (best prices at Wal-Mart) or  Cuisinart MC Pro. These brands cost a little more, but the big bump in quality makes them well worth it.

Circulon

Circulon set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Circulon Momentum nonstick set on Amazon (about $180--pictured)

See Circulon Genesis nonstick set on Amazon (about $130)

Bottom clad, PTFE nonstick, made in China and Thailand. Circulon is a popular nonstick cookware brand in the US. The Momentum is probably their top-of-the-line with its stainless exterior, aluminum interior, and PTFE cooking surface.

Despite its popularity, we are not big fans of the Circulon brand. In fact, this is mediocre cookware. At this price, it's not a terrible option, but even if you love nonstick, you simply don't need it for every piece. And if you want nonstick cookware, tri-ply is not the way to go because the nonstick coating is going to wear out long before the rest of the pan--not to mention you'll pay too much for it.

You'd be better off with daily cookware like Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro, supplemented with an All-Clad HA1 hard anodized nonstick skillet (a set of two for about $30 each or $50 each for the larger sizes).

Cook N Home Stainless Steel Cookware

Cook N Home stainless cookware set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Cook N Home Stainless Cookware Sets on Amazon

Made in China. Bottom clad. Despite the many positive reviews, this is cheap Chinese cookware. At this price point--about $70 for this 8 piece set--there's no way it can provide good heating or durability. We have nothing else to recommend at this price point, but you'd be better off buying a Tramontina skillet and sauce pan for about the same cost.

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3.

Cook's Standard

Cook's Standard set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

Cook's Standard 10 Piece Set (About $180 for this 10 piece set)

Made in China, tri-ply full cladding. Nice looking set, but the 1-star reviews tell the story: poor quality stainless prone to pitting and discoloring. At about $180 for a 10 piece set (so about $18 per piece), this makes sense. Also, no skillet in the set--just a sauté pan. (Some people prefer sauté pans, but most people prefer skillets.) 

We haven't tested it, so we can't tell you how thick or heavy it is. But from the price, we expect it to provide mediocre heating and be poor quality stainless steel (possibly 200 grade at this price, which is much less desirable than 300 grade as it corrodes much more easily).

Cook's Standard makes a disc-clad, lower budget line with glass lids, which we also do not like (although this set does have a skillet). 

Don't let all the positive reviews fool you: this is low end cookware. If it's all you can afford, you might prefer it to cheap nonstick. But if you can spend just a little more, you should go with Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro

Cuisinart Chef's Classic

Cuisinart Chef's Classic: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Chef's Classic on Amazon

Made in China. Bottom clad. Much lower price point ($110 for a 11 piece set) and much inferior to Cuisinart's Multiclad Pro line. Okay for a roasting pan or a stock pot that won't take a lot of abuse, but don't buy a set or skillet in this line. Spend a little more and get the MC Pro, which offers performance almost as good as All-Clad D3.

Cuisinart Contour Cookware

Cuisinart Contour cookware set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Cuisinart Contour set on Amazon (about $200 for this 13pc set)

Bottom clad, made in China. Cuisinart Multiclad Pro is one of our favorite cookware brands, but most other Cuisinart cookware is mediocre, and the Contour is no exception. It's thin, so it will be prone to warping, and it lacks enough aluminum to provide even heating. It has glass lids, which is another hallmark of budget brands. But our least favorite thing about it is the shape: the pot sides taper inward then flare out at the top. This is pretty, sure. But it makes pans a little harder to clean and a little harder to store because they won't stack as well as straight-sided pans, if at all. 

If you want Cuisinart, go with the Cuisinart MC Pro for just a little more and a huge bump in quality.

*Cuisinart French Classic Cookware

Cuisinart French Classic: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Cuisinart French Classic cookware on Amazon (about $500 for this 13pc set)

Fully clad tri-ply, made in France. Cuisinart's top end cookware. This is reflected in the price, which is the highest of all their lines.

It's beautiful cookware, with standard pieces (8/10" skillets, 1.5/2.5qt sauce pans) except for an 8qt stock pot with a pasta/steamer insert, which are both nice pieces (although a steamer for the sauce pan might be more useful).

Cuisinart French Classic, like Multiclad Pro, is very close in quality and construction to All-Clad D3. And while considerably less expensive than All-Clad, it's also considerably more than Multiclad Pro. So our recommendation is to go with the MC Pro, but if you don't want a Chinese product, the French Classic is a lovely alternative.

*Cuisinart Multiclad Pro

Cuisinart Multiclad Pro: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Cuisinart MC Pro on Amazon (about $200 for a 7pc set)

Made in China, fully clad. MC Pro is close in quality and design to All-Clad D3 at a great price. It has almost the same wall thickness, the same amount of aluminum, and thus very similar performance. Because it's made in China, the steel quality is an unknown (but probably not quite as good as All-Clad).

Cuisinart is transitioning to glass lids, so you may get glass or stainless lids.

Even so, it's high quality cookware at a low price point (under $200 for the 7 piece set). The set pieces are average size--8/10" skillets, 1.5/3qt sauce pans, etc. 

Recommended, top-of-the-line quality for budget cookware.

*Cuisinart Professional Series Stainless

Cuisinart Professional 11 Piece Set

See Cuisinart Professional Series on Amazon

Disc-clad, made in China. For more information, see our Cuisinart Stainless Cookware Review.

We recommend this cookware--sort of. For inexpensive disc-clad cookware, it's one of the best products you'll find, with a disc close to what you'll find in high-end disc cookware like Demeyere Atlantis and Fissler. Truly at a fraction of the price: about $200 for this 11 piece set.

We don't like the glass lids, and the stainless might be a 200 grade (so not as durable as 300 grade), but if you're on a budget, this is one of the best sets you'll find at this price point. We even sort of like that it comes with one nonstick skillet, because you're not overpaying for a pan that's only going to last a few years.

One caution we'll give is that some reviewers gave one star because the glass lid shattered--that's a little scary and possibly dangerous. But other than that, this is one of the best cookware bargains on the market.

Culina Stainless 12-in. Skillet with Lid

Culina skillet: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Culina skillet on Amazon

Full tri-ply cladding, made in China. Culina also makes/imports a stock pot and steamer, as well as other kitchenware products. They do not sell a full set of cookware.

At 2mm thick, this doesn't have enough cladding to provide even heating (compare to All-Clad D3, which is 2.6mm thick). This is so thin that it will also be prone to warping under high heat or rapid temperature changes. It's a pretty pan, and the helper handle is a necessity on a 12in. skillet. But you can get better quality for about the same cost (or less) with Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro

Cusibox Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Cusibox: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Cusibox cookware on Amazon

Tri-ply, fully clad, made in China. Cusibox seems to be another importer of Chinese goods, mostly kitchenware items. 

If you're looking for a starter set and need a lot of pieces for a low price, this might be a good choice. With a one year warranty (ridiculous), you shouldn't have high expectations. But if you don't expect it to last, then you might be happy with this as a starter set until you can afford something better.

The skillets are small, but the stock pot is huge, and the steamer is a nice extra. We also kind of like the stainless utensils, which will probably outlast the cookware.

If your budget is super tight, maybe give this set a try. Otherwise, go with a tried and true budget brand: Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro

Deik Cookware Set

Deik: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Deik on Amazon

Made in China, bottom-clad (which is easy to tell by this picture--see the seam?). This is an example of a cookware that gets really good reviews, but we can't recommend. We haven't tested it, but at this price point (about $100 for a 10-piece set), it's unlikely that this is good quality clad stainless cookware. It's almost certainly going to be thin, prone to warping, without enough aluminum to provide even heating, and poor quality stainless steel.

Glass lids just make it worse.

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3.

