The durable Quantanium nonstick cooking surface, reinforced with titanium for lasting food release, is perfect for lowfat diets. This stainless steel Cuisinart set has an impact-bonded aluminum base, which guarantees even heating, and the tempered glass covers allow you to see exactly what’s going on with your cooking. This slow cooker has a sleek design with a stainless steel housing, chrome-plated handles and easy push-button controls. This is also the only slow cooker we tested that offers a retractable cord — ideal for both aesthetics and safety.
The set consists of 1.5- and 3-quart covered saucepans, 8- and 10-inch open skillets, a 3.5-quart covered saute pan, an 8-quart covered sauce stockpot, and a steamer insert with a lid. The brushed cuisinart griddler elite stainless steel collection usually costs nearly $700, but right now, you can nab it for under $300. Calphalon stainless steel cookware is compatible with all cooktops, including induction.
Le Creuset’s Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 5½-Quart Round French Oven is the best Dutch oven you can buy. It’s the most durable oven we’ve tested, and we think it’s the best option for cooks who want a heritage piece of cookware. Le Creuset’s oven turns out great food every time, and it’s the most enjoyable to use of any we tested. Le Creuset’s oven is one of the lightest we tested and has the largest handles, which makes it the easiest oven to cook with and to clean.
These extra layers of metal make this cookware thicker, stronger, and more resistant to warping. However, Calphalon’s premium collection, Calphalon Signature, features two additional layers of heat conductive material resulting in faster and more even heat distribution. Two Cuisinart non-stick collections are cuisinart soup maker compatible with induction cooktops (Calphalon non-stick cookware is not). Calphalon and Cuisinart both offer a wide variety of cookware collections that range from pricey multi-clad stainless steel to low-cost aluminum non-stick. Well, calling any slow cooker a Crockpot is like calling a tissue a Kleenex.
One of the great things about cooking in cast iron is that the pot is nice enough to serve out of. But if you don’t want to place a piping hot pot of food on the delicate wood dining table, this cast iron trivet is a must. It has rubber foot coverings so it won’t scratch soft surfaces, and fits nearly any size dutch oven or skillet. A full cast iron skillet can be a very heavy thing to maneuver around the kitchen, especially if it’s hot out of the oven. They’re designed to fit snugly on the handle of most cast iron frying pans and protect the cook’s hand from heat and slipping. But we have heard from some readers and Wirecutter staffers that the enamel on their Lodge ovens has chipped.