The best cookware set for your situation: advice from the shop floor

The best cookware set, a set that ranks number one for everyone, doesn't exist. Which set is best depends on your hob, how you cook and what you want to spend. What you'll get here is concrete advice for each situation from our own shelf, with real names and prices. Those recommendations come from our in-store experience, with sets we test ourselves in our showroom before recommending them. You'll also read what most lists skip: which cookware sets you're better off avoiding, and when you don't need a new set at all. We start with the question of why all those top lists contradict each other, then cross out the bad buys and look at what "the best set" will still be worth in a few years; after that we decide per situation.

Question 2: How much effort do you want to put into your pans?

Stainless steel pans last for decades,

Question 3: How large is your household?

For one- or two-person households, a 2-piece

Question 4: Does the set need to be dishwasher-safe?

Not all pans are dishwasher-safe,

Question 5: What's your budget?

A good cookware set doesn't have to be the most expensive

Is a complete set always the smartest buy?

Honest answer: not always. A set of two or three pans that you actually use