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For serious cooks, a high-quality sauté pan or saucepan is a prized possession. Even better is a complete set of them. T-fal is one of the leaders in cookware. The company got its start in France in 1956 as Tefal, a mashup of Teflon and aluminum. Today, it continues to be a popular source of high-quality cookware known around the world for its everyday practicality.
A matching set of cookware from T-fal appeals to the new cook who wants to delve into cooking shows or online video inspirations. It also appeals to the seasoned chef seeking to replace their ragged pots and pans with a collection that is visually appealing and able to meet their culinary demands.
With the wide variety of cookware sets on the market, cooks can pick and choose which pieces they want in their collection and how much they want to spend. T-fal offers a bounty of quality choices. The only question is which set from T-fal to choose. Understanding the top considerations and features is key to finding the best T-fal has to offer.
Our top choice is the T-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set, which comes with 17 durable pieces that are easy to maintain and comfortable to use.
Editors’ Favorite
Number of Pieces: 17 | Cookware Material: Hard anodized nonstick | Oven-safe: Up to 400 degrees | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Induction-compatible: No
The T-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set combines durable construction with a user-friendly design that makes cooking a little easier. The pans feature a hard-anodized exterior, so they’re extremely sturdy and aren’t prone to dents. The cookware’s interior features a titanium nonstick coating that releases food easily, allowing you to use less oil and butter. Its handles are riveted for added security and made of silicone for a more comfortable grip.
The set has 17 pieces, so it provides nearly every pot or pan you might need for your favorite recipe. It includes three saucepans, two frying pans, a saute pan, a griddle, a Dutch oven and a steamer insert. The frying pans feature a special heat indicator that turns red when heated, so you know exactly when it’s time to add your food. We also appreciate the tempered glass lids, which effectively trap heat and moisture while allowing you to keep an eye on your food.
The T-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set also offers ample versatility. The pots are oven-safe up to 400 degrees, and the lids up to 350 degrees, allowing you to take your recipes from the stovetop to the oven without missing a beat. The set is dishwasher-safe, too, making cleanup a breeze.
Great Value
Number of Pieces: 12 | Cookware Material: Aluminum with a nonstick coating | Oven-safe: Up to 350 degrees | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Induction-compatible: No
The T-fal Signature Nonstick Cookware Set is an excellent option for home chefs on a budget, offering the essential pots and pans you need and a high-performing design. It includes two frying pans, two saucepans, a griddle, a Dutch oven and several utensils. The cookware features an aluminum core and a ProGlide nonstick coating that prevents food from sticking during cooking, even with minimal oil or butter. The set includes vented glass lids to help retain heat and moisture while cooking, too.
Like other T-fal cookware sets, these pots and pans feature the brand’s unique heat indicator, which turns red when the cookware is properly preheated. As a result, you can be sure your food is perfectly seared or browned every time you add it to the pan. The pots also feature a flat base that prevents hot spots, ensuring your food cooks evenly every time.
Both the pans and lids are oven-safe up to 350 degrees, so you can move from the stovetop to the oven for baking or roasting without switching cookware. Best of all, the T-fal Signature Nonstick Cookware Set is dishwasher-safe, so you don’t have to scrub or soak, even after preparing your messiest recipes.
Best Ceramic Set for PTFE-Free Cooking
Number of Pieces: 20 | Cookware Material: Ceramic with a recycled aluminum core | Oven-safe: Up to 350 degrees | Dishwasher-safe: No | Induction-compatible: No
For anyone concerned about the potential toxic chemicals in nonstick cookware, the T-fal Refresh Ceramic Pots and Pans Set is an ideal option. Featuring a recycled-aluminum core, the interior is coated with nonstick ceramic that doesn’t contain PTFE, a chemical commonly found in nonstick cookware.
The set features 20 pieces, including two frying pans, two saucepans, a saute pan, a Dutch oven, a griddle and an egg pan. It’s available in several fun colors, so you can choose from options like rose or mint to liven up your kitchen. The pots and pans come with vented glass lids that lock in heat and moisture, keeping your food tender and infused with delicious flavor. Their handles are designed to provide a comfortable, stay-cool grip, too, giving you a secure hold even when the cookware is hot.
