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Glass stoves are an excellent aesthetic choice for modern kitchens, thanks to their sleek appearance and minimalist style. But the benefits go beyond looks—they're easy to clean in comparison to gas and electric stoves since they have no crevices for food particles to fall into. Because of its smooth, flat surface, it can also act as additional counter space when not being used for cooking.
But glass ranges do require more thoughtful choices when it comes to cookware. A pot with a textured bottom—like cast iron— could damage the surface, making it prone to cracking. To protect your cooking surface, you want to find substantial pieces with smooth, flat bottoms that will stay put and won't scratch the stove. If you've invested in a glass cooktop, read on to find our top recommendations for the best cookware for glass stoves.
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Set includes everything you need to start cooking
Professional quality with excellent, even heating
Oven safe to 550 degrees
Might be too many pieces for smaller kitchens
This set is perfect for a new kitchen where you need everything at once, or to replace old, mismatched cookware with one big matching set. Besides cookware, this set includes a steamer insert, a strainer basket, and three cooking utensils, so you’ll be ready to cook as soon as the set arrives.
Made from stainless steel with an encapsulated aluminum bottom for even heating, this set is oven safe to 550 degrees, so you can start your meal on the stove and finish in the oven, or you can even use it for cooking a stew in the oven.
The set includes an 8-inch frying pan, a 9.5-inch frying pan, a 1.6-quart saucepan with lid, a 2.5-quart saucepan with lid, an 8.6-quart stockpot with lid, a 4.2-quart casserole with lid, a 5.5-quart sauté pan with lid, a pasta strainer, a steamer basket, and a cooking spoon, fork, and spatula.
Best Stainless Steel: Cuisinart Multiclad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set
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Made of super durable stainless steel
Includes steamer basket
Oven safe to 500 degrees
Set needs larger skillet size
Side handles can get hot on stove
Handles on smaller pot lids are undersized
It’s hard to find fault with this attractive stainless steel cookware set. The pieces have a brushed exterior—except for the steamer and lids which have a mirror finish—so they’ll look good in any kitchen. The pieces come in a sensible range of sizes, so you’ll always have the right pan for the job whether you’re cooking for one or making a pot of stew for the family, and they’re easy to keep clean. Not only are they great for glass stoves, they're also compatible with induction stoves.
This set includes 8 1/2-inch and 10-inch frying pans, a 1 1/2-quart saucepan with lid, a 3-quart saucepan with lid, a 3 1/2-quart sauté pan with lid, an 8-quart stockpot with lid, and a steamer insert with lid.
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Excellent quality for an affordable price
Features pouring spouts and straining lids
Easy to clean
Skillets don't have lids
While this set isn’t super-cheap, it’s very affordable considering the number of pieces that are included. Made from stainless steel with a bonded aluminum base for high performance, each pot and pan has interior measuring marks so you can see how much water you’ve added or how much leftover soup needs to be put away. The integrated pouring spouts and straining lids that make it easy to drain the water from your pasta or strain the bones from homemade stock.
This set includes a 1 1/2-quart saucepan with lid, a 2 1/2-quart saucepan with lid, a 3-quart sauté pan with lid, a 6-quart stockpot with lid, an 8-inch frying pan, and a 10-inch frying pan.
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Nonstick coating is safe to use with metal utensils
Easy to clean
Oven safe to 400 degrees
Nonstick coating will degrade over time
This isn’t your grandma’s nonstick cookware that got scratched with basic use—this metal utensil safe (but you still shouldn’t scrape the pans or cut in them) and it’s oven safe to 400 degrees so you can use the larger pieces for roasting or keep food warm in the oven before you serve. The large loop handles on the glass lids stay cool during cooking, and are easy to grab, even with oven mitts. Because of the nonstick surface, these are easy to clean, even when making tough-to-clean foods, like scrambled eggs.
This set includes a 3-quart covered sauté pan, a 1-quart saucepan, a 2-quart saucepan with lid, a 3-quart saucepan with lid, an 8-quart stockpot with lid, an 8 1/2 inch skillet, and a 12-inch deep skillet with lid.
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Solid starter set includes essential pieces
Oven safe to 600 degrees
High quality
Expensive
Might not be enough pieces for those who cook large amounts
When you’re setting up a new kitchen, it can make a lot of sense to start with a few basic pieces, then add more when you find that something is lacking. This set has three pieces of basic cookware that can get a new home cook through many classic recipes, from searing a steak to cooking a large pot of chicken soup. The three-ply construction gives excellent performance and allows this set to be used in the oven, broiler, or grill up to 600 degrees.
This set includes a 10-inch frying pan, a 3-quart saucepan with lid, and a 6-quart stockpot with lid.
Stylish copper finish
Oven safe to 450 degrees
Excellent variety of pieces included
On the pricier side
Maximum oven safe temperature is lower than average
There’s no doubt about it, copper cookware just looks luxurious. This set has a copper exterior and a stainless steel interior with an aluminum core, a winning combination of beauty and functionality. Stainless steel lids with large loop handles complete the sets, which are great for grabbing the lids with potholders or kitchen towels. Flared rims on the cookware are a pretty design detail and add strength to the cookware, and they make pouring easy when it’s time to drain water from the pasta. This cookware is oven safe to 450 degrees, so you can even use it for roasting vegetables.
This set includes an 8-inch omelet pan, a 10-inch omelet pan, a 3-quart sauté pan with lid, a 1.5-quart saucepan with lid, a 2.5-quart saucepan with lid, and a 6-quart saucepan with lid.
Hefty, premium quality construction
Even heating and distribution
Easy to clean
Very expensive
Might be too heavy for some
All-Clad's reputation for high-quality cookware is well deserved, and this professional-grade set is no exception. Made from multiple layers of stainless steel and aluminum, these pans heat evenly and have excellent heat distribution. The brushed stainless steel finish is resistant to fingerprints and water marks and provides a smooth cooking surface that also helps prevent sticking. The pans are heavy, which means they won't move around on the cooktop, and they thick enough to prevent warping.
This set includes all the most essential pans and then some: an 8-inch fry pan, 10-inch fry pan, 1.5-quart saucepan with lid, 3-quart saucepan with lid, 3-quart saute pan with lid, and 8-quart stockpot with lid. The flared edges make for easy pouring, and the pans are oven safe up to 500 degrees. These pieces are easy to care for—you can opt to hand wash them, but they can also be put right into the dishwasher for cleaning. If you can splurge on a cookware set, this is a fantastic choice.
Our top pick is the Duxtop Professional Stainless Steel Induction Cookware Set because of its quality and wide assortment of included pans and accessories—you'll have everything you need to get cooking right away. If you're looking for a more affordable option, the Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set offers a great collection of sturdy pots and pans that are also oven and dishwasher safe.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
The author of this piece, Donna Currie, is a seasoned food writer and product tester for The Spruce Eats. A self-professed "kitchen geek," she's written a number of our favorite roundups on a range of essential kitchen items, from the best Thanksgiving gadgets to the top seafood kitchen tools of the year.
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