Best Nonstick Cookware Sets for $100 or Less
In CR’s tests, these nicely priced sets perform just as well as more expensive options
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The most expensive nonstick set in Consumer Reports’ cookware ratings costs close to $850, and showed stellar performance in our tests for nonstick durability, nonstick food release, heating evenness, and speed of heating. But you could also get a set for a small fraction of the price that performs just as well. In fact, our ratings contain a number of top-scoring sets that come in at $100 or less.
Based on our tests, the trade-off for the lower price is usually handles that aren’t as sturdy as those on higher-end cookware and may become loose over time.
To test handle sturdiness, we use a special tensile testing machine to determine how much force it takes to deflect the frying pan’s handle by half an inch, says Breann Chai, who leads cookware testing at CR. The test simulates the effect of repeatedly grabbing the handle while it is on a cooktop, she says. “This will give the consumer an idea of how well the handle will hold up to prolonged use without getting loose or falling off,” she says.
And don’t assume that sets with more pieces are necessarily a better value. “No matter how much you spend on a cookware set, not every piece is a pot or pan, because manufacturers count lids and even utensils as pieces,” says Kelly Moomey, the CR analyst who covers the cookware market.
As you review your options here and in CR’s nonstick cookware set ratings, you’ll see that our ratings indicate whether the manufacturer claims its nonstick surface is made without PTFE (Teflon), which belongs to a class of chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and is linked to health risks. Makers of these pans say they’re safe when used properly, so don’t use metal cooking utensils or abrasive cleaners, or overheat them when cooking. Ceramic nonstick cookware, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same risks.
Below, in alphabetical order, are five standouts from our tests of nonstick cookware sets. Note that prices may fluctuate, so you’ll occasionally see a cookware set that crosses the $100 threshold—and maybe one that’s going for a lot less.
For more information and more choices, see our cookware buying guide and full cookware ratings and recommendations.
The CR Recommended Ayesha Curry Hard-Anodized Nonstick cookware set excels in our heating evenness and speed of heating tests and earns very good scores across the board in every other test we conduct, including nonstick durability and food release, sauce simmer, handle temperature, and even handle sturdiness. This set is oven-safe up to 500° F, but it’s not dishwasher-safe. This 10-piece set includes a nonstick-safe wooden spoon.
The 11-piece Farberware Glide Hard Anodized Ceramic set, which the company claims is made without PTFE, excels in our cooking evenness tests, plus our tests for speed of heating and the ability to evenly simmer tomato sauce. It also receives very good scores for nonstick durability and food release (meaning how easily four eggs cooked consecutively without oil slide out of the frying pan). Like many of the less expensive cookware sets we rate, it receives a mediocre score for handle sturdiness, but the handle will likely stay cool to the touch while you’re cooking, according to our tests.
Another ceramic option worth considering is the Kenmore Arlington Nonstick Ceramic Coated set. It’s roughly the same price as the Kenmore Elite Andover Nonstick Platinum below (which has a traditional nonstick coating), but has a slightly higher Overall Score and includes 12 pieces instead of 10. It also scores better than the Elite for handle sturdiness, although it still received just a middling rating in that category. Nonstick durability is very good, but not excellent.
The Kenmore Elite Andover Nonstick Platinum cookware set excels in our tests for nonstick durability—its traditional nonstick coating performs better in this test than that of the Kenmore ceramic set above, meaning it can withstand up to 2,000 strokes of steel wool. It also nails our tests for nonstick food release, cooking evenness, and speed of heating. Its performance is also very good in our sauce simmer tests. This set is very good at keeping handle temperatures low enough to touch (without a potholder) while in use on the stovetop.
The 10-piece Red Copper Ceramic Infused nonstick set aces our tests for quickly bringing water to a near-boil, for slowly simmering tomato sauce, and for heating evenly, evaluated using a thermal imaging camera. Eggs did stick a bit in our food-release test, so this set earned just a middling score for that measure. When we tested this set for the presence of 69 different types of PFAS as part of a spot check of just a few pans in our ratings, we didn’t detect any, supporting the manufacturer’s claim that it’s PTFE-free.
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