The best saucepan sets for cooking up a storm, tried and tested

This lidded saucepan trio (16cm, 18cm and 20cm) from Ninja came out tops in the testing rounds. Here, zerostick is seemingly the new non-stick; these pans stay flake- and peel-free, thanks to a unique plasma ceramic bonding over hard-anodised aluminium that’s also free from harmful chemicals. It’s the closest we’ve come to cooking with our eyes closed. After browning mince for a chilli con carne and adding the essentials, we simply popped the lid snugly on our 20cm Ninja and left it bubbling for more than 30 minutes – with not a scuffed piece of mince in sight.

The sturdy, cool-touch silicone pan and lid handles offer peace of mind when things heat up, and the pans can withstand temperatures of 200C when you need a quick transfer to a hot oven. Ninja’s five-piece pan set (£219.99, Ninjakitchen.co.uk), which also includes a milk pan and frying pan, is also worth a look, while the cookware bundle (was £329.97, now £229.99, Ninjakitchen.co.uk) offers a comprehensive seven-piece kit boasting two frying pans, a milk pan and a shallow saute pan in addition to the standard pans. These sets will see you through Ninja’s 10-year guarantee and, most likely, beyond.

Established in 1899 and loved for its classic bakeware kit, including measuring cups and icing syringes, Tala has branched out with a sleek line of cookware forged in Portugal, from high-quality, mirror-polished steel. This five-piecer is everything you want in a classic pan set. We put each pan through its paces over a fortnight of morning breakfasts, from a milk pan’s worth of porridge to weekend brunches, when the frying pan (which is 24cm and helpfully non-stick) whipped up pancakes, eggs and bacon with ease, and was easily wiped down with kitchen roll between cooking stages.

Free from harmful chemicals and toxins, each pan has a thick impact-bonded base, which means heat is distributed evenly and quickly – something that was evident in the cook-offs. The oven-safe promise meant we could keep food warm while waiting for the crowds to gather, and all were easily cleaned either in the dishwasher or with a few warm, soapy suds at the kitchen sink. Tala’s 25-year guarantee is a reassuring bonus at the checkout.

For anyone looking to take their eco-habits further than the recycling bin, manufacturer Prestige has left no stone unturned in its quest to create a range of planet-friendly cookware that stands alongside some of the leading saucepan brands on the market.

Made in Italy, this three-piece non-stick saucepan set (16cm, 18cm and 20cm) is a great entry point. The body of each pan is made from recycled aluminium, while the black handles are made from recycled plastic bags that would have otherwise been destined for landfill. Prestige’s green promises run from production (pans are made using limited CO2 emissions) to its 100 per cent recyclable packaging (they’re all nestled in paper and cardboard to keep each safe in transit).

We were also reassured by the toxin-free ceramic coating, which creates an effective non-stick surface when cooking at high temperatures and makes washing up a breeze. The 20cm gives you that extra reach when you need to boil a vat of spuds for family roasts, and each pan feels a safe, solid choice on all types of stovetop.

Dubbed “the Rolls Royce of pans” by its ambassador Gordon Ramsay, our expectations for this premium set of saucepans were high. Luckily, we weren’t disappointed. The frying pan cooked our bacon and several stir-fries to perfection, and it’s not an exaggeration to say these pans feel like a new frontier for home-cooking.

Hexclad pans, which launched in 2017, hold a robust weightiness about them and deliver exceptional results, due to the clever sandwich formation of stainless steel, aluminium and cast iron in the main body of the pan. What looks like a bee-hive formation on the pan’s surface is actually a series of carefully lasered hexagons; the raised peaks are made from stainless steel (heat-protecting while helping to aid searing), and the non-stick properties of the valleys between mean less need for greasing agents.

Even at high temperatures, the handles remained cool, and the pans withstood much poking around from a mix of metal and wooden utensils, cleaning up quickly in warm, soapy water. Both oven- and dishwasher-safe, the Hexclad is suitable for all stove tops, too, and the lifetime guarantee is proof of durability.

It’s worth noting that, despite the description of a 13-piece set, this collection is actually seven pots and pans plus six lids but, still, for a high-quality pan set to pass down through the generations, this takes some beating if you have the extra cash to splash.

Made in England and boasting a lifetime guarantee, this feels like the jewel in the crown of British cookware – something that is tangible just from opening each of the pans’ hessian bags. Similar to Hexclad in its raw base materials, a layer of aluminium sits at the core of the pans, sandwiched between high-quality stainless steel. This set of three (measuring 16cm, 18cm and 20cm) nestles nicely into one another without lids, and we put them to the test with ingredients, ranging from basic gravy-making to poaching eggs and cooking up a hot pot from scratch.

The time-honoured science behind the pans (Samuel Groves has more than two centuries of cookware manufacturing experience behind it) means the vessels react best to low to medium heat, which feels like a sensible way to cook. These pans really hold their own on a stovetop and look like the kind of cookware you’d see in a royal kitchen, with elegant, ergonomic handles that provide great comfort during cooking and serving, and stainless steel lids that sit tightly and securely. The price point won’t suit all budgets, but these pans would make an excellent gift for newlyweds and special occasions or for seasoned home cooks looking to elevate their cookware range.