I tried the exact stainless steel pans that chefs use - are they worth the splurge?

When it comes to stainless steel pan sets, I’m a firm believer in quality. Buying a great set once will save you from having to replace a cheap set every few years. To put this theory to the test, I tried cooking with the celebrity-favourite collection from Made In. 

Made In is well known amongst chefs for making the best stainless steel pans on the market. The family-owned business partners with craftsmen in the US and France to kit out Michelin-star restaurants with ultra-premium stainless steel sets.

This isn't the first time that chefs have endorsed pan sets. The Jamie Oliver Tefal Ingenio collection is one of my favourites, but there's also the Raymond Blanc pan collection, and Le Creuset's stainless steel pans (of course) are celebrated by many professionals and celebrities too. However, at nearly £1,000 the Made In 10-Piece Stainless Steel Pan Set needs to be something really special. That's why I tested them out.

Specifications

What's in the set?

I've tested the 10-piece set, which includes a 10-inch frying pan, 8-inch frying pan, 9-litre saucepan, 4.5-litre saucepan, 3.5-litre saucepan, and a 2-litre saucepan. Made In sells each pan separately and they also offer a three-piece set of frying pans as well as a set of three saucepans, so it's easy to pick and choose which pans you want to incorporate into your collection. Personally, I can get by with just one frying pan and then three different-sized saucepans, but each to their own.

All of the pans are oven-safe, induction and gas-compatible, and they're made from 5 layers of metals to deliver perfect heat conduction. The 5-ply construction has a premium matte finish that looks effortlessly modern and stylish. Plus, the stay-cool handles and rolled rims make it easy to lift, pour, and use these without any spilling or dripping. The handles are even shaped in such a way that the pans stack inside each other, saving you space and storage hassle. They've thought of everything.

Who would it suit?

One of the key deciding factors for investing in this pan set is the price. It’s one of the most expensive domestic sets you can buy (almost more expensive than Le Creuset's £1,700 collection). Made In do deliver on all the premium finishes that you would expect: lifetime warranty, riveted handles, rolled rims, and quality stainless steel bases, but, if you gawp at the idea of spending more than £100 on your pans, these obviously aren't for you.

If, however, you're open to looking at longer-term investments, this cheffy collection will serve you well. Made In promises that these are 'indestructible', which is why they promise lifetime warranty. After using them, I have no doubt that these pans would outlive me and any future children (or even grandchildren) that will come after. They feel incredible. So, if you know you've got a lot of cooking to do in your future, I would invest in these pans very happily.

As I mentioned earlier, sensitive cooks and enthusiastic chefs will be able to spot the special features that take pans from nice to exceptional. They warm up quickly, transfer heat evenly, and the weight is distributed across even the biggest pans very neatly. They look modern and elegant too. Cooking with them is a total pleasure. I can’t fault a single thing about them.

Unboxing

Made In sends their pan set in one, long cardboard box. When it arrived at my door, I couldn’t quite believe that all the pans were packed into the box. Don’t get me wrong, it’s big, but six pans worth of large? Apparently so.

Each pan comes protected with cardboard and soft plastic. It’s great that a large portion of the packaging is easily recyclable, but I would have loved to see paper instead of plastic bags. You can recycle these at most big supermarkets, but that takes a bit more effort and it’s still extra plastic going out into the world — don’t mind me on my sustainability soap box. 

The whole set looks gorgeous. Without knowing the price, two of my other test kitchen chefs walked over and admired the pans. They have a matte finish, a simple design, and a subtly modern aesthetic. They might not be the kind of pretty set that you’d hang above an expensive cooker, but those who care about stainless steel pans could ogle at these for days.

What is it like to use?

I have a series of tests that all of my stainless steel pan sets go through, regardless of the quality. The Made In set sizzled, seared, stewed, and soaked fits way through them effortlessly. For more details, stay tuned. 

Test 1: frying pan

I have two tests that I put every frying pan through, frying onion and making pancakes. I used both the 10 and 8-inch frying pans in the set to do this. Although, I have to say that I gravitated towards the 10-inch pan. The smaller one is great as a backup or for small tasks, such as toasting a handful of nuts, but the big one is perfect for family-sized portions. 