Delarlo Cookware

See Delarlo sets on Amazon

Made in China, fully clad tri-ply, glass lids. Some sets have a nonstick pan, some don't. This is quite affordable, with the 7 piece set going for about $200. It has a few nice features, like volume marks in the deeper pieces and a comfortable handle. However, this is pretty standard China-made cheap tri-ply. It's okay, but not great, and we suspect many of the positive reviews are due to the pots being given away in exchange for a review.

The 7 piece set shown here has odd pieces, as well. One skillet, and it's nonstick; a 10-ounce butter warmer (which may not work on an induction cooktop); and a 3-quart "stock pot" with steamer. The steamer is a great piece, but these are all small pieces: by our standards, 3-quarts is a sauce pan, not a stock pot. 

*Demeyere Cookware

Demeyere Atlantis: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Demeyere Atlantis cookware on Amazon (about $750 for a 6pc set)

See Demeyere Atlantis 10 pc set at Williams-Sonoma (about $1400)

See Demeyere Industry 5 cookware on Amazon (about $1000 for a 10 pc set)

Made in Belgium. In the Atlantis line, curved-sided pieces are fully-clad (skillets, sauciers), and straight-sided pieces are bottom clad (sauté pans, sauce pans, stock pots). 7-ply cladding. The Industry 5 pieces are fully clad 5-ply (stainless-aluminum-aluminum-aluminum-stainless) and run 3mm thick (compare to All-Clad D3 which is 2.6mm thick).

Demeyere is top-of-the-line clad stainless cookware. All lines have significantly more aluminum than All-Clad D3, providing significantly more even heating and better heat retention. The bottom-clad Atlantis pieces contain a 2mm slab of copper, plus silver for incredibly even heating.

If you can afford it, this is probably the best clad stainless cookware on the market. Our only caution (other than cost) is that the Atlantis is heavy cookware--so if you have any ergonomic issues, it may not be the right choice for you. Industry 5 is heavier than All-Clad, but more manageable than the Atlantis.

You can read more about Demeyere in our All-Clad Vs Demeyere: Which Is Better?, All-Clad D5 Vs. Demeyere Industry 5: Which Is Better?, and Top 5 Clad Stainless Cookware Brands.

Duxtop Professional Stainless Steel 17 Pc. Set

Duxtop 17 Pc Professional Cookware Set

See Duxtop Pro Stainless set on Amazon

18/10 stainless, impact bonded, made in China. If we had tested this set, we might recommend it. You can see from the photo that these are disc-clad, but the disc is thick and covers the entire base. At about $250 for a 17 pc. set, these are extremely affordable, and one might assume they are poor quality. But Duxtop excels at putting out decent quality yet inexpensive products; and actually, this is a 14-piece set with three utensils. 

If you're on a budget and need everything--including utensils--you might want to take a chance on this set, or a similar set with ceramic nonstick skillets (and nylon utensils). They get surprisingly good reviews on Amazon (and many of the negative reviews are about being hard to clean, which likely means the reviewer is coming from a background of nonstick cookware and doesn't know how to cook with stainless steel).

Most of the pieces are on the small side--the large skillet is only 9.5-inch--but there are a few large pieces too, so it's a pretty well balanced set. 

*Duxtop Tri-Ply Stainless Cookware

Duxtop TriPly Set

See Duxtop Whole Clad cookware on Amazon 

Made in China, tri-ply (be careful--Duxtop makes a bottom clad set too). About $140 for the 10 piece set pictured. 

If ever we wanted to trust and love a budget brand, Duxtop is it. Duxtop, made by Secura, is a budget kitchenware brand, but they have a reputation for quality that exceeds their low prices. They make an inexpensive, stainless French press that we love (read more about it here), and of course, their portable induction cooktops are superior to pretty much everything else in that price range. (See our Duxtop PIC review here.)

If you're on a budget, go ahead and take a chance on the Duxtop Whole Clad. At about $140 for a 10 piece set that's very pretty and has comfortable handles and stainless lids, we think it's worth the risk. It's going to be thinner than one of our top 3 picks, and the set pieces are pretty average (although the 3 quart sauce pan and 6.5 quart stock pot are nice). If you hate it, there's a limited lifetime warranty that Secura/Duxtop has a reputation for honoring. 

ELO Premium Black Pearl/ELO Skyline Stainless Cookware

ELO Premium Black Pearl/ELO Skyline Stainless cookware: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See ELO Black Pearl cookware on Amazon (about $300 for a 7 piece set)

See ELO Skyline cookware on Amazon (about $75 for a 10 piece set)

See ELO Premium Multilayer cookware on Amazon (about $275 for an 8 piece set)

Made in China, bottom-clad (Black Pearl and Skyline lines) and tri-ply (Premium Multilayer line). The Black Pearl is a "waterless" cookware with vented lids for "maximum nutrient retention." Very economically priced, with the Skyline cheapest. 

While ELO brands itself as "German-engineered" cookware, it's really just another Chinese brand without a lot going for it other than the low price--despite its many positive reviews and awards won. (Winning awards may sound impressive, but it's hard to know what that actually means. A lot of "awards" are there for marketing purposes and don't mean very much. We would have to do more research to find out, so until we do, we remain skeptical, especially at this ridiculously low price point.)

The Good: Etched measures inside, drip-free pour spouts, and an encapsulated base that's thick enough to provide good, even heating.

The Bad: Mediocre construction, plastic handles, glass lids, no skillets in sets, small pot sizes in sets, only 6 year warranty.

A 6 year warranty?!? For stainless  cookware, this is crazy. Most clad stainless cookware has a lifetime warranty (even many Chinese knockoffs), even at budget prices. For the poor warranty alone, we do not recommend this cookware. 

Better choices are Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you want to spend more) All-Clad D3.

Epicurious Stainless 11Pc Set

Epicurious stainless 11 pc set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Epicurious 11Pc set on Amazon (about $150)

Bottom clad, made in China. There are other buying options on this page but we're looking just at the stainless set--and weirdly enough, the link to the set changes, as well, to different colored sets (and we have no idea how to get back to the stainless set except to re-click our link).

Since Epicurious is a magazine/recipe website, they aren't likely to own factories where they manufacture their own cookware. This is important because it means that this cookware is OEM'd from a Chinese manufacturer. And while that doesn't automatically mean the quality is poor, it certainly doesn't get a vote of confidence from us. (This is true for almost all celebrity-endorsed cookware lines, by the way, including Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, Jamier Oliver, Emeril, etc.)

Some people might find the swoopy, curved shape of this cookware attractive. But we look at it and think about all the issues you can have with it. Namely, that it's harder to clean and harder to store (the pieces won't stack as nicely as straight-sided cookware). The glass lids are more prone to breaking than stainless, and also can be an indication of lower quality cookware. 

Better choices are Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro if you don't mind made-in-China, or (if you want to spend more) All-Clad D3

ExcelSteel 506 TriPly Cookware Set

ExcelSteel 506 TriPly cookware set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See ExcelSteel Cookware Set on Amazon

Made in China, fully clad. This is another made-in-China inexpensive cookware set. The pieces are small: a 1 qt and a 2 qt sauce pan, plus a 10-in. sauté pan with no lid. No skillet! The lid from the 5.5qt. stock pot will fit the sauté pan, but it's cheap to only include one large lid. The set gets good reviews, but at this price point it can't possibly be very good quality--the glass lids are also an indication that this is cheap cookware.

Better choices are Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro if you don't mind made-in-China, or (if you want to spend more) All-Clad D3

Farberware Millennium Cookware

Farberware Millennium 10 Pc Set

See Farberware Millennium cookware on Amazon

See other Farberware cookware on Amazon

Fully clad, probably made in China. Farberware was a proud American brand for many decades. It was bought by the Meyer Corporation in 1997, which is the largest cookware conglomerate in the world. Farberware is now an imported product of mediocre quality. You can still find the classic Farberware cookware with the swoopy bakelite handle, but this Millennium is their highest quality line. At about $16/piece, that's not saying a lot. 

