Best Nonstick Cookware Sets for $100 or Less
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.
The most expensive nonstick cookware set in Consumer Reports' ratings costs $600 and easily earns a place on our list of top picks. But you can buy a set that also stands out in our tests for a fraction of that—and get similar cooking performance. In fact, in our latest batch of newly tested cookware sets, a number of them that sell for $100 or less get top marks in our cooking tests.
The trade-off? Most of the sets in this lower price range share one drawback: The handles aren’t as sturdy as the handles on high-end cookware. That means they may become loose over time.
“Keep in mind that no matter how much you spend on a cookware set, not every piece is a pot or pan because manufacturers count lids and even utensils as pieces,” says Marion Wilson-Spencer, the analyst who covers the cookware market for Consumer Reports. For example, the AmazonBasics set (shown above) has 15 pieces, but five of them are plastic utensils, including serving spoons and a soup ladle.
Consumer Reports tests both nonstick and stainless steel cookware sets. Stainless steel tends to be a bit more expensive, and there are no high-performing stainless steel cookware sets in our ratings that cost $100 or less. Below, in alphabetical order, are eight nonstick standouts from our tests of cookware sets.
For more information and more choices, see our cookware buying guide and full cookware ratings and recommendations.
Note that the prices listed below update daily, so you may occasionally see a cookware set that crosses the $100 threshold—or one that's going for a lot less.
AmazonBasics Non-Stick Kitchen Cookware Set LFFP16027
CR’s take: At its usual list price of $50, this 15-piece set from AmazonBasics is the lowest-priced set in our tests. And for that price you still get superb performance, including evenly browned pancakes, slowly simmered tomato sauce, and a 5-quart stockpot that quickly brings water to a near-boil. The handles, however, are even less sturdy than most of the handles on sets in this price range; in that test, the AmazonBasics earns only a Fair. On the plus side, the nonstick coating is durable.
Blue Diamond Enhanced Ceramic Nonstick
CR’s take: Two of the pieces of the 10-piece Blue Diamond Enhanced Ceramic set are plastic utensils, but at this price you’re still getting a nice complement of cookware. The ad for this “As Seen on TV” set claims the coating is scratch-resistant and shows a cook using a hand mixer in one of the pans without harming the surface. It did hold up well in our durability tests, earning a Very Good rating. In our cooking tests, water quickly came to a near-boil in the 5-quart stockpot, and tomato sauce simmered slowly without scorching.
Gotham Steel Nonstick
CR’s take: The 10-piece Gotham Steel set is well-priced and performs well, earning Very Good ratings in all the main cooking tests—even cooking, sauce simmering, and bringing water to a near-boil quickly in the 5-quart Dutch oven. One exception is the food release test, in which testers cook four eggs in quick succession. The eggs slide easily out of the best pans but had to be nudged out of the frying pan in this set. Handles stay cool to the touch but aren’t the sturdiest, which is in keeping with other sets in this price range. A steamer insert is included, and the pans can be used with an induction cooktop.
Pioneer Woman Classic Belly Ceramic
CR’s take: This 10-piece Pioneer Woman Classic Belly Ceramic set—named for Ree Drummond of Food Network fame—comes in a variety of bright colors, including a blue set with a floral pattern. In our cooking tests, this set earns an Excellent rating for cooking evenness, meaning pancakes came out evenly browned. Eggs easily slid out of the frying pan in our food release test, and water quickly came to a near-boil in the 5.5-quart stockpot. The cookware held up well in our durability test, withstanding 2,000 passes with steel wool.
Red Copper Ceramic Infused Nonstick
CR’s take: With its copper-hued coating, the 10-piece Red Copper Ceramic Infused set is colorful inside and out. It aced our tests for quickly bringing water to a near-boil and for slowly simmering tomato sauce. It earns a Very Good rating for heating evenness in our pancake test, but eggs had to be nudged out of the pan in the food release test. So if fried eggs are part of your breakfast rotation, consider other sets. That said, the nonstick coating held up well in our durability tests. The set includes a steamer insert.
The Rock by Starfrit Nonstick
CR’s take: Though this set usually lists for $110, you can find it for less than $100 at some retailers. The Rock by Starfrit is named for its hard, rocklike surface. The coating appears pebbly, but that doesn’t affect its nonstick properties, and we effortlessly cooked pancakes and eggs. Cooking evenness is superb, and this 8-piece set aced our speed-of-heating test by quickly bringing 4 quarts of water to a near-boil in the 5-quart stockpot. The surface stood up to our durability test, in which we rub steel wool over the coating 2,000 times, earning the set a Very Good rating.
Tasty Ceramic Titanium-Reinforced
CR's take: This colorful 16-piece Tasty set has six pans and four lids. The remainder of the pieces are accessories, including utensils, a cookbook, and three small prep bowls. In our tests, cooking evenness was top-notch, earning the set an Excellent rating—and speed of heating and simmering were solid, too. The handles stay cool to the touch and are sturdier than many models in this price range. But when we fried eggs, it took a little coaxing to get them out of the pan without sticking.
T-Fal 10 pc Stackables Titanium
CR’s take: You can store all five pans in the 10-piece T-Fal Stackables Titanium set in one neat stack, as the name implies. In addition to three glass lids, this set includes two plastic lids in case you want to store your leftover soup or stew in one of the pans in the refrigerator. Water quickly came to a near-boil in the 4.2-quart Dutch oven, and this set earned Very Good ratings on our tests for cooking evenness, egg release, and simmering tomato sauce. It also fared well in our durability test, withstanding 2,000 passes with steel wool.
