Best saucepans and saucepan sets: tried and tested

The best saucepan sets and best saucepans: they'll look good, cook well, last for years and easily stack away into your cupboards or drawers, whether you're in the market for one or multiple pans.

We buy every model we try – we don't accept any freebies – and we put them through our expert testing to find the best saucepan sets for cooking, durability and stacking. We even use thermal imaging to measure just how fast and evenly a saucepan heats up across the entire base. 

We've tested Ninja and Tefal saucepans, along with other popular brands. Two saucepan sets and an individual saucepan impressed us enough to get our Best Buy recommendation.

The best saucepan sets

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The saucepan sets we tested

All the saucepan sets we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

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Argos Home 3-piece Aluminium Pan Set

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Available from Argos (£37.50)

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 19.7cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? Yes

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 16 x 8.6cm, 18 x 9.6cm, 20 x 10.4cm; non-stick and lids have steam holes and draining holes built in; suitable for all hob types; not oven-safe; dishwasher-safe; stated PFOA-free; one-year guarantee

Ikea Annons 5-piece Cookware Set

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Available from Ikea (£12)

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 21cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? Yes for the 17cm and 21cm saucepans

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 15 x 6.5cm, 17 x 9cm, 21 x 9.7cm; suitable for all hob types; lids have steam holes; not oven-safe; dishwasher-safe; no warranty information available

Jamie Oliver by Tefal Hard Anodised Aluminium Non-stick Saucepan Set with Lids

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 18.6cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? Yes

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 16 x 7.5cm, 18 x 8.8cm, 20 x 9.7cm; non-stick, lids have steam holes and pans have scales for measurements (litres and quarts) on the inside; suitable for most hob types but not hotplates; oven-safe up to 210°C; dishwasher-safe; stated PFOA, cadmium and lead-free; two-year guarantee

Le Creuset Toughened Non-stick 3-piece Saucepan Set

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 21cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? Yes

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 16 x 9.5cm, 18 x 11.2cm, 20 x 12.2cm; non-stick; suitable for all hob types except hotplates; oven-safe up to 260°C; not dishwasher-safe; stated PFOA-free; lifetime warranty

Ninja Zerostick Hard Anodised 3-piece Saucepan Set

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 21.5cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? Yes

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 16 x 7.5cm, 18 x 9.5cm, 20 x 10.5cm; non-stick and lids have steam holes; suitable for all hob types; oven-safe up to 260°C; dishwasher-safe; stated PFOA, calcium and lead-free; 10-year guarantee

Best non-stick frying pans – discover the pans we've tested with the best and most durable coating

Ninja Zerostick Stackable 3-piece Saucepan Set

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 16.6cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? Yes

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 16 x 7.4cm, 18 x 9.2cm, 20 x 10.2cm; non-stick and lids have steam holes; suitable for all hob types; oven-safe up to 260°C; dishwasher-safe; stated PFOA, calcium and lead-free; 10-year guarantee

Russell Hobbs Classic Collection 5-piece Pan Set

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 25.5cm

Number of pans 4 plus a 24cm frying pan

Are lids included? Yes for the 16, 18 and 20cm saucepans

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 14 x 7cm, 16 x 7.6cm, 18 x 8.5cm, 20 x 9.6cm, 24 x 5.9cm; lids have steam holes; suitable for all hob types; not oven-safe; dishwasher-safe; five-year guarantee

Scoville Neverstick 5, 3-piece Saucepan Set

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 17cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? Yes

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 16 x 7.6cm, 18 x 8.6cm, 20 x 9.6cm; non-stick and lids have steam holes; suitable for all hob types; not oven-safe; dishwasher-safe; stated PFOA and flake-free; lifetime guarantee

Tefal Ingenio Emotion 4-piece Stainless Steel Pan Set

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 10.6cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? No

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 16 x 9cm, 18 x 9cm, 20 x 9cm; one detachable handle included and pans have scales for measurements (litres and quarts) on the inside; suitable for most hob types but not hotplates; oven-safe up to 175°C; dishwasher-safe; 10-year guarantee

Tower Cerastone 3-piece Pan Set

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Height of pans when stacked 23cm

Number of pans 3

Are lids included? Yes

Need to know Diameter x height of pans: 18 x 8cm, 20 x 8.7cm, 22 x 9.6cm; non-stick and lids have steam holes; suitable for most hob types but not hotplates; not oven-safe; not dishwasher-safe; five-year extended warranty

