New in this update: After a few additional months of testing, we found an additional budget cookware set to recommend from the DTC brand Goldilocks.

The best cookware set is a 7-piece cookware set

In the grand scheme of cookware sets, a 7-piece set is relatively small. But after much conversation and debate, we think it will cover all the most common cooking tasks. The specific pieces that make up a cookware set vary slightly from brand to brand—some include a steamer insert, while others have a second saucepan instead—but 7-piece cookware sets are generally consistent in what they offer. Most have a stockpot, a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, a medium- to large-size skillet (between 10″ and 12″ in diameter), and a sauté pan. The other three pieces are actually just the lids.

With these four tools, a home cook is able to accomplish a large swath of stovetop tasks in the kitchen: pan-frying, deep-frying, sautéing, boiling, braising, searing, stewing, saucing, melting, tempering, steaming, and the list goes on. As for specific cookware sets to buy, we picked out a few below. Two are top choices from our product tests and the third comes as a recommendation from deputy food editor Hana Asbrink.

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The best cookware set overall: All-Clad D3 or D5 7-Piece Cookware sets

All-Clad has long been an industry standard for professional restaurant kitchens in the United States. Their brand has a strong and well-regarded reputation that stands up to scrutiny, as we’ve found year after year in our product tests for the best stainless-steel skillets, saucepans, and stockpots. The D3 line is a tri-ply clad stainless steel that boasts excellent heat distribution across the cooking surface with no cold or hot spots. The D5 set is more expensive but adds two additional layers of cladding for improved heat retention. We recommend them both here. The pieces are sturdy and comfortable to handle, making them easy to maneuver across a cooktop. All-Clad cookware is expensive, but it is high-quality cookware that will last you a lifetime with good care, which is why we feel confident in recommending it to people.

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The best budget cookware set: Goldilocks Cookware Set

As far as affordable picks go, the Goldilocks cookware set impressed us quite a bit in recent tests, and we now consider it a favorite to recommend as a budget alternative. In terms of the shape and design of each piece, the cookware strongly resembles products made by All-Clad. Are the pans a little thinner and a little more volatile and scorchy in comparison to All-Clad? Sure, but for the price they’re about as good as you can get. The set comes with two different saucepans and doesn’t include its sauté pan—the budget pick in our product test. Unfortunate, but we still think it’s worth recommending this set due to the quality it offers, and if you really want the sauté pan, you should just add it to your cart when purchasing the set.

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Another good budget set: Ninja EverClad Commercial-Grade Cookware Set

Ninja is newer to making stainless-steel pans, but this set impressed our tester Allison Robicelli in a recent review of the best stainless-steel cookware test. We consider Ninja to be a quality budget choice compared to the higher-end options above. These pans definitely have some shortcomings; they don’t have quite the even heating of a pricier All-Clad set, and they are definitely on the heavier side. But at a fraction of the price, they are a good, affordable alternative. You also get glass lids rather than full stainless steel, which let you see the food more easily, but are more fragile. They are tempered glass, which means you can put them in the oven, but some people may choose not to.

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A favorite from our test kitchen editor: Fissler M5 Pro-Ply 5-Ply Cookware set

Deputy food editor Hana Asbrink has an affinity for German-made cookware brand Fissler, which has become more readily available in the US in recent years. The brand’s pans can go toe-to-toe with All-Clad in terms of quality, design, and reputation. Like All-Clad, these are multi-clad stainless-steel pans with an aluminum core (this particular set is 5-ply, which means it has two additional layers of metal on top of the three the All-Clad D3 has). They heat evenly and are lightweight and comfortable in the hand. Unlike All-Clad, Fissler cookware has a welded construction instead of riveted handles, which makes it easier to clean up. It’s also got cool to the touch handles and sealed edges. This is definitely a premium cookware set, but it’s one that will stick with you for life.

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The best cookware set for tiny a** kitchens: All-Clad 5-Piece Cookware Set

Living spaces are getting smaller, meaning that more people are using kitchenettes or similar reduced set-ups to prepare their meals at home. I’m talking efficiency apartment renters, van life people, tiny home dwellers, and steadfast minimalists. The question is then, what is the smallest arrangement of pans that allows for the greatest variety of meal preparations? Or in other words, what’s a set that takes up little space, but is versatile enough that you never feel like you’re missing a tool when cooking a typical meal?