The Best Specialty Cookware
If you're like most home cooks, you were probably brought up thinking that all you needed was a pot, a pan, and a spatula to cook just about every meal. This is especially true if you went away to college and spent four years doing just that–thanks to donations from your mom. But step foot in a professional kitchen and you'll find out you couldn't have been more wrong. Everything you've ever ordered in a restaurant–even if it was takeout–was cooked using tools that had specific jobs to do. Eggs, sauces, stir fry, steaks, and everything in between are cooked in their own special vessel, and the tools used to stir, mix, flip, and serve them are all unique. If you want to impress anyone who sits down at your dining room table, get better results with your cooking, and feel a bit more confident when it comes to your cooking savvy, having the right equipment at your disposal is critical. So, we've sorted through some of the best specialty cookware available–many of them available in sets–so the next time you cook just about anything, you've got the right tool for the job.
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Most User-Friendly
T-fal Specialty 3 PC Initiatives Nonstick Inside and Out
Nonstick 3-Pan Set
T-fal gives nonstick cookware an upgrade with this 3-piece set that includes 8-inch, 9.5-inch, and 11-inch fry pans. Each boasts T-fal’s ProGlide nonstick interior and exterior and Thermo-Spot Indicator.
What We Liked
If you’re looking for a mess-free and easy way to clean up after some of your favorite breakfast and lunch dishes, the 3-piece T-fal Initiatives Nonstick set has you covered. Each pan is coated fully inside and partially on the exterior (minus the heating element base) with T-fal’s toxin-free ProGlide nonstick that allows food to effortlessly glide off the pan and onto your plate, making cleanup a breeze. The pans also tackle the bane of any home cook’s existence: not knowing when your pan is sufficiently hot. Thanks to T-fal’s Thermo-Spot Indicator, the red ring around the T-fal logo in the center of the pan will start to glow red when your pan has reached its optimal pre-heated temperature. The pan’s riveted handles are sturdy and heat-resistant, and the pan is oven safe up to 350-degrees. It’s also entirely dishwasher safe. Get it here.
Most Versatile
Ecolution Non-Stick Double Burner Griddle 12″ x 18″
Even Heating and Smooth Nonstick Cooking
Made of heavy-gauge aluminum and coated with a smooth non-stick surface, this dual-handled 18 x 12-inch griddle allows you to cook bacon and eggs, pancakes, steak, fish, and a host of other family-style meals with a near-restaurant quality flattop surface.
What We Liked
From Ecolution’s line of nonstick cookware that includes pot, pan, chicken fryer, reversible grill, and cookware set options, this 12 x 18-inch flattop non-stick double burner griddle is an easy way to feed the entire family using only your stovetop and a single cooking surface. It uses Ecolution’s hydrolon nonstick coating, which is a water-based, PFOA-free and dishwasher safe coating that allows food to easily slide off without sticky messes. Buy it now.
Most Stylish
Cuisinart MCP-12N Multiclad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set
Look, Cook, and Serve Like a Pro
Cuisinart’s 12-piece Multiclad Pro set (also available in 7 and 10 pieces) offers pots and pans with excellent heat retention and distribution, drip-free pouring rims, tight-fitting lids, and a sleek appearance worth showing off.
What We Liked
Nothing demonstrates a clean and orderly kitchen (and chef) like glistening pots and pans with mirrored finishes. That’s why the 12-piece Multiclad Pro set from Cuisinart is a cookware set you’ll not only be proud to cook with but also to keep on display for guests to ogle over. The set includes 1.5 and 3 quart saucepans, 8 and 10-inch open skillets, 3.5 quart covered sauté pan, 8-quart covered stockpot, and a steamer insert with lid. Each piece is triple-ply constructed that’s resistant to hot spots and discoloring. It’s all oven safe up to 550 degrees, suitable for induction cooktops, dishwasher safe, and bearing beautiful polished cook surfaces. Buy it here.
Most Convenient
All-Clad E7859064 HA1 Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan Cookware Set
Fast, Even Heating and Easy Cleaning
Constructed of hard-anodized aluminum with a PFOA-free, scratch-resistant nonstick coating, this 2-piece fry pan set allows for even cooking on any stovetop heating element and ovens up to 500 degrees.
What We Liked
On the outside, these All-Glad fry pans appear sturdy; on the inside, they’re built to outperform the non-stick competition. They’re made using hard-anodized aluminum that lends to excellent heat distribution and even heating throughout the pan, even on high-heat induction cooktops or inside scolding hot ovens (up to 500 degrees). They offer stainless steel handles with comfortable contours that are sturdily secured to the pans with stainless steel rivets that won’t budge after years of use and abuse. Hand-washing is recommend (as is the case for most non-stick), but these pans are dishwasher safe, though cleanup is sure to be as simple as a rinse and a wipe thanks to the All-Clad nonstick surface. Get it now.