The best saucepans

Only logged-in Which? members can view the saucepan test results below.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

The saucepans we tested

All the saucepans we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best saucepans from our tests.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

Eaziglide Neverstick2 Aluminium Non-Stick Saucepan

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Weight 1.3kg

Need to know Comes with lid with built-in strainer; non-stick coating; oven-safe up to 260°C; dishwasher-safe; suitable for all hobs; lifetime guarantee; available in 16, 18 and 20cm sizes

GreenPan Venice Pro Extra Ceramic Non-Stick Saucepan

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Weight 1.5kg

Need to know Comes with lid; non-stick coating; oven-safe up to 220°C; dishwasher-safe; suitable for all hobs; lifetime guarantee; available in 16, 18 and 20cm sizes

Don't miss our pick of the best chef's knives

Salter Geo Hex Non-Stick Aluminium Saucepan

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Induction hob compatible? Yes

Weight 1kg

Need to know Comes with lid with steam vent; non-stick coating; not oven-safe; dishwasher-safe; suitable for all hobs; 10-year guarantee; available in 16, 18 and 20cm sizes

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How we test saucepans

Brands cannot buy their way into our testing. We select the most searched-for saucepans and saucepans sets from top UK retailers, and pay for every saucepan we test. We don't accept freebies so no-one can influence what we write.

To ensure we're being thorough and fair when bringing you the very best saucepans, how we test and our testing results are also verified with a panel of our own research experts.

We also regularly revisit the saucepans and saucepan sets on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing and when we find them, we do.

Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent

Non-stick coating

• We cook a tin of baked beans in each pan and don't stir them once boiling to really push the non-stick coating to its limit.
• We then rate how easy it is to pour the beans out, the amount of residue left in each pan and how difficult that residue is to scrape off.
• The best saucepans have slick non-stick surfaces and the beans slide out easily. With the worst, a lot of unappealing residue is left in each pan, and it's difficult to remove.

Heat conduction and distribution

• We use a thermal imaging camera and analyse the results to measure the heat distribution of each saucepan.
• We also use it to measure how fast they heat up.
• We also use temperature probes and thermal imaging to see how hot each handle gets.
• The best pans heat up quickly, while others take longer to reach a good cooking temperature.

Scratch resistance and durability

• We use a lab-approved, hardness-test pencil to apply the same force to each saucepan to test how well each pan stands up to lots of light scratches.
• This represents repeatedly taking the pan in and out of the cupboard, or months of hand-washing.
• We also subject each pan's surface to heavy scratches. These represent big bangs and scrapes.
• The best saucepans don't show any signs of scratches. With others, the non-stick coating crumbles and comes away. 

Strength

We lift heavy weights in each saucepan to see how strong and well built they are.

The best saucepans easily pass our strength tests; the worst have handles that start to bend and flex.

Washing

We wash each saucepan by hand an hour after cooking with it, to see how easy it is to scrub clean.

The best saucepans clean up in a matter of seconds with a soft sponge. The worst need a fair amount of elbow grease to get clean.

Read our guide to find out what can and can't go in the dishwasher

Watch: how to clean a burnt saucepan

We've all accidentally burnt food onto a saucepan at some point in our lives. But the saucepan can be rescued – if you know how. Watch our video, above, or follow the steps, below: 

1. Wait for the saucepan to cool down.
2. Fill the saucepan with water and add a dishwasher tablet or one tablespoon of biological washing powder.
3. Put the saucepan back on a medium heat and bring the water to a boil.
4. Leave to simmer for around 10 minutes.
5. Rinse the pan and wipe away the mess with a non-scratch sponge.
6. Then wash as normal, repeating the process if necessary.

Can you put saucepans in the dishwasher?

We recommend that you wash your saucepans by hand  if you can, even though most modern pans claim to be dishwasher-safe.

This is because dishwasher salt and detergent, combined with high-pressure water used in a dishwasher, can slowly damage the non-stick coating. 

We found lots of customer reviews saying that the non-stick surface quickly deteriorated when they used a dishwasher, so set your pans aside for a quick hand-wash, and leave the dishwasher to handle the plates and cutlery.

What is PFOA-free?

PFOA-free means the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) wasn't used to make the non-stick coating of a frying pan.

PFOA was used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes. It's now considered a health concern and was added to the POP Regulation Annex I in 2020, which prohibits its use in manufacturing, and in products placed on the market.

Find out more about PFOA in our guide: what does PFOA-free mean?