All-Clad D3 3-Ply Stainless Steel Nonstick Cookware Set: This is the priciest set we tested, but it lived up to our very high expectations during testing. The pots and pans have smart design features, like flared rims for mess-free pouring and durable riveted handles. They're made from gleaming stainless steel, with an incredibly slick and shiny black nonstick interior.
You can tell a lot about how durable your pans are by their weight and materials. Stainless steel, for example, is an especially long-lasting metal that heats evenly and maintains its temperature well. Heavier pans with riveted handles will also hold up to regular wear and tear better than lightweight options. To keep your cookware in tip-top shape as long as possible, follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning and utensils. Many nonstick coatings are easily scratched by metal cookware, so stick to wood or silicone.
Your perfect cookware set depends on how you plan to use it. If you're an occasional home cook who needs a great pan for omelets and reheating leftovers, a pared-down, cheaper set, like our Amazon Basics pick, will do the trick. If you're a regular entertainer or ambitious home cook, consider investing in a more comprehensive set with stockpots and saute pans, like our favorite dishwasher-safe pick from Calphalon. Oven-safe sets and those with multiple lids are also more versatile, like the Rachael Ray Cook + Create set.
This goes without saying, but safety should always be a consideration when working within a cooking space. Specifically, with nonstick coating, you should look for pans that are free of PFAs, a potentially dangerous chemical that could be released into the air if the pan is overheated and the coating begins to degrade. Five years is the average lifespan of nonstick cookware. If the cooking surface is pitted or starts to peel, it needs to be replaced.
To preserve the life of your cookware, follow the manufacturer's instructions for care. Most nonstick pans are easy to hand-wash, but there are dishwasher-safe options if you hate doing dishes, including the Calphalon set we love. That said, the coating will last longer if you wash even dishwasher-safe cookware by hand.
If you have grip strength limitations, opt for a lighter cookware set, such as the Farberware set. Just note that lighter pots and pans will heat faster, so keep an eye on things to avoid burning. Heavier cookware sets tend to heat food more evenly and can also withstand higher temperatures.
There's a pretty wide range of prices in nonstick cookware sets, from a budget-friendly $65 for the Amazon Basics set to a whopping $600 for Made In's set. The average price of the products we tested was around $400, and we think that's a reasonable price for a quality set, but if you want extra pieces or high-end design features, expect to pay more.
In search of the best nonstick cookware sets, our team of experts put 16 leading cookware sets through a series of tests in our PEOPLE Tested kitchen lab.
Ultimately, the Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick Pro Cookware Set rose to the top during testing. It's a durable, comprehensive set of pots and pans that were easy to clean and performed great across the board.
Lizzy Briskin is a contributing shopping writer for PEOPLE, as well as a food editor and recipe developer with culinary training from Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. She's the former print food editor at Real Simple and Food Network Magazines and regularly tests and writes about all kinds of cookware. For PEOPLE, she has covered the best kitchen knives, food storage containers, and single-serve coffee makers, to name a few. She compiled testing results from an expert panel of private and restaurant chefs, food stylists, and advanced home cooks for this guide.
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