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Trust us, the non-stick's dreamy
Tested by Blossom BoothroydHomes Testing Manager
A good pan set will make cooking and hosting easy, whatever's on your menu. Stylish pans can even double as serving dishes (case in point: the Always Pan), making it a purchase that you want to get right, whether you’re kitting out a new kitchen or giving your collection a refresh.
That’s where the House Beautiful homes experts come in. We've tried pan after pan to find the best sets for every hob and kitchen. Here are our favourites at a glance:
As well as dealing with the obvious question about whether the set you’re looking at has enough saucepans and frying pans to suit your cooking needs, there are a couple of other considerations when investing in cookware.
First up, you need to decide what material you’re after. Stainless steel is a classic; it’s long-lasting and generally dishwasher safe. It can be used with any food type (unlike some more reactive metals like copper), but fares best on low settings. If it doesn't have a non-stick coating, use a generous splash of oil to avoid food clinging or burning.
Another reliable material choice is aluminium. Generally, these pans will have a non-stick coating which makes them easy to clean, and scratch- and stain-resistant.
If you have an induction hob, you’ll also need to check that the pan set is compatible. All the ones on this list are, apart from the Amazon Basics set.
Finally, consider the care they need; many can handle the dishwasher, but not all. That said, a good non-stick coating makes hand washing a breeze, and if you want to keep your set pristine for years to come, it’s undoubtedly the safer option. Using wooden utensils also helps to minimise scratching and scuffing.
Our homes experts test pan sets by donning their aprons and cooking up a feast of household favourites, including pancakes, fried eggs, meat, sauces, caramel and rice.
Throughout testing, we assess the effectiveness of the non-stick coatings, the design of the pans, and how easy they are to use and clean. If in line with manufacturer guidance, we try the pans in the oven and the dishwasher.
Below are the picks we'd award a Michelin star...
There’s only one pan we’d show off on Instagram, and it’s this fashionable and versatile number. The must-have one-pan act can be used as a frying pan, steamer, saucepan, sauté pan and saucier, and there’s a nifty built-in spoon rest on the handle.
It’s not all talk, either; our testers raved about its perfect sunny-side-up egg capabilities, effective non-stick and quick rinse design. Choose between seven colourways; we’ll take one in sage.
| Set includes: | 25.4 cm diameter x 6.86 cm deep pan with beechwood spatula and stainless steel steamer basket with lid |
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This cheap pan set makes a cheerful kitchen addition thanks to its quick heat-up times and trusty non-stick. Our meat browned evenly in the frying pan and there was little leftover residue after cooking.
The set is dishwasher-friendly but you can’t use the pans on induction hobs or in the oven — while no biggie for some, if you’re the sort of chef who does lots of hob-to-oven cooking, scroll on.
| Set includes: | 20cm and 25cm frying pans, 1.41L and 2.12L saucepans with lids, 2.83L casserole pan with lid |
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There’s always something so sweet about a miniature, and the compact iterations of the beloved Always Pan and Pot mean that even the most bijou of kitchens can enjoy their cult good looks, be it in coordinated lavender or mix-and-match colourways.
Our experts found the non-stick coating generally reliable on both pot and pan, although caramel stuck a bit to the former and fried eggs to the latter. Meat browned well though and our pancakes were standout, making them firm regulars on our brunch menu.
| Set includes: | 2.4L pot and 1.1L pan, beechwood spoon and spatula with lids |
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If the Le Creuset set above caught your eye but is out of budget, then may we offer this alternative. The M&S set is much more than a dupe; on test this timeless-looking set excelled, notably frying eggs to perfection.
The saucepans don’t have a non-stick coating, so some food did stick, but this was nothing a good soak and a little elbow grease couldn’t fix. We’d have liked comfier handles, but rounded sides meant serving food was easy and mess-free, and they stacked away well too.
| Set includes: | 14cm milk pan, 16cm, 18cm and 20cm saucepans with lids, 24cm frying pan |
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The non-stick on this set is so good, they only need a quick wipe to clean – dreamy, right? Not to mention, they also emerged from the dishwasher looking tip-top.
Cooking with them was also a doddle, but they took a while to cool down afterwards and were a touch slow on induction hobs. But they should last a long time and the handles are comfortable, making them an all-round great buy.
| Set includes: | 16cm milk pan, 16cm, 18cm and 20cm saucepans with lids, 24cm frying pan |
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Made with 75 per cent recycled aluminium, these pans are literally and figuratively green. You can also recycle them and their non-stick is made with palm-oil-free plant-based materials.
They cook nicely too — our food slid away from the pan effortlessly. They're even easy to wash up, which is handy as we found they were liable to damage in the dishwasher.
| Set includes: | 16cm, 18cm, 20cm saucepans with lids, 20cm and 24cm frying pans |
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Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. Blossom’s most notable accomplishment in the lab has been toasting 528 slices of bread in her quest to find the best toasters money can buy. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.
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