Our Complete Guide to Pots

This is the ultimate guide to our tried and true, time-tested, and favorite pots for all your cooking needs.

A few years ago, we posted a really exhaustive guide to pots, covering every type and price range possible. We interviewed the experts and wrote up all their advice and guidance. We realize, though–it was too much! When there’s too many suggestions, it’s hard to choose.

So, we thought it was time for a new post, focusing only on the sets and individual pots that we love, that we’ve personally tested and can recommend.

After all, readers ask us “Which pots do you recommend?” over and over again.

So, now, in time for Yom Tov, this is our new ultimate guide to pots and pans, featuring only the items we love through our own collective experiences, all in one place. 

When looking for a new set of pots, you might have read different reviews online for various sets. The truth is, though, you can’t compare the use that your pots will get compared to the average American household. We cook A LOT and we cook for large families and for guests, for Shabbos, for Yomim Tovim, day in and day out. 

We’ve left our reader comments up from the previous version of this post as we feel that they have shared experiences that will also be helpful in helping you make a decision.

Best Budget Pot Sets Under $150

Pot sets in this range are not Tri-Ply, rather, only the base of the pot has aluminum encapsulated within the stainless steel, not the sides.  That means that heat only travels to the food through the bottom rather than throughout. These pots are lighter in weight and less expensive, but still decent quality for the budget-minded consumer.

Farberware Classic Stainless Steel Cookware

• We have mixed feelings about Farberware. Sure, they’re the cookware our mothers used for years and years. They’re time-tested. And while they’re still the most solid option in the price range ($135 for a 15 piece set is a great deal, we can’t deny), the quality isn’t the same as it used to be–in our experience, the handles do get loose and/or broken over time. We do, however, think this is a great option for Pesach. With only a week or so of usage a year, they’ll be reliable for a good time to come. See more on our reader’s reviews and experiences in comments below. Also note that plastic handles aren’t oven safe. Find them at Kitchen Clique here and Amazon here.

Cuisinart Chef Stainless Steel 7-Piece Set

• These are probably the best value and most highly rated pots in this price range on the market. We like that there’s stainless steel handles and lids (other pot sets in this price range incorporate glass and plastic). The 7-Piece set is perfect for your dairy or for someone who doesn’t need/want to store so many pots.  It has just the perfect pieces you need and nothing you don’t. Buy them at Kitchen Clique here or Amazon here.

Best Overall Value

Tramontina Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Cookware Set

• The overall best value in pots. They’re solid, sturdy, and they distribute heat evenly. They’re a great lower cost alternative to All-Clad. Most of us own a set of these, after hearing the raving reviews from other team members. Definitely recommended for kallahs, since they’ll likely last a lifetime and aren’t as pricey as the higher end options. Note that Costco has a lower priced set of Tramontina with different pot sizes also available (it doesn’t have the giant saute pan that we love in this set). Buy them at Amazon here.

All Clad D3 Tri-Ply Cookware Set

• All Clad is simply the gold standard, own forever, never-need-to-buy-pots again in your lifetime set you’ll use and abuse and they’ll always stand by you, as well as the day they were new. This set is Tri-Ply, but you can get even more heat conduction and performance in the D5 Cookware Set, which is a set up in cost.  

Le Creuset Tri-Ply Cookware Set

• Another beautiful, high quality, last-forever set. Yes, Le Creuset might be known for their Dutch Ovens and enameled cookware but they make top quality stainless steel too and we love this set as well. If you’re a serious cook and you want top quality pots for dairy and not only meat, but you want two different brands to avoid confusion, this is perfect. Buy at Kitchen Clique here and Amazon here.

Michalangelo Copper Non Stick Frying Pan

• This pretty nonstick pan also comes with a lid, so it’s useful for more than the typical skillet. Plus, it cleans really easily. It’s a great value for the price.

Zwilling Spirit Nonstick Frying Pan

• Leah has been completely obsessed with this pan for over 11 years. She recommended it to Renee, who also loves it. Why is it worth it to buy a pricey skillet? Think evenly fried schnitzel, for one. Do you know when the oil is hotter on one side of the pan than the other and food doesn’t cook evenly? When some of it burns and some of it is raw? Because this pan is heavy Tri-Ply, the heat distributes evenly and quickly, and that means, yes, your food will be more reliable and consistent too! Good equipment matters!

OXO Grill Pan

• Leah prefers buying inexpensive grill pans and replacing them as needed (grill pans do show their age quicker vs. other pans). And when it comes to well-priced grill pans, the OXO is a great one. It’s strong enough to do a great grilling job, but you won’t mind replacing it when the time comes.

All-Clad Hard Anodized Grill Pan

• Really the best performing grill pan and easy to clean too.

All-Clad Hard Anodized Double Grill Pan

• This is the same grill pan as above, but in double the size. It goes over two burners. If you’re not a big outdoor griller, you’ll love this. Victoria loves being able to get tons of food grilled simultaneously–it’s great when you’re serving a crowd freshly grilled meat, when you want to throw on a variety of foods (hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, and chicken–whatever you want, it’s all ready), or when you need to have 18 chicken skewers ready to serve simultaneously. If you’re using just one burner, you can move the “ready” items to the other side to keep them warm without cooking further.

Black Speckled Roasting Pans

• Ditch the tins when cooking meat. Read why here. But you don’t need an expensive roasting pan for great results. Granite Ware aka “those black speckled roasting pans” are the absolute best value in the kitchen. Leah also loves them for sourdough and all meats. They are very lightweight and take up very little space. Leah finds that they do the job as well as expensive Dutch ovens and Victoria agrees that they’re the best go-to for meat as well! Even though they’re inexpensive, they’ll last a lifetime. Note that there are many sizes, you might need a couple different ones.

Favorite Dutch Ovens

Milo Classic Dutch Oven

• It looks pretty (it’s in Dinner Done!) and cooks very well at a price point that’s better than the bigger brand names.

Le Creuset Dutch Oven

• Renee nabbed one in Home Goods and paid less but it’s really a fantastic pot, and it’s worth the hype! Her sourdough comes out amazing in it.

Le Creuset Enamel Stockpot

• We love, love this stockpot! These come in lots of sizes (from pasta to soup), and we love them for a few reasons. First, you get the Le Creuset quality, no question. Second, the enamel on steel stockpots are much lower-priced than the coated cast iron, and they’re also lighter, so they’re easier to take in and out of the cabinet/drawer. Third, they’re so pretty! It’s so much fun to take it out. For under $100 and you get the joy of having something pretty sitting on your cooktop. Choose the color that matches your kitchen! One of uses this as her soup pot for meat (the 10 or even the 16 quart size is great for that) and another one of us uses the 8 quart as her #1 go-to pot for pasta (give the pasta a stir once you pour it in) and all things dairy. Buy it at Kitchen Clique here and on Amazon here.

All Clad Stainless Steel Stockpot

• If you already or are considering going for the All Clad D3 set, this will come with it. It’s also available on its own (note that open stock pots are costlier than a set).  A couple of us own this All Clad stockpot and it’s amazing for cooking anything like a roast or a soup or anything really. A good pot lasts a lifetime. It’s serving a couple of us amazingly well for 20 years each!

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