The best saucepan sets aren't hard to find if you know where to look – and we've made it easy for you with this handy guide. Add any of these 9 highly-rated saucepan sets to your kitchen and you'll be whipping up the tastiest meals that have ever graced your dining room table.
As the old adage goes, the best investment is in the tools of one’s trade, and the same can be said for cooking. Getting the best cookware for the job is essential. Whether it’s the best non-stick frying pan to sear a steak, or the best induction pans to get the most out of your specific kitchen needs, the right cookware will not only make your food taste so much better, but you'll spend less time dealing with gruelling kitchen cleanup, too.
This guide features a range of price points, styles, and sets so that there should be something to suit every household and budget. We’re talking hardworking, hard-wearing cookware for your kitchen that will stand the test of time. Tried and tested by our in-house experts for prolonged periods in their own homes and in our test kitchen, here is our comprehensive ranking of the best saucepan sets.
The best saucepan sets, tried and tested
RRP: £219.99 | Dishwasher-safe? Yes | Oven-safe? Yes - up to 260°C
One of the more affordable options in this guide, the Ninja Foodi ZEROSTICK 5-Piece Pan Set wowed us for its quality, durable non-stick. It feels wrong, but you actually can use metal utensils on the entire range, and this stackable design is also perfectly suited to cluttered kitchens. It also looks a lot more satisfying when stored away.
You may know the brand for the best Ninja air fryers, but Ninja also makes fantastic cookware. You can choose from a selection of colours and sizes, and this set frequently goes on sale. You can pop these pans in the dishwasher and the oven, and we were impressed that neither the inside or outside discoloured or damaged when we put these pans through the ringer in our test kitchen. The set is backed by a 10-year guarantee, so Ninja is clearly as confident in this set as we are.
Reasons to buy: Next-level durability
Reasons to avoid: The design could be prettier
RRP: £575 | Dishwasher-safe? Yes | Oven-safe? Yes, up to 260°C
If we could give the Saveur Selects Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 10 Piece Pan Set 6 stars out of 5, we would. Everything from the look and feel of the pans to the washing-up experience emanates pure quality and makes you feel like a professional chef in your own kitchen, and the set is designed to be perfectly stackable to keep things space-efficient.
This is the most expensive set we tried, but you get an awful lot for your money with this 10-piece set. The pans feature a flared rim for easier pouring and heat resistant textured handles which also happen to look absolutely divine. The set is also backed by a lifetime warranty for manufacturing defects, so when you opt for this set, you're getting a set for life.
Buy if: You want the best money can buy
Avoid if: You're on a budget
RRP: £275 | Dishwasher-safe? Yes | Oven-safe? Yes
Kitchen names don’t come much more iconic than Le Creuset. While there might be history here, the brand hasn’t rested on its laurels, but has instead continued to innovate. And their Toughened Non-Stick 3-piece Cookware Set is a prime example of this. In stark contrast to many non-stick coatings, this set withstood consistent cooking, plus cleaning through harsh dishwasher cycles, showing no signs of damage over a prolonged period.
This luxury starter set gives a good mix of styles beyond the classic saucepans many other cookware kits stick to—but there are no lids, which can be helpful to have on saucepans when making things like a frittata, or for simmering veg. Robust, dishwasher safe and a top-quality non-stick finish ensure these are the sort of pans you’d reach for time and time again, which is why they are our best luxury pick. But, they're no doubt a pricey pick, and you would need to add a couple of other saucepans potentially, to kit out a full kitchen.
Buy if: You want a high-quality starter set
Avoid if: You want lids
RRP: £215 | Dishwasher-safe? Yes | Oven-safe? Yes, 180°C
You get a lot for your money with the Lakeland Hard Anodised Bell Shaped 5-Piece Pan Set. The four saucepans are perfectly proportioned to cook big batches, and reheat in smaller portions, and the 24cm frying pan has deep enough sides to cook omelettes or even poach eggs.
The rounded edges of these pans give them a charming look, but they're also very helpful. Designed to be 'spoon-friendly' so that no corner is missed when giving your food a stir, we also enjoyed how well the bell-shaped sides distributed heat. One downside is that this shape does make stacking a little trickier.
Buy if: You want a high-quality starter set
Avoid if: You want lids
RRP: £320 | Dishwasher-safe? Yes | Oven-safe? Yes, (excluding lids and handles - up to 260°C
For anyone looking to tidy up their pots and pans cupboard, the Ingenio range from Tefal is a real life-saver. It’s compact, stackable and provides over 50% space-saving. Although it’s a 9-piece set, that doesn’t mean you get 9 pans. Instead you’ll find four pans with two handles, two glass lids and a preservation lid. The signature red spot in the centre of the pan turns a solid red when it’s at the optimum temperature.
The insides of the saucepans also have measuring marks, which is very helpful, though not unique. Although we enjoyed the clip-on-and-off handle, it does stiffen over time and gradually marks the edges of your pans. But overall, a great luxury set. The best pans for induction hobs don't need to be expensive, but we reckon it's worth paying a bit extra for this set if you can.
Reasons to buy: Storage-friendly, smart design
Reasons to avoid: Attaching handles can be fiddly
RRP: £239 | Dishwasher-safe? Yes | Oven-safe? Yes, up to 260°C
The design, durability and quality of this saucepan set really is very impressive given the price point. Forged from a single piece of aluminum, they have excellent heat distribution and no unwanted rattles—something which is prevalent, and rather annoying, with some other 'layered metal' induction pans.
They responded well to changes in temperature on the hob, and the ergonomic handles are Cooltouch so they don’t heat up. The lightly textured granite effect surface would look smart in any kitchen and is subtle enough not to cheapen the look of the pans, unlike others we tested. The non-stick is fantastic and the set comes complete with self-basting glass lids for each of the pans.
