Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). The All-Clad D5 Brushed Stainless 10-Piece Set took longer to heat up, so it took more time for us to make caramel and achieve nicely golden-brown chicken. This set also costs $200 more than our upgrade pick (at the time of publishing).
The Open Kitchen by Williams-Sonoma Stainless-Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set has a small, 6-quart stockpot (we recommend at least an 8-quart stockpot), so we opted not to test. We dismissed the Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 12-piece Cookware Set because the rivets weren’t secure on some of the pot handles, causing them to wiggle. This Tramontina set comes with a lifetime warranty that covers manufacturer defects.
It cooked on a par with the Tramontina and All-Clad sets we recommend. But because Goldilocks is a newer direct-to-consumer brand, we don’t know yet how it will Tramontina online discount store perform over time (though we’ll keep using it and update this guide accordingly). When we sautéed chicken, it stuck slightly in the pan, but only a little.
In most of our tests, five-ply cookware didn’t heat as uniformly as regular tri-ply cookware, or the differences were negligible. One exception was the Demeyere 5-Plus 10-Piece Cookware Set (currently out of stock as a full set), which heated impressively evenly. That tramontina pans said, the pans in this set took longer to heat up than those in the All-Clad set. Five-ply cookware also holds onto more heat, so it’s slower to react when you lower the heat on your stove. Ultimately, we don’t think five-ply cookware is worth the extra cost.
When washing the cookware by hand, all I needed was a little soap and a soft dishcloth. Although the cookware is dishwasher safe, Tramontina recommends hand washing and drying to keep it looking and working well. Inside and out, Tramontina’s pans were easy to clean, although the silicone parts were magnets for specks of minced tramontina cookware set herbs. Drips along the porcelain enamel exterior wiped off easily with a damp cloth. For information on how to prevent food from sticking to your stainless steel cookware, check out our blog post on the subject. If you have sticking problems, you may need to lower your cooking temperature and add more fat, butter, or oil.