Best Stainless Steel Cookware Sets for $300 or Less
These sets of stainless pots and pans deliver good quality on a budget
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Stainless steel cookware is versatile and works on every type of cooktop, including induction. As our tests confirm, good-quality stainless pans heat up quickly and evenly. Better yet, stainless pans don’t have the potentially harmful coatings found on many nonstick pans. That also means you can cook at higher heat, and no special utensils are necessary—so bring on the metal spatulas.
To resist corrosion, stainless steel cookware is made from an alloy that contains some chromium and nickel. Layers of other metals, typically copper or aluminum, are added to enhance heat conduction. Pans labeled as "tri-clad" or "tri-ply" have three layers of metal on the bottom, typically stainless steel on the inside and outside, and a layer of aluminum or copper sandwiched in between.
When buying cookware in a lower price range, it’s particularly important to check our ratings for handle sturdiness to make sure they can withstand the wear and tear of everyday cooking. CR puts all the cookware we rate through a stress test that applies force to the handles and scores them on how well they withstand it. More expensive pans tend to do better on this test. Once handles on less expensive cookware get wobbly, you may need to replace the entire set, negating your initial savings.
Below, listed in alphabetical order, are the stainless cookware sets that did a great job in our tests and cost $300 or less. For more cookware choices—including all the cookware sets we tested—see our full ratings and recommendations.
This 11-piece stainless steel cookware set from The Cellar includes two frying pans, two saucepans, a sauté pan, a stockpot, a silicone trivet, and four lids. The set, a Macy’s exclusive, aces our cooking evenness, speed of heating, and food release tests. It is also easy to clean. The handles stay safe and cool, but they aren’t the sturdiest.
The Cuisinart SmartNest N91-11 stainless steel cookware set has six pans equipped with tabs that make stacking easier. This 11-piece set, which includes a lid organizer, is consistently a strong performer across our tests, earning top marks for cooking evenness and egg release from an oil-coated pan. And its results in our tests for simmering and bringing water to a boil are almost as good. Like other stainless cookware, this set is oven-safe up to 500° F without lids, and the handles are sturdy and stay cool to the touch.
Henckels may be known more for cutlery than cookware, but the 10-piece Henckels Clad H3 set is worth a look. Its cooking evenness and speed of boiling are both excellent, and the pans were almost as good at simmering sauces and releasing fried eggs without a mess. The handles stay cool to the touch when cooking and are very sturdy, unlike some cookware sets in this price range. In the box are six pans and four lids, including two frying pans, two saucepans, a sauté pan, and a stockpot.
The 8-piece Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad set has enough pans to satisfy most of your cooking needs while not taking over an entire kitchen cabinet. These pans excel at quickly bringing water to a boil, cooking evenly, and releasing cooked-on eggs. They also earn a very good rating in our sauce-simmer test. The handles stay safely cool to the touch and are very sturdy. The set includes two frying pans, two saucepans, a stockpot, and three lids.
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