Best Nonstick Cookware Sets for $100 or Less
In CR’s tests, these nicely priced sets perform just as well as more expensive options
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The most expensive nonstick set in CR’s cookware ratings costs more than $800, with a stellar performance in nonstick durability, nonstick food release, heating evenness, and speed of heating. But you could also get a set for a small fraction of the price that performs just as well. There are actually a number of sets with top marks that come in at $100 or less.
The trade-off for the lower price? Handles that aren’t as sturdy as those on higher-end cookware, which may end up becoming loose over time.
Kelly Moomey, the CR analyst who covers the cookware market, offers an insight for all shoppers: “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.”
Below, in alphabetical order, are six standouts from our tests of nonstick cookware sets. Note that prices may change, so you’ll occasionally see a cookware set that crosses the $100 threshold—and maybe one that’s going for a lot less.
For more information and more choices, see our cookware buying guide and full cookware ratings and recommendations.
This Amazon Basics Non-Stick LFFP16027 cookware set excelled in CR’s speed of heating, cooking evenness, and sauce simmer tests. Performance was also very good in our nonstick durability tests, which simulate scraping with metal utensils and abrasive cleaners, as well as our tests for nonstick food release: Four eggs fried consecutively without oil slid off the pan with little assistance. Be aware that five items in this 15-piece set are utensils.
The Beautiful by Drew Barrymore Ceramic Non-Stick cookware set earned top scores in our tests for nonstick food release. Cooking evenness was also excellent, based on our thermal imaging evaluation. This set was also very good in our tests of nonstick durability, sauce simmer, and speed of heating. The manufacturer claims these ceramic-coated, hard-anodized aluminum pots and pans are made without PTFE, a type of PFAS, or “forever chemical," that doesn’t easily break down, persisting practically indefinitely.
Two of 10 pieces in the Blue Diamond Classic Diamond-Infused Ceramic set are plastic utensils. Even so, you’re getting a nice set of cookware for the price. The manufacturer says it’s safe to use metal utensils with these pans, and while we wouldn’t necessarily recommend this, the pans did score 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. The set receives excellent scores on these tests, plus it’s made without PTFE.
Another ceramic option worth considering is the Kenmore Arlington Nonstick Ceramic Coated set. It’s roughly the same price as the Kenmore set below, but has a slightly higher overall score and includes 12 pieces instead of 10. It also scores better than the model below for handle sturdiness (although it still received just a middling rating in that category). Nonstick durability is very good, but not excellent. Kenmore claims this set is made without PTFE.
The Kenmore Elite Andover Nonstick Platinum cookware set excels in our tests for nonstick durability—it performs better in this test than the Kenmore ceramic set above—meaning it can withstand up to 2,000 strokes of steel wool. It also nails our tests for nonstick food release, cooking evenness, and speed of heating. Its performance is also very good in our sauce simmer tests. This set is very good at keeping handle temperatures low enough to touch (without a potholder) while in use on the stovetop.
The 10-piece Red Copper Ceramic Infused nonstick set aces our tests for quickly bringing water to a near-boil, for slowly simmering tomato sauce, and for heating evenly, evaluated using a thermal imaging camera. Eggs did stick a bit in our food-release test, so it earned just a middling score for that measure. When we tested this model for the presence of 69 different types of PFAS, we didn’t detect any, supporting the manufacturer’s claim that it’s PTFE-free.
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