Reasons to buy: Cooltouch handles, durable design
Reasons to avoid: There are cheaper options out there
RRP: £185 | Dishwasher-safe? Yes | Oven-safe? Yes, up to 220°C
Undeniably the most attractive set of saucepans we tested. These Robert Welch saucepans are stylish, sleek and a pleasure to use. The smooth, concave-finish handle is comfortable to hold and works far better as a pan handle vs a frying pan handle.
The pans don’t feel too heavy but were certainly weightier than others, which adds to the premium feel. There was minimal rattle when using the lid, though due to the stainless steel the handle did get hot from condensation, though less hot than others that were tested. They have a good heat distribution and the stainless steel means they are a good pan choice for cooking caramel. They were also easy to clean—a big plus in our books. Overall, worthy of an investment and a place on our list of the best induction pans.
Buy if: You want an aesthetic cooking set
Avoid if: You're after a non-stick set
RRP: £490 | Dishwasher-safe? No | Oven-safe? Yes, up to 230°C
The Our Place Cookware Set comes with four pans: the iconic Always Pan in both regular and mini sizes, and the Perfect Pot, also in regular and mini sizes. Between the four pans, this set will easily take on any kitchen challenge you put them through, and they do it in style.
Loved by our Head of Shopping Millie for stove-to-oven cooking, this set is oven-safe up to 230°C thanks to the recently-upgraded Always Pan 2.0 design. The nonstick is also a lot more durable thanks to this updated design, and the deep design of the frying pans have allowed us to use them in the place of a saucepan many a time.
Buy if: You're looking for a space-friendly set
Avoid if: You want a dishwasher-friendly option
RRP: £240 | Dishwasher-safe? Yes | Oven-safe? Yes
Undeniably efficient, the nonstick coating of the Circulon SteelShield C-Series cookware allows for easy cooking and cleaning all in one. Ergonomically comfortable handles mean an easy grip and good control while cooking, but they could prove to be an issue for small storage units as they're pretty bulky. Also, there are sadly no secondary control handles—which can be useful when carrying pots full of boiling water to drain the contents in the sink.
The instructions promise scratch-proof technology, even with metal utensils, and if you can stand the sound of metal on metal then we found this to be true—with the coating withstanding multiple spatulas and spoons throughout testing, with no marks left. The clever stainless steel ridges mean you can't actually touch the non-stick coating on the base. This combination allows you to get a piping hot pan that’s more akin to a traditional stainless steel finish, but with the ease of cleaning that a non-stick brings.
Buy if: You want a set that's easy to clean
Avoid if: Three pans won't be enough
How we tested the best saucepan sets
To make sure we are recommending the best saucepan sets we have to test it (as we did with the best food processors and best blenders)—and we don’t take our job lightly. To help be your eyes, ears (and sometimes noses) we gathered together the most highly-rated cookware sets on the market to test various designs, styles, and specs against each other.
We tested each cookware item and set for:
- Quality and durability—as any cook knows, pans can change over time, so we used each item day in, day out, across the testing period to look for signs of degradation. We cooked in every one multiple times and then washed, scrubbed, and scoured them to test their resilience. If the instructions said they were dishwasher-proof we chucked them in with burnt-on bits, to review how they came out and kept an eye on any chinks on their armor after each cycle.
- Its cooking purpose—where appropriate we also cooked the recommended dish in each of the various pans. Some are specially designed to get great results from steak, while others make the perfect pancakes. Could they live up to the marketing claims?
- Storage, design, and extra features: How easy each pan set is to store, the design of the set, and all the little extras offered all played a part in our decision-making. From saucepan sizes through to hanging hooks, measurement marks, and more, we’ve highlighted the features that elevate standard cookware into exceptional pots and pans.
In each of our picks below we’ll also explain how that individual piece of cookware was tested, so you can decide whether it’s up to the job you’re looking for it to do.
What to look for when shopping for the best saucepan sets
There are a few different considerations to take into account when shopping for the best cookware, and most questions to ask yourself will depend on how you use pots and pans in your own kitchen. For instance, if you batch cook meals—size might be high up on your list of priorities, while if you don’t have much time in the evenings, dishwasher-proof pans might be a kitchen essential.
Here are a few things that are worth considering when looking for the best saucepan set:
- Non-stick or not—Non-stick can be much easier to cook on and easier to clean. However, it can be less scratch-resistant, and as a result less durable and hardy over time. Consider which is more important for you and your cooking needs. And if you're really after a non-stick, see our guide to the best non-stick pans available to buy.
- Your storage space—if buying a saucepan set, do they stack into each other and store easily? Are they bulky to store, or neat and slimline? Kitchen storage is vitally important to consider when buying any new item.
- Ease of movement—how heavy are the pans? Are they easy/light to maneuver, or awkward? This is an important consideration, especially if you struggle with strength in your wrists. Consider how you want to use your pans too—do you want to bring them from stovetop to tabletop?
- Ease of cleaning: Are the pans dishwasher-friendly? Not all are. This is essential for some of us, who might not have the time—nor the energy—to hand-wash pans after a busy day. However, some might not mind washing pans up themselves after a meal.
- Your hob type: Make sure to check if the pans you want are compatible with your hob type—be it gas, electric, or induction. This is especially important for induction hob owners for whom only induction pans will work. You can assess the benefits of an induction hob vs gas hob in our guide, and if induction is your stove of choice then read our specialist guide to the best induction pans.
- Guarantee: Do they come with a guarantee? Having one can provide peace of mind while cooking, and can often be a good indicator of quality.
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