The Refresh Set is just as versatile as our top T-fal picks. The pots and lids are oven-safe up to 350 degrees, so you can prepare a wide range of recipes in them. Hand-washing is recommended to maintain the nonstick surface, but the ceramic surface easily wipes clean with a nylon sponge.
T-Fal cookware may be made from a number of different metals and other materials. Each type has its own unique characteristics.
Stainless steel
This is the most common material found in cookware, and T-fal offers several lines of stainless steel cookware . Stainless steel is not highly expensive, doesn’t react with foods like other metals do, and is an effective all-around cookware material. However, it's not a particularly effective heat conductor. For this reason, stainless steel is often paired with other metals. T-fal’s tri-ply stainless steel sets typically feature an aluminum core for better heat conduction.
Aluminum
Pots and pans with aluminum construction not only conduct heat efficiently but are also inexpensive. However, aluminum is a soft metal, which means it can easily scratch and dent. It can also react with food. Hard-anodized aluminum is a type of aluminum that’s thicker and harder than standard aluminum, eliminating many of the metal’s downsides. T-fal offers both standard aluminum and hard-anodized aluminum cookware options.
Ceramic
Ceramic is a very traditional cookware material and offers a nonstick surface without PFOA, PTFE or other potentially harmful chemicals. It also retains heat extremely well but typically takes longer to reach temperature than other materials. It does not react with food and comes in a wide array of colors and designs, making it one of the more attractive cookware materials. Most modern ceramic cookware isn’t entirely ceramic, though. Instead, a base of aluminium or stainless steel is usually coated with ceramic to provide a nonstick cooking surface. T-fal’s ceramic cookware sets feature a 100% recycled aluminum body with a ceramic interior nonstick coating.
Clad
Clad cookware features multiple layers of different metals. With clad, you end up with all the advantages of several metals and a few of the negatives. The majority of clad cookware pieces feature a “sandwich” of aluminum or copper encased in stainless steel. The result is cookware that heats up quickly and doesn’t react poorly with foods, all at a moderate cost. T-fal offers several cookware lines that combine stainless steel and aluminum in a three-layer construction to deliver the best features of each material.
The actual pieces you receive with your T-fal cookware set (usually 10 to 20 pieces) will vary depending on what you buy. The majority of sets will contain the following.
Weight can be an issue with some cookware sets. A heavy pot on its own usually won’t be too cumbersome, but once you add the weight of the food being cooked, a few pounds can make a big difference in user comfort.
Be sure you’re comfortable with the weight and balance of all the pieces in a cookware set. If you are shopping online, the product specs should provide some information about how much the pieces weigh and how they feel in the hand.
Are all elements of the cookware set dishwasher-safe, or do some or all need to be washed by hand?
T-fal has many dishwasher-safe options. These are ideal for cooks who don’t like to hand-wash dishes. However, T-fal recommends hand-washing certain sets, including some ceramic cookware. Keep in mind that pots and pans with nonstick surfaces can be easier to clean than those without.
A pan with a nonstick interior can certainly be easier to cook with. However, there are a number of different surfaces that are classified as nonstick. Make sure you know what you’re spending money on.
A nonstick-coated surface should be free from PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and other potentially harmful chemicals that can leach into your food as you cook. Most cookware brands, including T-fal, have phased out PFOA in their nonstick cookware. T-fal’s nonstick surfaces use PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), a chemical polymer commonly known as Teflon, that doesn’t have the same potential risks as PFOA.
Ceramic coatings are a nontoxic alternative to PTFE nonstick surfaces. T-fal includes several ceramic-coated cookware sets among its offerings for those who prefer a healthier, greener option. Features like starburst surfaces are also designed to resist sticking without the use of a coating. That said, there is typically a greater learning curve to cooking in these nonstick pots and pans, and they may require a small amount of butter or oil for the best results.
Remember that most nonstick surfaces are not very scratch-resistant. As such, care must be taken during use and cleanup to keep the interiors looking and performing their best.
Some T-fal cookware features Thermo-Spot indicators built into the bottoms of the pans.
