Cookware forms the foundation of any kitchen. Whether it's a good set of saucepans, a cast-iron casserole dish or a hard-working frying pan, well-made high quality cookware is an investment that should last for years if used and cared for properly.

But it can be hard to know where to begin when stocking your kitchen with quality pans. With big name brands and regular new releases, cutting through the noise and finding the right cookware for you can be a real challenge.

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Our reviews experts test cookware year round from heritage brands and new faces on the scene. They test for everything from design and aesthetics to versatility and sustainability to bring you the best recommendations.

In this guide find our top rated cookware brands, plus our hero products from each.

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Best cookware brands at a glance

  • Best for heritage cookware: Le Creuset, from £80
  • Best for trending cookware: Our Place, from £50
  • Best for British cookware: ProCook, from £20
  • Best for cookware sets: Stellar, from £26
  • Best for everyday cookware: Ninja, from £35
  • Best for non-stick cookware: HexClad, from £115
  • Best for affordable cookware: Lakeland, from £15

Best cookware brands to buy in 2024

Le Creuset

Best for heritage cookware

Le Creuset is perhaps one of the best known names when it comes to cookware globally. Next year, the brand will celebrate its 100th year producing the highest quality cookware in a selection of bright, classic and trending colours. Originally developed by an expert in enamelling and an expert in cast iron, the brand has also expanded into stainless steel and non-stick cookware as well as bakeware and kitchen accessories. But it's iconic cast iron casserole dishes are still what it's best known for.

Some of our favourite sets and products from the brand include:

Our hero product: Le Creuset cast iron round casserole 28cm

Available from Amazon (£239), Harts of Stur (£259.20), John Lewis & Partners (£259.20), Le Creuset (£369)

Le Creuset signature round casserole Volcanic

The cast iron round casserole is a clear choice for Le Creuset's hero product. It comes in a range of sizes from the petite 18cm (which has a 1.8L capacity) to the huge 30cm (8.1L capacity). It can be used on your hob or in the oven, making it a perfect dish for stews and casseroles which needs ingredients to be seared and then slow-cooked. But it's a super versatile dish. The high sides make the smaller sizes brilliant for deep-frying, while it also works well for roasting meats, risottos, pasta dishes and so much more. Choose from colours including the classic Volcanic or the trendy Peche.

Our Place

Best for trending cookware

Our Place launched in 2019 and in the time since has well and truly established itself into the cookware space. It is perhaps best known for the viral Always pan which launched with the idea that you could use one pan to cook nearly everything. Since it has widened its range of cookware and bakeware, as well as recently venturing into the world of appliances with the Wonder Oven.

Some of our favourite sets and products from the brand include:

Our hero product: Our Place Always Pan 2.0

Our Place Always Pan 2.0

Star rating: 5/5

The Always Pan 2.0 is the upgraded version of the brand's signature pan. It comes with accessories including a steamer basket (which doubles as a colander), a wooden spoon and domed lid. The pan, made from recycled aluminium, is coated with a silky smooth ceramic coating which works super effectively as non-stick and, when testing the pan, our pancakes released with ease. This pan comes in a choice of gorgeous colours including lavender, blue salt and sage.

ProCook

Best for British cookware

With 20 years of experience under its belt, ProCook started out producing cookware before expanding into tableware and, more recently, electrical appliances. With an ethos of producing high quality products at more affordable prices than other brands it's one of our favourites when it comes to reliable, budget-friendly products. It is also a certified B-Corp which means it meets the top standards for both environmental and social impact and we've been frequently impressed by the minimalist, recyclable materials that its products are packaged in.

Some of our favourite sets and products from the brand include:

Our hero product: ProCook Professional stainless steel shallow frying pan, 24cm

ProCook Professional stainless steel shallow frying pan, 24cm

Star rating: 4.5/5

The is a small but mighty frying pan which has a exceptionally high build quality, especially considering the price. Constructed from 18/10 stainless steel (the highest tier of stainless steel), we found that the pan had a really nice weight to it, striking a good balance between being high quality while also light enough to lift easily. It heats up quickly and retains heat well, and on test we were impressed with our omelette which released seamlessly.

Stellar

Best for cookware sets

This year marks half a century since Stellar was founded in Bristol with the brand moving from strength to strength ever since. Its bread and butter is stainless steel, but it also features cookware in cast iron and non-stick so there something to suit every pan preference. Stellar has a range of over 700 products and has design and performance as its central pillars.

Some of our favourite sets and products from the brand include:

Our hero product: Stellar Rocktanium non-stick frying pan, 28cm

Stellar Rocktanium non-stick frying pan, 28cm

Star rating: 4.5/5

This lightweight pan features a speckled non-stick coating with an ergonomic handle. It's dishwasher safe and works on every type of hob top including induction. When testing the pan, our pancakes and omelette released from the pan easily thanks to the effective non-stick surface. We like that it's super quick to heat up, although it takes a little longer than we'd like to respond to temperature. We tested the 28cm model, but the pan is available in a range of sizes from 20-30cms.