Though people love this cookware--perhaps for nostalgic reasons more than anything--we can't recommend it. The quality just isn't there. 

*Fissler Original Profi Cookware Set

Fissler Pot w/diagram: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Fissler Profi cookware on Amazon (about $550 for 9pc set with glass lids, $600 for 8pc set with stainless lids)

Made in Germany, bottom clad. Americans are probably most familiar with the Fissler stovetop pressure cookers, also bottom clad and very high quality. Fissler cookware is less popular here than in Europe, but that doesn't mean it's not a good choice. It may be exactly what you're looking for (you just didn't know it yet). 

Most Americans prefer fully clad cookware, largely because of the All-Clad influence on the market. However, some bottom clad cookware is just as good (and in some cases better) than fully clad cookware. Fissler is one of those brands. (Demeyere Atlantis is another.) 

With good quality bottom clad cookware, the disc is thick--much thicker than the cladding on fully clad cookware. It also covers the entire bottom of the pan and extends a millimeter or so up the sides. You can see both of these traits in the Fissler image above. (Compare to lower quality bottom clad cookware, in which the disc is much thinner, and smaller in diameter than the bottom of the pan.) 

The aluminum layer is a quarter of an inch, or about 6.4mm. Compare this to All-Clad full cladding, which has 1.7mm of aluminum. Very impressive!

Fissler is excellent quality, with the price tag to prove it. The set with stainless lids is more "American," as it includes a skillet; the glass lid set is a "waterless" set and has no skillets. 

The Good: Extremely high quality, rivetless handles (easier to clean!), laser-etched measurements, drip-free rim. At 28cm/11in., the large skillet is bigger than average (most sets' large skillet is 10-inch).

The Bad: No skillet in glass lid set, and that excellent bottom cladding makes the cookware feel somewhat unbalanced until you get used to it. 

If you're looking for something a little different, or something with a European flair, Fissler is an excellent choice.

Fleischer and Wolf London Royalty Cookware Set

Fleischer and Wolf London Royalty 12 Pc Cookware Set

See Fleischer and Wolf London Royalty set on Amazon

Disc cladding, made in China. The writeup says it's tri-ply, but you can see in the photo that they are disc-clad pieces. The price of about $165 is ridiculously low for a 12 piece set, so although we haven't tested these pans, we doubt they're very high quality, despite the many positive reviews on Amazon. 

The skillets are nonstick which we normally don't recommend getting in stainless, but at this price, it doesn't really matter all that much--you're paying about $23 per pan if you don't count the lids.

Fortune Candy Cookware

See Fortune Candy skillet on Amazon

Tri-ply full cladding, probably made in China. The aluminum heating core is 1.5mm thick (they actually provide this info, which is great), which makes it slightly thinner than All-Clad D3 which has a 1.7mm aluminum core. The cookware gets mostly excellent reviews and seems high quality. It won't heat as well as thicker-core brands, but it's good quality at an amazing price. If you're on a budget, might be worth a try.

Frigidaire Stainless Induction Ready Cookware Set

Frigidaire stainless induction ready cookware set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Frigidaire 5pc cookware set on Amazon (about $90)

Bottom clad, made in China. This Frigidaire set is made in China by Meyer Corporation, one of the largest producers of cookware in the world. They make Anolon, Circulon, Farberware, Silverstone, and the new Heston Nanobond (reviewed below). 

This is a budget cookware set with glass lids and no other pieces available, which is unfortunate, because these are small pots: a 1.5qt sauce pan, a 3qt sauté pan, and a 5qt stock pot. And no skillet! (Who doesn't need a skillet??)

Instead, go with Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or  Cuisinart MC Pro

Goodful Stainless 12 Pc. Cookware Set

Goodful 12 Piece stainless cookware set

See Goodful cookware set on Amazon

Bottom clad, made in China, 200 grade steel. This is a bargain set if ever there was one. Goodful makes several pieces of nonstick cookware and disc-clad stainless steel. At about $130 for this 12 piece set, we don't expect the quality to be very good. The disc cladding is also thin and probably won't provide very good heat transfer, especially on the skillets, as their sloped sides make the bottom surface small--meaning the disc is also small.

Henckels Clad Impulse Tri-Ply

See 10pc set on Amazon

Fully clad, made in China, stainless lids, induction compatible. This is a better set than the Henckels Realclad (below), for about $350. There are some reviews of the pans "chipping," which shouldn't happen to stainless steel, but some of the pics on Amazon certainly look like they are. Might be good cookware, but for this reason, we don't recommend it.

Henckels Realclad Tri-Ply

Henckels Realclad Tri-ply 10pc Set

See 10pc set on Amazon

Fully clad, made in China, stainless lids, induction compatible. At about $150 for a 10 piece set, this is almost certainly not high quality cookware. The reviews are mediocre, with many saying it's too thin and light to perform like other tri-ply cookware they've used. Not recommended.

Henckels Impulse

See Henckels Impulse 10pc set on Amazon

Fully clad, made in China. It's available as a 10pc set (shown here) or as two nonstick skillets, either PTFE or ceramic nonstick. Without testing, it's impossible to say if this is good quality tri-ply. The pieces in the set are on the small side, with 1- and 2-qt sauce pans, 3-qt sauté pan, 6-qt stock pot, and 8"/10" skillets. (A 2-qt sauce pan is too small to boil pasta for a family meal, so you'd have to use the stock pot.)

It's a very pretty set, but we just can't say for sure what the quality is. It has very few reviews on Amazon, but buyers do seem to like it. 

If you want to stay around this price range but go with a known brand, we recommend Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro.

*Heritage Steel

American Clad/Heritage Steel set: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

Heritage Steel 12-inch Skillet (Amazon)

Heritage Steel cookware (Amazon)

Heritage Steel Review

Fully clad, made in USA. There are a lot of reasons to love this cookware. It's made in the USA. It has a lifetime warranty. And, it has nice pieces in the set, including a 13.5-inch jumbo fry pan with domed lid and a 10.5-inch skillet.

As of late 2020, American Clad has changed its design and is now going by the name Heritage Steel. It's a 5-ply design (s-a-a-a-s). The external layer of stainless steel is 439 grade magnetic stainless for induction compatibility on the bottom, and 316Ti on the cooking surface.

316Ti is slightly more corrosion resistant than other types of 300 grade stainless, and in the kitchen, the most important resistance is to salt corrosion (which is why 316Ti is often called "marine grade" stainless). 

We like the 8-piece set the best. It has 2 large skillets (10.5"/12"), plus a 3-qt sauce pan and 8-qt stock pot. If you need a boatload of cookware, the 14-pc set (available at Heritage Steel) also has great pieces. The 10-pc set has only one skillet (10.5") and a weird, 1.5-qt. sauté pan (way too small for most cooks).

Heritage Steel is priced comparably to All-Clad D3. If you want to buy American and don't like the All-Clad, Heritage Steel is worth the investment.

*Heston Nanobond

Heston Nanobond cookware: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

Hestan Nanobond at Williams-Sonoma

Hestan Nanobond on Amazon

The Hestan Cue induction plate is available on Amazon, and also claims to be a revolutionary cooking system. 

Hestan NanoBond--as well as the other lines, ProBond and CopperBond--are excellent quality. Though the other two lines compete comparably with All-Clad tri-ply and Copper Core, the NanoBond line has an innovative coating that makes the cookware extremely tough, and extremely non-reactive. 

This is the best possible cookware for anyone with a nickel allergy or anyone looking for the ultimate option in safe, non-reactive cookware. 