The first test that I did was for pancakes. I could fit about four small American pancakes in the base of the pan or one large crepe. That's a good family-sized pan. If anything, it could be a little bigger, but that might make storage tricky.

Making pancakes was a breeze. My knob of butter melted and sizzled its way around the pan within a minute. When I added my batters, I could see them bubbling and browning just as quickly. The speed wasn't so much that they were still raw in the middle, but it was impressive and even.

The sides of the frying pans are both deep, which is great for the later fried onion tests, but it poses a problem for pancake flipping. However, the slim, comfortable pan handles distributed the overall weight of each pan perfectly, making them easy to flip, which I didn't expect. Premium brands often pride themselves on making overly heavy pans, so it's nice to have some user-friendly, but still top-quality options.

When I did a sense check for the heat distribution, I could see on the spotting across my pancake that the heat transferred really well across the whole base. The browning was nice and even, almost the perfect mirror image across the whole pancake.

I expected the same results from my fried onions. Having chopped two large brown onions, I thought that I had perhaps overwatered for the pan’s capacity. However, it was the perfect size to get one slim layer of onions spread across the pan base. These sizzled quickly and, again, the hold of the pan was nice enough that I could toss them around just by holding the handle and shaking the pan. I think the slightly deeper sides helped with confidence here because I have no doubt that my usual, incredibly shallow crepe pan would have come a cropper here, but the Made In pan did not.

I didn’t need to use any instruments to keep the onions moving around the pan, because it held a nice, even heat perfectly. If you like having a spoon to stir with, you could use one through. The onions browned nicely on the edges, with nice tenderness right through them. They still had some bite and texture, which is what I wanted. In total, the two onions were cooked in a perfect ten minutes.

Test 2: milk pan

After the brilliant frying test, I had high hopes for the smallest 2-litre saucepan. Made In are an American company, so they call it a stock pot. Over here, that small pan is a milk pan. As the name suggests, this is the perfect size for warming milk, boiling eggs, and making porridge. It comes with a nice lip for pouring as well as a lid, both of which proved to be really useful when I was draining water from the eggs or pouring warm milk into a mug. It offers a nice, precise flow, and, again, the handle is easy to hold, even when the pan is full of water. 

I opted for a gentle approach with warming the milk and making porridge, keeping the stove on a low-medium temperature. In both cases, I could see the benefits of the incredibly even heat transfer payoff. The porridge softened, the oats plumped up, and they were steaming hot within five minutes. I didn’t get any of the oats sticking to the side or burning and they poured nicely into my bowl. Similarly, the milk warmed in six minutes. Even though I added a teaspoon of honey, it didn’t burn, overexpend, or have any cold patches either. I made good use of the lid here, keeping as much moisture and heat in the pan as possible and I reaped the rewards of the deep, stay cool lid handle. I could lift it off to check on my food without burning my hands or arms. Overall, I was pleased with my results.

Test 3: large saucepans

The other pans ranged in size. The biggest boasts an incredible 9-litre capacity and the smallest is 3.5 litres, excluding the 2-litre milk pan. The 3-litre pan was perfect for reheating one portion of dinner or heating up some stew. The largest rang bells for a large vat of mulled wine or a big batch of jam. In the picture above you can see me making a lentil and bean stew, which is one of our classic tests. There isn’t much more to say other than that this was perfectly consistent in how it heated my stew. It didn’t stick or burn and was ready to eat really quickly. 

In the bigger saucepans, I boiled potatoes, which is always a good indicator of what the pan is like to handle. With the lid on and my stove running on full blast, the water was visibly bubbling and boiling within minutes. Adding in half a kilo of potatoes made the already big and weighty pan even heavier, but Made In has been smart. On the other side of the long handle is another handle that you can use to spread the weight of a full pan across both of your wrists. I’m always sceptical about these designs since I’ve been burned (literally) by them before. However, sure enough, the handle stayed cool. I don’t know if this would still apply on a gas, rather than induction hob, but I suspect it would. Overall, this neat design feature made the biggest two pans super easy to pick up and drain. In total, I boiled a whole bag of potatoes in ten minutes.

