Not all cookware is for all cooks. Between the person who doesn’t know what blanching is and those that own commercial-grade blowtorches, there is a divide. Cookware, like all product categories, can be stratified in a dozen different ways. What’s the best brand if you want your pans to look good? What about the best cheap brand? The best for beginners? These are the best cookware companies for every different cook to invest in.
The Budget-Minded Cook: Potluck
Potluck makes utilitarian cookware. On its site, it promises no retail markups, no gadgets and no single-use products. To that end, its lineup is stuffed with just the basics — a skillet, a stock pot, sauce pans, the only three knives you actually need and a tightly curated cast of kitchen utensils. The cookware is three-ply stainless steel, the knives are hardwearing high-carbon steel and the prices are ideal — $270 for an entire kitchen suite.
The Beginner Cook: Equal Parts
The newest brand on the list was designed from the top-down to cater to the cook who doesn’t know their way around stovetop. The pots and pans are ceramic-coated aluminum, making them lighter, easier to clean and faster-heating than any stainless steel cookware you can buy. The entire collection is nesting, so space isn’t an issue, and every set comes with eight weeks of free text-based cooking guidance. Fire questions, curiosities and recipe ideas to Equal Parts’ cook hotline for immediate backup in the kitchen.