Having said that, it's expensive, and stainless steel cookware is actually quite safe. If you're not worried about using steel cookware, we recommend Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro, All-Clad D3, or anything by Demeyere

See our detailed Hestan cookware review

Homaz Life

Homaz Hammered Steel Tri-Ply 7pc Set

See Homaz Life cookware on Amazon

About $350/$450 for 7/10 pc sets

Tri-ply full cladding, aluminum heating core, probably made in China (we couldn't find the country of origin).

Pros: The cookware is nicely designed and the sets have good pieces, including a 3qt sauce pan and 8qt stock pot; the small set has a 10" skillet and the large set has an additional 8" skillet and a 2qt sauce pan--so we prefer the 7pc set as the 10pc set gets you two smaller additional pieces. Hollow handles, drip-free rims, and these pans have a nice heft. Without testing them, we can guess that they will provide decent heating performance. They get extremely positive reviews on Amazon.

Available in stainless, black, and copper-colored exterior, but they are all steel and all the same price.

Cons: The skillets have a Hexclad-like nonstick coating on the bottom of the cooking surface that's protected with a stainless steel lattice (making the pans "metal utensil" safe). The nonstick coating automatically shortens the life of these skillets. We don't like the glass lids (though you may). We don't know anything about the company, and their "contact us if you have problems" seems like a 

If you want to take a chance on a reasonably priced and very pretty set of tri-ply cookware, this might be a good buy.


*Homi Chef Nickel Free Stainless Cookware

Homi Chef nickel-free stainless cookware: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Homi Chef 14 Piece set on Amazon

See Homi Chef stock pots on Amazon

See Homi Chef Copper Band 10 Piece set on Amazon

Bottom clad, made in China and Korea. At about $7 per piece for the 14 piece set and about $10 per piece for the 10 piece copper-banded set, Homi Chef is entry level cookware through and through. But even so, there are a few things we like about it.

If you have a nickel sensitivity, you don't have a lot of options for stainless cookware (though if you have the budget, the Hestan Nanobond is the way to go). That's because nickel-free stainless steel (called "18/0" or "400 series") rusts more easily than stainless that contains nickel (called "18/8," "18/10," "316," or "300 series"). Homi Chef probably uses nickel-free stainless to keep costs down, but at the same time, it's great for people who want to avoid nickel. 

In some ways, Homi Chef is typical low end cookware, with glass lids and disc cladding. But even so, Homi Chef is a cut or two above other cookware at this price point. The main reason is that they're out there with some important info: they actually provide specs on their cladding: 4mm for the stainless set and 5mm for the copper banded set. This is decent thickness for a disc clad cookware--though it is still quite thin compared to a top notch brand like Fissler or Demeyere, and also not "wraparound" so it won't provide the best heating (you will have an area of heat discontinuity where the disc stops). 

Having said all that, it's almost certainly better than other disc-clad cookware at this price point.

If you want nickel-free cookware and are on a tight budget, Homi Chef is worth the risk. The set pieces are average sizes (meaning smallish), and don't expect the copper band on the higher priced set to provide much more than beauty, as there's probably not enough of it to enhance heating performance. 

Imarku Tri-Ply Cookware

Imarku 11pc Tri-ply cookware set

See imarku set on Amazon

See imarku stainless skillets on Amazon (not nonstick)

Tri-ply, made in China, about $400 for 11pc set. Seems like fairly nice quality cookware, but we can't recommend the set because of the nonstick skillets and the vented glass lids. You can buy a stainless skillet for about $60 (not nonstick), which may be worth it. It's very standard tri-ply stainless with no attributes that stand out.

Imarku is probably better known for their knives: a Japanese brand made in Germany and China. They are priced economically and get mixed reviews on knife sites. Expect about the same from the cookware.

*Kitchara

Kitchara: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

Kitchara 8 Piece Set (Amazon, about $400 for 8 pc set) 

5 ply cookware made in China, assembled in the US. With the 5-ply construction, this set is probably meant to compete with All-Clad D5 (which costs more). The Kitchara doesn't seem to be available by piece, but the set has excellent pieces, including 10- and 12-inch skillet and 2- and 4-quart sauce pans. It's also very pretty.

It's trendy right now, but we don't like the s-a-s-a-s construction--to be fair, we haven't measured it, but we can assume that with that extra stainless layer, there's less heat-spreading aluminum than you get in All-Clad D3. The cost is similar to the All-Clad D3, but you get better pieces in the Kitchara set--a big plus.

Kitchara also has a helpful website and top notch customer service--more pluses that make us want to give this brand a chance. 

Recommended for the great set pieces, but you'll probably get equally good (or better) performance from Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or  Cuisinart MC Pro, which are both less expensive alternatives. 

Lagostina

Lagostina stainless: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Lagostina Axia on Amazon (10 piece set app. $300--pictured here)

See Lagostina Tri-Ply on Amazon (12 piece set app. $200)

See Lagostina Martellata Copper Clad on Amazon (10 piece set app. $400)

Tri-ply (and Copper "clad" ply), made in China (one or two lines possibly still made in Italy). Lagostina is another brand that we wanted to love. It's a 100 year old Italian company, bought by Groupe SEB in 2005 (the huge French conglomerate that owns All-Clad, T-fal, and many other kitchenware brands). All Lagostina cookware was at one time made in Italy, and if you only paid attention to their marketing, you'd probably think it still is. Phrases like "Italian craftsmanship" and "Italian culture," plus an endorsement by Giada de Laurentis, are plainly meant to suggest Italian-made cookware. But all Lagostina cookware sold in the US is now made in China; according to their Wikipedia page, all of their cookware is now made in China.

The Axia set linked to here has ceramic nonstick skillets. You are much better off buying a set with stainless skillets and supplementing with lower cost cast aluminum nonstick; your stomach won't do flip flops when you have to throw out that clad stainless pan that's still like new on the outside. Ceramic is worse than PTFE/Teflon when it comes to longevity. 

The Martellata line has a copper exterior, but while gorgeous, the copper layer is too thin to add much, if any, performance enhancement. In fact, it appears to be an electroplated coating, about as thick as a piece of paper. If you want copper performance, you need significantly more copper than this (but yes, they are pretty).

For more info on copper cookware, see our Copper Cookware article.

Lagostina is overall very pretty cookware. But the truth is that it's a Chinese brand that's nothing special. We also give it negative points for the deceptive, "Italian crafted" marketing.

You'll get better performance from Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3. For "real" copper cookware, check out Mauviel to see how much the real deal goes for.

le Creuset

Le Creuset stainless: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

le Creuset Stainless Steel Cookware Set 

Made in Portugal (recently transitioned from China). Tri-ply. This cookware is not the same quality as le Creuset's enameled cast iron cookware made in France. The lids are "vented" probably to compete with "waterless" cookware (much of which sells at a higher price point than "regular" clad stainless). 

The good: It's pretty, every piece comes with a lid (including skillets, which for some reason have glass rather than stainless lids), it has measurement markings inside the pots. 

The bad: It's not made in France, as most people will assume it is. Expensive. Thinner sidewalls than All-Clad D3 (meaning less even heating). 

This le Creuset stainless cookware is a good reminder that just because a manufacturer is top notch for one product doesn't mean they have the same standards for everything. Nowhere is this more true than with cookware! Always, always do your research and don't just buy based on a name or reputation.

Buy instead: All-Clad D3 or anything by Demeyere.

Lenox Stainless Cookware Set

Lenox: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Lenox stainless cookware set on Amazon (10pc, about $170)

Tri-ply full cladding, made in China. This is another Chinese cookware set, quite likely made in the same factory as many of the other no-name brands on Amazon. Lenox sells several products from band saws to table cloths, and are probably best known for their flatware

It's a very pretty cookware set with some nice pieces, including an 8qt stock pot and a 3.6qt deep sauté pan. And at about $17 apiece, the pieces are right on the border between "too cheap to bother with" and "possibly decent quality." 

