For example, the Cuisinart Multiclad Pro skillet has a better shape–i.e., more flat cooking surface–than the Tramontina skillet. But the Tramontina has a 12-inch skillet in its 12 piece set. If you’re getting a set, these are both good options that offer a lot of variety (so you can get as close to exactly what you want as possible). As we discussed above, however, there is a wide variety in quality of the stainless steel used in cookware. Manufacturers of inexpensive clad stainless use lower quality steel; they have to, or they couldn’t make a profit. No, clad stainless steel not as easy to wash as nonstick cookware, but if you use the right technique, it’s not nearly as bad to care for as some people might think.
If you’re new to clad stainless cookware, you should know that there’s a learning curve to cooking with it, especially if your background is nonstick. If you want the best tramontina pans of the best (and can afford it), Demeyere Atlantis is the cookware to get. And even if you don’t want to get a whole set, consider investing in a Proline skillet.
Glass and ceramic bakeware can be great (again, because of their insulating properties), but for cookware, they’re a poor choice. Another shopper who said the pan made cooking fun raved over its nonstick capabilities too. “I always thought ‘nonstick’ was just a marketing gimmick for pans that were only slightly easier to clean, but this thing is legit. The stickiest foods slide off with ease.” Tramontinas Pro, Prima, Tri-Ply Clad, and Knife, collections are made in Brazil and may not be assembled in the USA.
If you want to invest in some pieces and save on others, we recommend a Proline or D3 skillet and sauté pan, and Multiclad Pro for sauce pans, sauciers, stock pots, and roasting pans. The clad stainless steel cookware market is huge, and with most of it made in China, the quality often just isn’t there. These 5 top brands offer the best options at several price points. In fact, if you can’t afford even our budget picks (the Tramontina or Multiclad Pro), we suggest you forego a set and just buy two or three essential pieces, and add to them as you can. Clad stainless cookware at a lower price point is probably not worth the investment.
And though a lot of stainless cookware sets contain similar sized pans, we gave special credit to sets with large skillets and/or sauce pans (we’re looking at you, Tramontina). The best stainless steel cookware is going to have a thick heating core to provide even heating. It will also have enough stainless steel for excellent durability and resistance tramontina cookware set to warping. In this review, we will look at Demeyere Atlantis, which has some pieces with full cladding and some pieces with disc cladding. Atlantis cookware is so different from what Americans like and know, we almost didn’t list as one of the top 5 brands. But it really is that.much.better than other clad stainless cookwares on the market.
We were able to narrow the field a bit by eliminating cookware that failed to meet some basic criteria. Aluminum cookware is inexpensive and has terrific heating properties, but it is a soft metal that wears down easily and reacts with food. There is some evidence that aluminum isn’t safe, and it can impart off flavors to food. However, aluminum cookware is usually coated with a nonstick coating, either PTFE (Teflon) or ceramic, so the potential dangers of aluminum aren’t applicable. Most bare aluminum cookware is found in restaurant supply stores and is extremely reasonably priced.
The more important measure is the actual thickness of the heating core. Cladding comes in many forms and many levels of quality and heating performance. If cookware is “nickel-free,” it’s probably 400-grade stainless throughout, which is not as corrosion resistant. Tramontina sells many products, including cookware, bakeware, outdoor collections, kitchen accessories, and flatware in over 120 countries. Learn more about Tramontina Cast Iron Cookware in my article reviewing Tramontina cast iron Dutch ovens. Nonstick food release score reflects the nonstick qualities of a pan’s interior by cooking four eggs consecutively without oil.
We prefer the Multiclad Pro for its equivalent performance and lower price point. As for handles, most clad stainless steel cookware has steel handles, but a few otherwise good brands have silicone tramontina pans handles (Vollrath, for example). Silicone will wear out way sooner than stainless, leaving you with a pot without a handle. The array of clad stainless steel cookware brands is overwhelming.