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Goldilocks Cookware Set
Quality cookware is essential.
If you want to cook with confidence—or help a novice cook get a solid start—quality cookware is essential. You don’t have to spend a ton of money; choosing well is key. We usually insist that you buy cookware piece by piece so you pay for only what you need. Even so, people continue to ask us about cookware sets. There have been some interesting developments since the last time we tested cookware sets, so we decided to take another look.
Goldilocks Cookware Set
BEST BUY - RECOMMENDED
This set was a heartbreaker. It has well-designed, balanced pans with practical sizes and shapes and comfortable, cool handles at an outstanding price. Everything cooked beautifully. And then, on the last day of abuse testing, the skillet warped badly as we heated it to 500 degrees on an induction burner, leading us to worry about the set’s durability. (A second copy of the pan did not warp when we heated it more gradually to 500 degrees, however.)
We maintain strict objectivity in all testing.*
PERFORMANCE ★★★
CLEANUP/DURABILITY ★
EASE OF USE ★★★
COMPOSITION OF SET ★★★
KEY: GOOD ★★★ FAIR ★★ POOR ★
Details
Pieces: 4 pans, 3 lids: 8 qt stockpot with lid, 3 qt saucepan with lid, 1.5 qt saucepan with lid, 10 in skillet
Materials: Fully-clad tri-ply stainless and aluminum
Item Number: ATKGCS
Item Weight: 3.09 pounds
Shipping
How We Tested Cookware Sets
We tested eight cookware sets, comparing the skillets, saucepans, sauté pans, and stockpots or Dutch ovens from each set. In the skillets, we made steak with pan sauce and browned beef for shepherd’s pie. In the saucepans, we browned butter and made the mashed potatoes for the shepherd’s pie. In the sauté pans, we made Swedish meatballs and sautéed kale. In the stockpots/Dutch ovens, we cooked angel hair pasta and made beef Burgundy. We rated the four pieces of cookware on their performance, ease of use, and cleanup/durability. We also evaluated the full composition of pans in each set.
Winning Traits
- Fully clad tri-ply stainless steel construction
- Excellent selection of sizes and pans
- Well-designed inexpensive starter set
- Dishwasher-safe
- Three lids fit all four pans
* OBJECTIVITY FIRST, LAST, AND ALWAYS.
America’s Test Kitchen does not accept advertising and conducts equipment tests without the knowledge of product manufacturers. Exclusive equipment offers are sourced only after the test results have been published in our magazines and on our websites.