You can get a 12 piece set of Cuisinart Multicald Pro for about $40 more. The MC Pro is definitely a safer decision, and the set pieces are similar, including the 8qt stock pot.

*Made In

MadeIn Starter Set

See Made In on Amazon

See the Made In website (about $350 for this "Starter" set)

Clad stainless made in USA, all other products made elsewhere. A direct-to-consumer brand that's garnered huge popularity and fierce loyalty among users. In addition to clad stainless steel, they offer carbon steel, copper, and nonstick cookware, plus bakeware, knives, utensils, and numerous other kitchen products.

The clad stainless cookware is made in the USA. Most (or possibly all) of their other products are made overseas, primarily in France (knives, carbon steel, copper cookware, bakeware), with some products also made in Italy (wine glasses) and Hungary (rolling pin).

Made In stainless cookware is 5-ply with three internal layers of aluminum (which gives it a leg up on All-Clad D5). Sidewalls are 2.7mm, beating out All-Clad D3/D5 by 0.1mm; no doubt intentionally, to impress savvy shoppers. 

The Starter set shown here comes with one carbon steel skillet and one stainless steel skillet of the same size. This is kind of a unique set option, and also not all made in the USA. Though carbon steel is a superior choice to nonstick (especially tri-ply nonstick), you'll probably get a better deal buying a set of clad stainless and a carbon steel skillet separately. 

Made In is good quality cookware, and it comes with a lifetime guarantee. We don't like that the name implies it's made in the USA when only their stainless steel products are, but none of their products are made in China, so if that's important to you, MadeIn is a decent option. 

See our Made In vs. Misen review

Magma Nesting Cookware Set

Magma: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Magma cookware on Amazon

Tri-ply full cladding, probably made in China (based on price, about $175 for the 10 piece set). This set of nesting cookware is designed for small spaces like boat and RV kitchens, with the entire set fitting into a space smaller than 10x10x10 inches. That's a pretty slick feature for anyone with a tiny kitchen space--but is the cookware any good? 

It might be fine, meaning that it performs as well as any middle range, Chinese made cookware. The real problem is the handles, because removable handles tend to loosen up to the point of making them very hard--and possibly unsafe--to use. They'll get looser with each use until you'll be afraid to use them to pick a hot pan off a stove.

As you might guess, the pan sizes are also pretty small--although the set does include a 10-inch sauté pan and a 5-quart stock pot (impressive for how tiny the total set is). 

Why not just get a skillet, sauce pan, and stock pot? With these 3 pieces (plus a baking sheet or two), you can do everything you need to do, with no worries about the handles falling off. And for about the same price, you can buy top notch brands like Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro, or even All-Clad D3.

Maxam Waterless Cookware

Maxam: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Maxam cookware set on Amazon (about $260 for the set shown)

Bottom clad, made in China. This is yet another cheap Chinese knockoff of Saladmaster, the original and astronomically priced waterless cookware. Maxam has an added shtick of adjustable vents on the lids, which don't add a lot to the cookware except more pieces to break.

Whether you're interested in waterless cookware or plain ol' clad stainless, you can do better than this set. Maxam is another Amazon importer who sells everything from flasks to luggage. This is probably the same set (meaning: made in the same factory out of the same materials, but with different finishes and labels) as the other Chinese waterless cookware around at this price point. (In fact, see the microreview for World's Finest cookware below--it's almost certainly the exact same product.)

It's got a couple of unique pieces, and the pan sizes are actually decent, with an 11.5" sauté pan and a 7.5 quart roaster. But overall, this is probably not a very high quality set of cookware, and the adjustable vents, which are made of plastic, aren't going to last.

We much prefer Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro, and All-Clad D3. If you want waterless cookware (though we're not sure why you would), the Rösle might be a better option.

Merten and Storck Tri-Ply Skillet

See Merten and Storck skillet on Amazon (about $50 for 12-inch skillet)

Fully clad tri-ply, made in China. Welded handles--so no rivets! This is really inexpensive cookware but it gets great reviews. People say it's heavy and performs well. We can't recommend it because we haven't tried it, but if you're in search of a very affordable brand of fully clad stainless cookware, this might be a good brand to try. As much as we love welded handles, it might be a risk on such an inexpensive brand.

Michelangelo Stainless Cookware

Michelangelo stainless: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Michelangelo stainless cookware on Amazon (about $100 for 10pc set)

Bottom clad, made in China, limited lifetime warranty. Michelangelo is a German cookware company that's been around since the 1930s and formerly known as Michelin. While they boast "German engineering," this is, unfortunately, not the same cookware that was once made in Germany. Michelangelo is better known these days for their budget nonstick "copper" cookware (which is copper-colored and contains no real copper). 

The glass lids and average pieces make this an uninteresting set: 8/10" skillets, 2/2.5qt sauce pans, and 5qt stock pot. Small. 

If you can't afford to buy a better quality set (like Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro), you should probably just start with a skillet and a sauce pan in one of those brands, then add to your pieces as you can afford to. 

*Misen

Misen: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See the Misen website

Made in China. 5 ply full cladding with three internal layers of aluminum. 

The good: Their prices are reasonable, their sets have nice pieces in them, and at 3.0mm thickness, they'll heat evenly and you'll never have to worry about warping. They also make knives and offer a couple of cool sets that include a knife or two.

The bad: Despite the Kickstarter funding, this is made in China. However, the quality is good and users really love this cookware. 

Recommended? Yes. The 3.0mm thick walls are impressive. And judging by reviews, Misen is good quality. If you don't mind a product made in China, Misen is an affordable, good quality brand of stainless cookware.

See our Made In vs. Misen review

Momscook Stainless Cookware

Momscook stainless: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Momscook 11pc set on Amazon (about $140) 

Full tri-ply cladding, made in China. This isn't a well known brand, but we included it because it's pretty cookware with stainless lids and handles and a couple of nice pieces in the set (an 8 qt stock pot with steamer insert and a 3qt sauce pan). The skillets are small (8/9.5"), however, and the 3.5qt sauté pan is pretty average, as well. The stainless is probably 200 grade at this price, meaning it will corrode faster than higher end brands.

You might be tempted to buy it for its "German technology," but there's better stuff out there. 

For about the same cost you can get a 7pc set of Cuisinart Multiclad Pro--a brand of known quality. 

Mr Rudolf Cookware

Mr Rudolf Stockpot

See it on Amazon

Bottom (disc) clad, economically-priced Chinese import with glass lids. Induction compatible. The quality is average, so if you want low-priced pieces for some of your lesser-used cookware, this is a decent option. Probably OEM as some of the pieces look suspiciously like other brands. We don't recommend this for frying pans or other hard use cookware. We also don't care for the glass lids, but if they don't bother you, and the bottom cladding doesn't bother you, it's probably fine if you want to save a few bucks. The sauce pan/double boiler/steamer trifecta pot is a great way to get a lot of functionally at a really low price.

Mueller Duraclad Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Fry Pan

See Mueller Duraclad fry pan on Amazon

Disc-clad, made in China (despite its Austrian heritage). It is mediocre quality, but if you're in the market for an inexpensive, disc-clad skillet, this one comes with a lid--very few stainless skillets are sold with lids. 

Keep in mind this is an 8-inch skillet, which seems to be the only size they currently offer. A nice egg pan or for cooking for one, but too small for most other uses.

Gets pretty good reviews. But if you want an inexpensive stainless skillet, we recommend Cuisinart Multiclad Pro as a safer bet (though unfortunately, no lid.) You'll pay a little more, but the quality is a known factor.