During preheating, a Thermo-Spot changes color. Solid red alerts the cook that the pan has heated to its ideal temperature for excellent cooking results. This unique technology is a welcomed feature for novice cooks who need a little extra help cooking their favorite foods.
Thoughtfully added cookware handles can help you to safely move around pots as you’re cooking. But some are better than others. The handle should be securely fastened to the side of the pan or pot using rivets (more common) or welds. It should stay cool to the touch when on the stove. A rubberized or silicone handle will help in this regard and provide a more comfortable grip. An ergonomic design also makes a handle easy to grasp.
Most T-fal cookware sets feature riveted silicone handles that fit well in the hand and stay cool during cooking, so they’re extremely comfortable to hold. However, some sets have detachable handles that make it easier to transition from the stovetop to the oven and save valuable storage space.
All saucepans, stockpots and Dutch ovens should have their own durable lids. A cookware set receives extra points from us if the lids also fit the fry and sauté pans.
Lids should fit tightly to keep steam and food inside the pan. Those made of tempered glass allow you to monitor the cooking process without interrupting it by constantly having to lift the lid.
If the option to release excess steam during cooking is important to you, the cookware set you choose should have vented lids.
Nearly all T-fal cookware sets include vented glass lids that effectively trap heat and moisture in the pot for enhanced flavor and texture while still allowing you to keep an eye on your recipe as it cooks. Some T-fal sets also include storage lids that are ideal for leftovers you store in the fridge.
Some budget T-fal cookware sets can be purchased for under $100. These sets tend to have fewer pieces and may be limited to just pans within the set.
The majority of T-fal cookware set prices sit in the $100-to-$200 range. For a consumer who wants a little bit of everything (several pots, several pans and lids), this is a good place to start looking.
Some of the best high-end T-fal cooking sets cost $200 to $350. Pricier options are usually the result of one of two factors: either more pieces are included or the materials used to make the cookware are more expensive.
T-fal offers a wide range of cookware sets, making it daunting to find the best option for your kitchen. To identify the best T-fal cookware set, we evaluated customer reviews across several online retailers to determine which sets best fulfilled users’ needs. In particular, we analyzed which T-fal sets were the most comprehensive, durable, easy to use and easy to clean. Overall, we considered over a dozen T-fal cookware sets and chose our top picks based on their cooking performance, materials, durability, lid and handle design, ease of cleaning and versatility.
A. Some nonstick coatings contain chemicals such as PFOA, which should be avoided. T-fal nonstick cookware contains PTFE, which has been linked to some health issues. However, it typically only becomes a problem if the nonstick coating chips or flakes. If you keep your pans in good condition, it’s usually safe to use.
Metals like aluminum can react with certain ingredients like tomatoes and leach into foods. Ceramic-surfaced pots may also contain trace elements of lead or cadmium.
Cooking with stainless steel (or hard-anodized aluminum) and knowing the composition and origin of any pan coatings can cut down on the majority of potential cookware-related health risks.
A. First, take stock of what you like to eat. Try to find a set that contains the pans you need (without the ones you don’t). Aim for an affordable stainless steel or ceramic-coated set that includes utensils to start yourself off right. The ceramic sets are usually easier to clean because of their nonstick surface, so new cooks may prefer those.
A. There are several factors that will determine the longevity of pots and pans with nonstick coatings, but most usually average two to three years before they begin to scratch, chip or flake. Pricier sets are typically made better and hold up well to use. T-fal sets that feature ceramic nonstick surfaces are also known for being long-lasting.
The manner in which you care for the pieces in a nonstick set is vital to their longevity. Never use metal utensils on nonstick coatings, and avoid cooking temperatures that are higher than the manufacturer recommends. With proper care, the coating on a quality set should last five years or more.
A. It depends on the cookware set. Some sets are as much at home in the oven or under the broiler as they are on the stove, while others could be damaged or destroyed in the oven. Check your documentation carefully. If your cookware is oven safe, note the maximum recommended temperature, and stay within that range. Some sets are oven-safe up to 400 degrees, while others shouldn’t be heated above 350 degrees. Additionally, not all of the lids for T-fal’s cookware sets are oven-safe, so check that yours are before baking or roasting.