Ninja

Best for everyday cookware

You might be familiar with Ninja for it's kitchen appliances, particularly the viral Ninja air-fryers. But the brand also has a wise range of top-performing cookware. Ninja Kitchen is part of SharkNinja, which combines the best in innovative design technology for its products to use for both kitchenware and homeware.

Some of our favourite sets and products from the brand include:

Our hero product: Ninja ZEROSTICK stainless steel 3-piece pan set C63000UK

Ninja ZEROSTICK stainless steel 3-piece pan set C63000UK

Star rating: 5/5

This set of three saucepans will be a workhorse in your kitchen and can be used for everything from your morning porridge to pasta, sauces, stews, risottos and just about everything in between. Each pan comes with a glass lid, plus they are dishwasher safe, although we found the non-stick to be so effective that hand-washing the pans was a breeze. The set comes with a 10-year replacement guarantee including the ZEROSTICK coating.

HexClad

Best for non-stick cookware

HexClad is different from many other cookware brands in that its whole range centres around an innovative new piece of non-stick technology. It combines stainless steel with a non-stick surface far more durable than a usual coating which means you can even use metal utensils with its pans (usually a big no-no when it comes to non-stick). Hexagonal steel peaks provide an even heat distribution while the space in between has a non-stick coating.

Some of our favourite sets and products from the brand include:

Our hero product: HexClad Hybrid Pot set of six

HexClad Hybrid Pot set of six

Star rating: 5/5

This set of six pans are commercial grade and you can tell even as you take them out of the box. They look extremely impressive, and after a little seasoning (which needs to be repeated from time to time) were ready to use. On test, we were impressed with the responsiveness of the pans – they heated 1.5 litres of water in just three minutes and gently caramelised onions in half the expected time. We found the non-stick was really effective meaning they were a doddle to clean by hand, but they are also dishwasher safe.

Lakeland

Best for affordable cookware

Lakeland was founded more than 60 years ago. This brand is one of the best known when it comes to bakeware, but it also has a huge range of cookware as well as its own kitchen appliances. One of the brand's first products may have been Lammacs (that's plastic raincoats for lambs, of course) but they have produced everything from saucepans to air-fryers and even a pizza oven at affordable prices since.

Some of our favourite sets and products from the brand include:

Our hero product: Lakeland three piece forged aluminium saucepan set

Lakeland three piece forged aluminium saucepan set

Star rating: 4.5/5

Lightweight yet sturdy, this set contains three pans, each with a glass lid which, between them, will cover most of your everyday cooking tasks. We found they have great heat distribution with no cold spots, thanks largely to the aluminium base. They can be used on all heat sources including induction and although we found them a little slow to heat overall we'd recommend this set for those looking to kit out a new kitchen.

How to choose stainless steel cookware

Stainless steel cookware can be a great choice, but there are a few things you need to know before taking the plunge, as it can often be an investment.

There are different levels of quality of stainless steel, indicated by the ratio of chromium to nickel. The highest quality is 18/10 which is 18 per cent chromium and 10 per cent nickel.

Stainless steel cookware is often described as being different ply. This is because stainless steel on its own is a pretty poor conductor of heat so needs to be layered with another heat-conducting element to make it into effective cookware. The most affordable stainless steel pans often have a layer of aluminium sandwiched between the metal at the base where in it would be contact with the heat.

Tri-ply pans will have three layers of aluminium or copper layered throughout the whole pan and these are typically lightweight and heat up quickly. Five-ply pans have the most layers of aluminium or copper throughout and tend to be heavier with a longer heating time, but they do also retain their heat the best.

What is the best non-stick cookware?

When it comes to non-stick there are a lot of different levels of quality, and it's worth noting that they need to be well looked after to ensure longevity. Non-stick coatings can easily deteriorate either from being used on too high of a heat, being frequently cleaned in the dishwasher, or being in contact with metal utensils.

There are different types of non-stick cookware including ceramic coated, HexClad's unique coating and uncoated non-stick.

Most traditional non-stick uses a chemical coating such as PFOS, PFOA or PTFE and should only be heated on a low or medium temperature. Ceramic-coated pans are a different form of non-stick and can be heated to a higher temperature, enduring a longer time in the oven. HexClad has a unique technology which utilises a system on steel hexagons combined with a non-stick coating to give its pans an added durability.

Our Place have launched a pan which is non-stick without any form of coating, the Titanium Always Pan Pro. It uses titanium on its interior in a hexagonal structure to form a non-stick base, although on testing we did find that this leaves a slight imprint of the pattern on some foods.

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Imogen Hope

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