Norpro Cookware

Norpro Krona stainless sauce pan

See Norpro sauce pan on Amazon

Norpro makes dozens of kitchen utensils and gadgets and a few pieces of Krona disc-clad stainless steel pans. Though marketed as an American company, Norpro cookware is made in China. It is an inexpensive, unremarkable brand with all the earmarks of cheap stainless steel cookware: disc cladding, glass lid, and thin, uncomfortable handle. The strainer aspect is nice, and disc cladding is fine for a pan you'll use primarily for liquids. But don't buy a whole set of this stuff.

NutriChef Stainless Pans with DAKIN Etching

NutriChef 8 Piece Triply Cookware Set w:DAKIN Etching Nonstick

See NutriChef stainless cookware set on Amazon

See Nutrichef stainless skillet set (and other pieces) on Amazon

Fully clad, made in Asia (probably China). They're very pretty and get high marks for durability. However, the DAKIN-etched nonstick surface is a problem for us. Not only is it not terribly nonstick--because food gets caught in the nooks and crannies of the surface--but this coating contains PTFE, so it won't last, and won't be safe to use once it starts to degrade (which it definitely will). 

Frankly, we're surprised at all the positive reviews of this cookware. NutriChef makes decent quality Chinese-imported products (we like their vacuum sealers), but the raised nonstick coating is a deal breaker for us.

The glass lids are further indication of mediocre quality cookware.

OXO Good Grips Tri-Ply Stainless Cookware

OXO Good Grips Tri-Ply stainless cookware

See OXO 13pc set on Amazon (just under $400)

See other OXO stainless cookware on Amazon

Full tri-ply cladding, made in China. OXO is better known for their utensils, but they make several lines of cookware, too. This OXO clad stainless gets glowing reviews, and by all accounts is a durable, well made product. At about $30 per piece, and with the OXO reputation, it's probably a good product.

The good: Nice pan sizes, including a 12in. skillet and 8 qt stock pot in the set shown. The sauce pans have curved sides, more like sauciérs, which makes them more functional (a whisk can reach everywhere). Measurements are etched into the insides. All of these indicate thoughtful, well-planned design. They're also very pretty, and have enough heft that we suspect the heating properties are better than average for Chinese tri-ply. They also have a limited lifetime warranty backed by OXO's excellent reputation for customer service.

The bad: Glass lids, unknown heating properties. 

If you don't mind the glass lids, this is a nice set at a reasonable price--less than All-Clad D3, more than our budget favorites Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad and Cuisinart MC Pro. We can't enthusiastically recommend the OXO cookware because we haven't tested it. But with the OXO name, it's probably worth the risk if you like the looks of it. 

Paderno Stainless Steel Cookware

Paderno 11 Pc Stainless Cookware Set

See Paderno cookware set on Amazon

Bottom clad, made in China. We actually kind of like these inexpensive pans. The disc cladding is thick enough to provide decent heat transfer, and they're pretty. We haven't tested them and we know at this price (about $16/apiece for the set) they're probably not 18/10 steel, and who knows what other shortcuts the makers took. Even so, if you're looking for an inexpensive set of disc-clad cookware, these might be the right choice for you.

There seems to be some confusion about where they're made: a number of reviewers said they were made in Canada, but though Paderno is a Canadian company, these pans were definitely made in China. At this low price, of course they were.

RD Roydx Stainless Steel Cookware

RD Roydx 10pc set tri-ply

See RD Roydx on Amazon

Tri-ply, 18/10 cooking surface, magnetic stainless exterior (induction compatible), made in China. Affordable, but not too affordable, with this 10pc set about $300 and the 3-quart sauce pan about $50. We love the stainless lids and hollow, stay-cool handles.

Without measuring and testing it's impossible to form a definitive opinion about this cookware, but it gets great reviews and users seem to love it. It's also pretty and this 10pc set pictured here has some nice pieces, including a 3-quart sauce pan, 7-quart stock pot, and 5-quart sauté pan with lid. 

If you like the looks of the cookware, it's probably worth it, though there are tried and true brands out there that we can say with certainty are good quality i.e., Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad and Cuisinart MC Pro).

Rorence 3.7 Qt Sauce Pan with Strainer Lid

Rorence Stainless Sauce Pan with Strainer Lid

See Rorence sauce pan on Amazon

Bottom clad, probably made in China. Rorence makes several small kitchen utensils, and (apparently) this one piece of cookware. It looks suspiciously like the Avacraft sauce pan (see above), so now we wonder if this is OEM cookware made in China. However, it's different enough from the Avacraft that it probably is not.

At this price--about $50 for this nearly 4 qt sauce pan--it's either overpriced or the quality is decent; reviews indicate the quality is probably good.

We can't recommend it because we haven't tested it, but we wouldn't discourage anyone from buying it, either. It's a nice design and we think it's a nice pan overall.

Rösle Cookware

Rosle Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Rösle cookware on Amazon 

Bottom clad, probably made in China (at about $200 for this 14 piece set, it's doubtful that it's made in Germany). Rösle is probably best known in the US for its high quality kitchen utensils. And they are beautiful, top-of-the-line, utensils--once made in Germany, now made in China.

Being made in China does not automatically mean the quality is poor; many companies have excellent quality control in Chinese factories. However, we can surmise from the price point of this Rösle cookware that the quality isn't top notch, but also probably isn't too bad. Glass lids are an indication of lower quality and cost-cutting.

The discs are thick and wide and should provide fast, even heating.

We would love to recommend the Rösle cookware, having had a long-standing love affair with their gorgeous utensils. And if you want German or waterless styling, this is probably one of the better economy sets to get. Like most of the German-style cookware they have measurements etched inside the pans and are rivetless for easy cleaning (both nice features). But once again, we prefer our tried-and-true faves,  Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro or (if you can afford it) All-Clad D3.

RSVP International Double Boiler

RSVPDoubleBoiler

See it on Amazon

RSVP International is a Chinese importer that sells a number of kitchen tools and utensils, although this is their only piece of cookware (so far). (It's probably an OEM product, as it looks suspiciously like this cookware.) It's a disc-clad, induction compatible double boiler that comes in 1 qt and 2 qt sizes--these are both small, and best used for small batches of delicate sauces. The quality is most likely mediocre, but it gets decent reviews, and it's a piece you probably won't use all that often, so the quality will probably work for you. So if you want a smallish double boiler at an economical price, it's a decent option.

Saflon Tri-Ply

See it on Amazon

Disc-clad, made in Turkey, glass lids. An inexpensive brand that we haven't tested but it's probably not great. The base looks like it has a decent thickness, though. This cookware gets mixed reviews, but has some of the common complaints of cheap stainless cookware, like lids that don't fit well and hold moisture, and the disc separating from the pot. Not recommended.

Schulte-Ufer Sauce Pan Set

Schulte Ufer Sauce Pan Set

See Schulte-Ufer sauce pan set on Amazon

Bottom clad (we think) with copper layer; made in Germany (we think). Schulte-Ufer (see their Amazon page) makes a number of cookware products. It seems like high quality stuff and meant to compete with other top notch European brands like Fissler and Sitram. Unfortunately, these sauce pans get poor reviews, with complaints of rusting and separation of cladding, sometimes after just a week of use. 

Some other Schulte-Ufer products get better reviews, so if you like the looks of the cookware, it's probably mostly good quality. We don't recommend these sauce pans, though.

*Sitram Profiserie Frying Pan

Sitram Profiserie Skillet

See Sitram Profiserie frying pan on Amazon

Bottom clad, induction compatible, made in France. Sitram is a French cookware company known for high quality bottom-clad cookware. Though not popular in the US, perhaps because of the bottom cladding, the quality is similar to Demeyere cookware. with about 5mm of aluminum in the disc. The Sitram Catering line has 2mm of copper in the bottom disc--so it's nice stuff.

