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Owning a ton of pots and pans isn’t necessary (even if you cook a lot). But owning a mix of the right ones is. No one is more familiar with the intricacies of day-to-day cookware use than chefs, and while some depend on fancy, professional-grade brands like Mauviel in their homes just as much as their work (and recommend them if you can afford it), most say a mix of dependable stainless steel, decent nonstick, and workhorse cast-iron (everyone loves Lodge skillets) cookware does the trick for anything and everything you’d need to whip up in the kitchen. Cookware Set
We’ve asked chefs, recipe developers, and food writers to share their thoughts on the very best pots and pans for daily cooking, and we’ve tried some ourselves. Here’s the Strategist-approved list.
Stainless Pan When we spoke to experts to find the best-in-class saucepans, the top recommendation was All-Clad’s 1.5-quart-size pan. Strategist kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman says the pan’s aluminum core allows it to heat up quickly and evenly, and the stainless-steel finish means it’s easy to clean, dishwasher safe, and durable. Lili Dagan, a culinary director at Blue Apron, describes the pan as a gateway piece into nicer cookware, saying “it’s reliable and sturdy, and it will show your parents that you have decent taste.” Patch Troffer, a former chef at Marlow & Sons and now a recipe developer at Row 7 Seed Co., is a fan of the pan’s pour lip, which allows liquid to flow “without any annoying drip,” he says. “I know it’s not a particularly riveting choice,” Troffer says. “But it will get the job done, always and forever.”