Is the All-Clad D3 10-Piece Set Worth It?
Based on tests by America's Test Kitchen (Oct 2025). How we score
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Why
America's Test Kitchen's co-winner: "These pans are well-designed for serious home cooks and will last a lifetime," with all-steel handles that stayed cool. The catch is sizing: "the cookware pieces included in this set run a bit smaller than those we prefer," and there's no 12-inch skillet. ATK's Best Buy, the Goldilocks Cookware Set Plus, "matched their performance" at a fraction of the price, with a 12-inch skillet; it's a little less durable and sold only direct.
All-Clad warranty: Limited lifetime
Cheaper alternatives, scored against the All-Clad
Cookware Set Plus, 8 Piece
From 1 tester: America's Test Kitchen
From 1 tester: America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen's Best Buy: it "matched their performance and contained especially good sizes, at a fraction of the price," and "came closest to having our ideal sizes and pieces of cookware, with nothing superfluous." It includes the 12-inch skillet ATK prefers, which the All-Clad set lacks. The one flaw: "its skillet warped very slightly after we thermally shocked it by plunging the very hot pan into ice water, an extreme test we do to assess durability." Sold only by Goldilocks, so there's no Amazon link.
| Criterion | All-Clad | Goldilocks |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 3/3 | 3/3 |
| Ease of use | 3/3 | 3/3 |
| Cleanup/durability | 3/3 | 2.5/3 |
From America's Test Kitchen: The Best Cookware Sets (updated Oct. 15, 2025)
Sources: America's Test Kitchen: The Best Cookware Sets (updated Oct. 15, 2025), Goldilocks: Cookware Set Plus (manufacturer)
Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 9-Piece Cookware Set
From 1 tester: America's Test Kitchen
From 1 tester: America's Test Kitchen
Rated Recommended with Reservations by America's Test Kitchen. The pans "generally cooked well and browned food nicely," but were "slightly smaller and the skillets a bit more bowl-shaped than we prefer," the "comparatively petite stockpot made cooking even a pound of pasta a bit challenging," and a rounded handle "was hard to grasp securely through a pot holder." ATK gave it top marks for cleanup and durability.
| Criterion | All-Clad | Tramontina |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 3/3 | 2.5/3 |
| Ease of use | 3/3 | 1.5/3 |
| Cleanup/durability | 3/3 | 3/3 |
From America's Test Kitchen: The Best Cookware Sets (updated Oct. 15, 2025)
Sources: America's Test Kitchen: The Best Cookware Sets (updated Oct. 15, 2025)
Common questions
All-Clad D3 or Made In cookware set?
America's Test Kitchen named them co-winners with identical top ratings. Made In's set has larger saucepans (up to 4 quarts) and a saucier; All-Clad's has a sauté pan, and its skillets have flared sides without the food-trapping corner ATK noted on Made In's.
Is the All-Clad D3 set cheaper than buying pieces separately?
Yes. America's Test Kitchen calculated a 27 percent set savings; the stockpot alone costs about half the price of the set.
Sources: America's Test Kitchen: The Best Cookware Sets (updated Oct. 15, 2025), Manufacturer specs via Amazon listing