Sitram cookware is sold without lids. 

It comes with only a 2 year warranty (pretty much unheard of for good quality cookware in the US), but the quality is good and people really love this cookware. We haven't tested it and give it our recommendation based only on research and reviews, but we don't think you'll be disappointed if you buy it.

Stansport Heavy Duty Clad Cook Set (369)

Stansport 7 Piece Stainless Cookware Set (Camping)

See Stansport cookware on Amazon

Bottom clad, made in China, induction compatible, 18/10 stainless upper body. Stansport is a camping gear company, and this set's suggested use is for camping. There is one "universal" removable handle and one lid to share among all the pots. You can order more handles from their website. We don't love removable handles because they tend to really loosen up over time, but if you're buying a set for camping, it's probably something you can live with.

We love that Stansport provides the aluminum disc thickness, which is 2.0mm. This isn't great for daily cooking, but the cookware is designed for nesting in small spaces and being light enough to carry in a backpack. So for camping, this is nice cookware--and very affordable (much less than the Magma nesting set, though you get fewer pieces).

Stone & Beam Tri-Ply Cookware

Stone & Beam Tri-ply cookware

See Stone & Beam cookware on Amazon

Tri-ply. Based on the price (less than $120 for this 12 piece set), probably made in China, although this isn't made clear in the Amazon writeup. 

Update: This cookware is now Amazon/Stone & Beam, so now owned by Amazon. 

It's actually gorgeous cookware, with a lot of individual pieces available. The 12 quart stock pot is a great buy (and plenty good quality for a stock pot). For daily cookware, however, it's doubtful that this will hold up very well. 

Buy instead: Tramontina Tri-Ply CladCuisinart MC Pro.

Suteck Stainless Steel Frying Pan Set

See Suteck pans on Amazon

Tri-ply. Based on price (and because they don't say), almost certainly made in China. Without testing we can't really speak to the quality of this cookware, but we expect that at this price point it is mediocre; probably a decent choice if you're looking for an affordable set of tri-ply skillets. But we recommend instead going with a known brand such as Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart Multiclad-Pro.

T-fal Multiclad Cookware

T-fal stainless cookware

See T-fal Multiclad cookware set on Amazon (about $150 for 12pc set)

Fully clad tri-ply, made in China. If you love T-fal but don't want nonstick, this is the set to get. It has the best pieces, including a 12in. skillet, 3qt sauce pan, and 6qt stock pot with steamer insert. The small sauce pan (1.5qt) is a filler piece (who needs 3 small sauce pans?).

It's mediocre cookware, with glass lids and thin walls, and you'd probably be happier with Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro.

T-fal Performa Stainless Cookware

T-fal Performa Stainless Set

See T-fal Performa cookware set on Amazon (about $120 for an 11pc set)

Fully clad, made in China. T-fal's stainless set with "Techno Release" technology on the skillets that are supposed to prevent sticking. Our experiences with bumpy-bottomed skillets is that they don't really make food stick less and are harder to clean.

Another mediocre set with average-sized set pieces (8/10" skillet, 1/3qt sauce pans, 5qt stock pot). The measuring spoons are a little bonus, and count as the 11th piece. You have the option to get stainless or stainless/silicone handles. 

Glass lids and thin walls make this a budget set. 

You'd be better off with Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or  Cuisinart MC Pro.

T-fal Stainless Steel Copper Bottom Cookware

T-fal stainless copper bottom cookware

See T-fal Stainless Copper Bottom Cookware on Amazon

Made in China. Bottom-clad. T-fal is best known for its nonstick cookware (in fact the name "T fal" is derived from the word "Teflon"), most of which is of decent, but not stellar, quality. (We like their T-fal Professional skillet, but it is not our favorite because the stamped aluminum is thin compared to cast aluminum nonstick pans you can get for just a few dollars more.)

When you see the 4,000+ positive reviews on Amazon, you might think we don't know what we're talking about. But on this particular Amazon page, T-fal has lumped their stainless cookware in with their nonstick cookware. The vast majority of reviews on this page are for the nonstick cookware, and not the stainless set seen here.

It's not horrible cookware, but it's bottom-clad only, and the copper layer is undoubtedly (at this price) too thin to add much heating performance. And it has glass lids.

We also deduct points for the tricky way they lumped the reviews together, conflating their more popular product with their less popular product.

You're better off with one of our other bargain choices: Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro.

*Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Cookware

Tramontina 12 pc set

See Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad on Amazon

See Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad at Wal-Mart

Made in China and Brazil, with the Chinese being the best deal and no discernible difference in quality. Fully clad tri-ply. See our Tramontina review for detailed info.

This is our choice if you're on a budget. The 12-piece set from Wal-Mart for about $300 is one of the best cookware deals on the planet.

Be careful that you're buying the "Tri-Ply Clad" line of cookware: Tramontina also makes several lines of bottom-clad cookware. They are all good quality, but the Tri-Ply Clad line is the only Tramontina line we recommend.

True Induction TIGourmet 10 Piece Tri-Ply Cookware Set

True Induction TIGourmet set

See the TIGourmet cookware on Amazon

True Induction makes nice induction cooktops (see our review here). So we really want to like their cookware. Compared to other low-cost brands, like Tramontina, however, True Induction is probably a cut below. It's hard to tell, though, because the write up is pretty vague. In fact, it doesn't even list the skillet sizes--bad, bad, bad! 

We also hate the glass lids (but you already knew that if you've been reading this article).

If you want to take a chance on some really low-priced cookware, True Induction has enough brand recognition for us to give it a "maybe." And at about $340 for a 10 piece set, it's a bargain--but not so much of a bargain that it's certain to be absolute crap (i.e., $34/piece).

On the other hand, why take a risk when you can get a known brand for about the same cost (or just a little more)? You're probably better off with one of our other bargain choices: Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro.

*USA Pan

USA Pan cookware

USA Pan 5-ply 8 Piece Set (Amazon--about $365)

USA Pan Skillets (3 sizes, including 13-inch pan with cover) (Amazon)

5-ply made in USA.

This company is better known for its top notch bakeware, but their clad stainless set is well-priced--not cheap, but less than All-Clad D3--and seems to be of good quality. Their set pieces are average, they aren't the prettiest cookware, and the 5-ply is gimmicky. They're also not clear about what the plies actually are, or their thicknesses, both of which makes it hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison with All-Clad D3.

Despite these drawbacks, it's probably decent quality clad stainless cookware at a good price--and made in the USA, if that's important to you. 

If buying US-made cookware is important to you and you want to save some money over All-Clad, give this cookware a try. 

Viking Professional 3 Ply/5-Ply

Viking cookware

See Viking 3-ply Contemporary 10pc set on Amazon (made in China)

See Viking Contemporary cookware on Amazon (made in China)

See all Viking cookware on Amazon

See our Viking cookware review

Viking cookware makes several products, including at least two lines of clad stainless: 3-ply and 5-ply. They also make cast iron, carbon steel, and 2-ply aluminum/stainless. Our favorite is the 3-ply Contemporary, even though it's made in China. We found that it's the best performing of the Viking clad stainless cookware.

Their Titanium line is 7-ply with a titanium cooking surface. At one time it was made in Belgium by Demeyere, but is now made in China. The quality is not what we'd like to see in cookware this expensive. However, this link may go to an older, Belgian-made design; we're not sure. 

The US-made cookware is gorgeous and we wanted to love it. But like so many others, the construction falls short. There are other brands that cost less and will provide better performance.

If you want 5-ply, Demeyere Industry 5 is a better option for the same or even less; Demeyere Atlantis is even better. If you want a tried and true 3-ply, stick with All-Clad D3.