In between, I made curries, slow-cooked stews, boiled jam, and more. The pans were, as expected, perfect across the board. The steam holes seemed to perfectly funnel any excess heat out of my pan when the lids were on; the handles remained comfortable to hold and use; and the heat transfer was consistent across the board. As I said, they’re faultless. If you know how to use stainless steel pans to create a non-stick-like surface, these are magical. If you don’t, you might prefer some cheaper ones with a special coating, but that’s about the most criticism I can offer. 

Are they easy to clean?

Technically, these are dishwasher-safe. However, Made In recommends that you hand wash these and, when you’ve spent a lot of money on a pan set this special, I would recommend the same. They’ll keep their finish and shape for much longer. Who knows, they might even become family heirlooms. 

To wash them, I would always recommend using Ecover washing-up liquid (or something gentle) and hand hot water. These are scratch-resistant, so if you really burn your food, you could use wire wool to get them clean. Generally, though, I wouldn’t stick to a soft sponge or something similar. Again, I’m prioritising preservation.

How do they compare?

I've tested the full spectrum of stainless steel pans now and I have to say that these are the best. The riveted handles and lids are nice to hold, even if the pans are full and hot. The only aspect that could hold you back from snapping up the Made In pan collection is their hefty price tag, so I looked around for some more affordable options. 

Lakeland and Pro Cook's stainless steel pan collections are both really nice and half the price. They don't have the same impressive design. I would say that they lean into a more functional aesthetic. I found that the handles on Lakeland's collection got a little hot and the non-stick frying pan isn't quite for me, but for an everyday dinner cook, these would be great.

ProCook's Professional Stainless Steel Uncoated Pans are the best alternative. They're only just over £200 (compared to Made In's £900), crafted from quality 18/10 stainless steel, and they cover a whole range of cooking functions. You'll still get the benefits of big, deep saucepans, as well as a casserole fish and a frying pan. They're versatile, with even heat transfer, and glass lids, which make it easy to keep an eye on your booking. My only criticism would be that the handles aren't quite as nice to hold and the lids won't actually sit inside the pans in a way that is as balanced as the Made In set. To save £700, those are probably compromises worth making. 

Should you buy them?

If you are ready to invest in a special set, I have no doubts that you'll be happy with this. It certainly meets the criteria of a professional set that will last forever, but there are cheaper options out there that are still pretty good. The ProCook professional set, for example, offers similar performance, but a less pretty aesthetic for £700 less.

How we test

We have a rigorous and thorough process for how we test stainless steel pans at woman&home. I look at a whole range of features, from their prettiness to their practicality. Most importantly, I apply the same judging standards to each set, so that it's easy to compare between collections.

The first factor that I asses is the packaging, unboxing, and aesthetic appeal of the pans. First impressions matter, so I like to make sure that you can admire these pans and get them out on your countertop easily. If they're stackable or special in any way, I'll also let you know about that.

Next, I'll start my tests. I time how long it takes for a pan to heat up and sizzle when water droplets are sprinkled across it. Then, I use different pans in the set to make pancakes, fried onions, porridge, warm milk, boiled potatoes, stews, jams, and more. For each test, I look at the non-stick properties (if there are any), the heat transfer (whether it's even and quick), what the pan is like to hold, whether the handles get hot, and anything else that's relevant. I'll keep turning up the heat on the saucepan set until I'm satisfied that I've covered all bases really thoroughly.

After that, I'll wash up the pans, let you know about any care instructions, and then begin to talk about comparisons. I've tested all of our pan sets, so I can't help but compare each collection. To make sure you get the benefits of this, I'll pick similar sets that are either a little cheaper or a little more expensive, to help you to get a good sense of value for money. Then, I'll come to a conclusion on whether or not you should make the investment in a pan set. There's no one-set-fits-all model, so I'll let you know the kind of kitchen that it would suit as well as the better options out there for other people. By the end of the review, you'll have a really clear idea of what the set is like. If you have any more questions, my emails are always open.