Is the Made In 10-Piece Set Worth It?
Based on tests by America's Test Kitchen (Oct 2025). How we score
Save $524Depends. Goldilocks for most people.
Amazon prices as of Sep 29, 9:38 PM EDT (details)
Why
America's Test Kitchen's co-winner: "Pans performed well, browning and heating evenly," with cool, comfortable handles, bigger saucepans than other sets, and a saucier. One design flaw: "the skillets' sides weren't smoothly curved but met the bottom at an angle that trapped food." ATK's Best Buy, the Goldilocks Cookware Set Plus, "matched their performance" at a fraction of the price and includes a 12-inch skillet; it's a little less durable and sold only direct.
Cheaper alternatives, scored against the Made In
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 Made In 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 | Made In | 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 | Made In | 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
Made In or All-Clad D3 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 smoothly flared skillets.
Is Made In cookware 5-ply?
Yes: steel, pure aluminum, aluminum alloy, pure aluminum and steel. America's Test Kitchen found the layers thin enough that the pans didn't take significantly longer to heat.
Sources: America's Test Kitchen: The Best Cookware Sets (updated Oct. 15, 2025), Manufacturer specs via Amazon listing