*Vollrath Tribute

Vollrath Tribute skillet

See Vollrath Tribute cookware on Amazon

See other Vollrath cookware on Amazon

Tri-ply, fully clad, made in USA. Vollrath makes several lines of cookware with the Tribute being their top quality line, with sidewalls even thicker than All-Clad D3 (at an amazing 4.3mm) and offering better performance due to a thicker aluminum core. It's also less expensive, with a 12-inch skillet going for under $70. 

The good: Excellent performance, great price, made in USA. Some pans come with a tough silicone handle designed to hold up in commercial kitchens (if it matters to you, be sure which handle you're getting before you buy--the silicone is not a good choice for gas stoves or if you'll frequently put it in the oven). NSF certified for restaurant use. 

The bad: Since it's made primarily for commercial kitchens, it isn't available in sets. It's getting harder to find on Amazon, and lids are sold separately (even for sauce pans and stock pots). And, because of the heavy gauge construction, these are heavy pans--and heavy duty, as well.

Some pieces of Tribute also have 4 rivets (as you can see in the image above), which are a pain to clean around. 

If you want top quality American-made cookware that's built like a tank at a lower price than All-Clad, Vollrath Tribute is a great option. 

About other Vollrath lines: All Vollrath cookware is good quality cookware, with the Tribute being the best. Some of it is made in China.

Wearever Cook and Strain Stainless Steel Cookware

Wearever Cook and Strain stainless cookware

See Wearever Cook and Strain cookware on Amazon 

Made in China. Bottom-clad. Yes, once upon a time this was an American brand, but no more. Despite the glowing reviews, we do not recommend this cookware. Wearever used to be a good brand, but the quality has suffered in recent years.

Cheap, cheap, cheap. There's just no way this can be good quality at this price point. Shell out a little more and get Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro.

Note: As of late 2020, it looks like this cookware may be going away. The product may not be available at this link.

*Winware Stainless Steel Skillet

See Winware skillets at Amazon

See Winware 7 piece set at Amazon

Bottom clad, made in China. Winware is a common brand used in restaurants. It's NSF certified, heavy gauge cookware. Nothing fancy, but durable and will perform well. It is also quite reasonably priced--you can find the 7 piece set for about $100--so if you're looking for good quality disc-clad cookware and don't care about how pretty it is, Winware is a decent option.

WMF

WMF: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See WMF cookware sets on Amazon

Bottom clad cookware, made in China. (Some WMF lines may still be made in Germany, but this one is not.) This is another German brand of waterless style cookware like ELO (in fact, we suspect they may be made in the same factory as they're so similar in appearance and have similar selling points). WMF makes several kitchenware products sold on Amazon, including Silit cookware which is also made in China. 

This WMF cookware actually looks to be pretty well made and could be high quality; the prices are high enough that we suspect this is the case. But we haven't tested it, so we can't recommend it. Unless you really want to try the waterless style cookware, go with  Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro (and incidentally, you can cook "waterlessly" with either of these brands, as well).

Wolf Gourmet Stainless Steel Cookware

Wolf Gourmet stainless cookware: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See Wolf cookware on Amazon (about $1000 for the set shown)

Made in USA. 7-ply (s-a-s-a-s-a-s), fully clad. You'd think Wolf, as a maker of top-of-the-line gourmet appliances, would also have top quality cookware. And their cookware is heavy and well made, that's for sure. Unfortunately, their 7-ply design has alternating layers of aluminum and stainless, and as we've mentioned, internal stainless steel does nothing but slow down the pan's performance. (The claim is that it helps prevent warping, but any pan worth its salt should be heavy enough without added layers of stainless steel.) 

The most you can say about 7-ply cookware is that its mass will make it perform like cast iron. But cast iron is a lot cheaper, and will probably do a better job, as well.

If you want multi-ply cookware with a ton of heat spreading aluminum (not to mention copper and even silver), go with anything by Demeyere

World's Finest 7 Ply Steam Control Cookware Set

World's Finest waterless cookware: Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose

See World's Finest cookware set on Amazon (about $330 for the set shown)

If this set looks familiar to you, see the Maxam microreview above. 

This is the identical cookware! So here is an example of a product made in China and sold to different companies to put their label on it and sell as their own. It happens all the time, and with more than just cookware. 

It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not great either. We know that World's Finest/Maxam are not doing any of their own quality control. And these Chinese OEM products aren't known for high quality. For this reason alone, we would avoid these brands. The gimmicky adjustable vents are another--just more parts to break, without providing anything you can't do yourself by lifting the lid occasionally.

If for some reason you're interested in this cookware, this set is about $80 more than the Maxam set. (And no, that doesn't mean it's better--it's exactly the same.) So go with the Maxam.

Better yet, buy a set backed by a known manufacturer with a lifetime warranty like Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad or Cuisinart MC Pro

*Zwilling/JA Henckels Aurora Cookware

Zwilling/JA Henckels Aurora cookware

See Zwilling/JA Henckels Aurora cookware on Amazon (about $600 for this 10pc set)

5-ply (s-a-a-a-s), made in Belgium. Zwilling/JA Henckels owns Demeyere, and their Aurora is a slightly lower quality version of Demeyere Industry 5.

The Industry 5 is rivetless, this has rivets. The Industry 5 has the Silvinox finish, this does not. But the internal construction is identical: 2 layers of stainless and 3 layers of aluminum, providing excellent performance.

For about half the cost of Industry 5, and about $100 than All-Clad D3, you can have excellent cookware. It's not quite as stellar as the Demeyere Industry 5 it's modeled after, but the heating performance should be identical. Highly recommended.

Final Thoughts on Clad Stainless Cookware

We hope this list has helped you narrow down your search and know that, even if you're on a tight budget, you can still get excellent clad stainless cookware. You just have to do a little research to know what you're looking for.

We may seem picky in that there are only a few brands we really like. But good quality is hard to find these days, especially when you're on a budget. You should be choosy--very choosy. After all, it's your money!

Thanks for reading!

If you found this review helpful, please share:

Clad Stainless Cookware: 55 Microreviews to Help You Choose, pinterest

About the Author

The Rational Kitchen (TRK) is a collaborative effort, but the founder, editor, and writer of most of our articles is Melanie Johnson, an avid cook, kitchenware expert, and technical communications specialist for more than 20 years. Her love of cooking and the frustrating lack of good information about kitchen products led her to create The Rational Kitchen. TRK's mission is to help people make the best decisions they can when buying kitchen gear. 

When not working on product reviews, Melanie enjoys reading, playing with her dog Ruby, vintage video games, and spending time outdoors and with her family.

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    1. We aren’t super familiar with Sitram, but we do know that it is made in France and is highly regarded as a quality brand of cookware. Like other cookware companies, they probably make different levels of quality. I believe most of the lines that are sold in the US are high quality, but as with everything, do your research. Thanks for the comment.

      1. I did look around a bit, looks like they do indeed have a variety of ranges in different qualities.

        The Profiserie line mentioned above, as well a HORTECA line, pop in recommendations as high quality and have a higher price tag. Fairly certain I saw an explicit "made in France" on those.

        Some of the cheaper ones also feature a proud "made in France", such as this "saint germain": https://www.amazon.fr/Sitram-711673-Po%C3%AAle-Saint-Germain-diam/dp/B08482N3JY (in description and printed on the box in the photo), while others have a discreet "imported from china" on the back of the box, like this "sotramovible" https://www.amazon.fr/Sitram-713511-SITRAM-713511-Lot-Sitramovible-Amovible-Tous/dp/B08QDN6CZ5#review-media-gallery_1689597802730. (Check photos)

        Mind you, they all look to be of reasonable quality and fair pricing, my issues are different.

        I guess the lesson here is "always check". I just wish their website was more helpful.

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