Best pots and pans for induction stove top

You may think a pot is a pot but that’s definitely not true, and especially when it comes to cooking on electric and induction glass ceramic cooktops. Unless your cookware makes good contact with the glass surface, it won’t heat up evenly, leaving you with hot and cold spots and the need to stir and rearrange food vigilantly to get good results. Our selection of best cookware for glass ceramic cooktops includes pots and pans made of various metals, with and without a nonstick finish. You can buy a whole set of one material or you can mix and match according to your needs and preferences. For cooking eggs and pancakes, you may want a nonstick pan and for searing steaks, a stainless steel one. Regardless of your cooking style and your budget, you can outfit your kitchen with pots and pans from these six lines with the confidence that they’ll give good results.

Best Set: Anolon Nouvelle Stainless 11-Piece Mixed Metals Cookware Set

$399.99

Amazon

On the bottom of each of the pots and pans in this set, there’s a thick base of aluminum and a layer of copper that will give you absolutely even cooking on your smoothtop range. If you need a whole set of cookware, this collection is our number one choice. It includes an assortment of both hard-anodized nonstick and stainless steel pieces so you don’t have to choose between them. You get a small skillet that’s perfect for omelets or a single fried egg, a large 12-inch covered skillet for a frittatas or a pan full of meatballs, and a 1 1/2-quart saucepan for heating up soup, all with nonstick coatings to prevent sticking and make cleanup easy. In addition, in stainless steel there’s a 3 1/2- quart saucepan, an 8-quart stockpot, and a 3-quart sauté pan which is great for making crusty pan-fried burgers.

This cookware are safe in the oven up to 500 F, so you can use a skillet for a frittata or a puffy pancake. When you use the long-handled pans on the stovetop, the handles will stay cool enough to lift without a pot holder. As the handles are attached with rivets, they’ll never loosen or fall off. On the inside, the rivets are flush with the sides of the pans so you won’t have to scrub to clean around them. All of the pieces can be used on induction burners. While the stainless-steel pans and lids can go in the dishwasher, you will need to hand wash the hard anodized ones. Also note, if you want the thin but visible copper layer to look shiny, you’ll have to polish it with a copper cleaner.

Best Stainless Steel Pans: Tramontina Prima Stainless Steel Cookware

$170

Amazon

If you like the durability and the shine of stainless steel, these pots and pans with a thick aluminum base on the bottom will make better contact with your glass ceramic cooktop than clad stainless steel. You can choose from a wide selection of pieces from an 8-inch skillet to a 12-quart stockpot, all at fairly reasonable prices. The wide flared sides on the skillets will make it easy to toss mushrooms, stir sauces, and turn out crepes or omelets. Prima is oven safe to 500 F, as well as induction and dishwasher safe. However, like all stainless steel it will need a bit of scrubbing to keep it spotless, especially if you use it to sear steaks or chops on high heat.

Best Budget-Friendly Stainless Steel Pans: Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Collection

$249.99

Kohl's

You can’t beat this Cuisinart cookware with a disc bottom for stainless steel at a moderate pricepoint. It browns beautifully and doesn’t scorch when you’re simmering a tomato ragu. And we love this collection because it requires less scrubbing than many stainless steel lines to get it looking like new. All of the saucepans have measurement markings so you know how much milk to add when you’re making pudding or water to add when you’re steaming rice. Some of the large skillets have helper handles to make it easy to carry a pan chockful of food to the countertop or table. You can place the Chef’s Classic in the oven to 500 F, as well as in the dishwasher and use it on an induction cooktop.

Best Nonstick Pans: All-Clad NS1 Nonstick Induction

$399.96

Williams Sonoma

This line of nonstick cookware has the classic professional styling for which All-Clad is known. It’s made of anodized aluminum with a stainless-steel base on the bottom that gives it good contact with a flat glass cooktop. That means you get perfectly even browning, steady simmering, and no scorching. The nonstick properties of the interior finish are excellent, so even scrambled eggs won’t leave you with a mess to clean up. The dark gray exterior finish doesn’t show stains or discolor and unlike most anodized aluminum, NS1 can be cleaned in the dishwasher. As it can go in the oven to 500 F, you can use a skillet to finish off a piece of salmon or bake a Dutch baby pancake.

Best Budget-Friendly Nonstick Pans: Rachael Ray Cucina Hard Anodized

$359.99

Amazon

These hard-anodized aluminum pots and pan with flat bottoms are real workhorses. The skillets give absolutely perfect browning whether you’re making pancakes or steaks. You can depend on the nonstick finish to do exactly what it’s supposed to: cook eggs, even without butter, and clean up easily whether you opt for hand washing or put the pans in the dishwasher. The riveted handles have silicone grips that are comfortable to hold and stay cool during stovetop cooking, so you can grab them without a pot holder. Although for the most part these are serious looking pieces, the silicone handles come in orange, red, or blue for a pop of color. Cucina can go in the oven to 400 F. It is not induction safe.

Best Ceramic Nonstick: Green Pan Valencia Pro Ceramic Nonstick

$349.99

Amazon

This cookware has a ceramic nonstick coating that’s made from sand, which means it can be used over high heat and with metal utensils. And unlike some ceramic nonstick coatings, it excels at releasing sticky foods like eggs and pancakes. Constructed of hard anodized aluminum, it has a base that sits perfectly flat on glass ceramic cooktops to give even heating whether you’re caramelizing onions or searing pork chops. As Valencia goes in the oven to 600 F, you can quickly brown and crisp a crumb topping on a skillet casserole. The combination of a dark gray exterior, nonstick interior even on the rivets, and dishwasher safety make this cookware easy to clean. Even though it’s aluminum, the base makes it work with an induction burner.