Home chefs and pros love stainless steel cookware for its durability, functionality, and searing capabilities. Stainless steel cookware is also the best cookware for glass stoves. Cooks with a glass stovetop can also rely on the quality material — the smooth finish and relatively lightweight nature make it an excellent option for the more fragile cooking surface. Made In’s versatile stainless steel skillet is a best-in-category pick — so much so that we named it to our list of the best stainless steel skillets — with a cool-touch handle and quality construction that makes it a workhorse in the kitchen.

During our testing, we were immediately taken by the high-end materials and attention to detail on this skillet. Made in Italy from five layers of metal, the construction of this skillet means it conducts heat quickly and evenly, allowing you to get an epic sear on your proteins without singing more delicate ingredients like tender vegetables. The 10-inch diameter was well-suited to nearly any cooking task, while still feeling compact enough to fit into a cabinet. The slightly sloped sides and flared lip made it easy to transfer food from within the skillet onto a plate, and the piece held up beautifully throughout testing, showing no scratches, scuffs, or signs of wear. 

Material: 5-ply clad stainless steel | Oven safe temperature: 800°F

For many home cooks, nonstick cookware is essential. Because of its slick surface, cooking eggs, crepes, and other delicate bites becomes smooth and easy. And, for quality nonstick cookware, few brands do it as well as Caraway. The trendy brand has a whole line of effective nonstick ceramic cookware, and their frying pan made our list of the best nonstick pans.

During testing, Caraway’s frying pan impressed us with its nonstick surface, which is so slick that it practically redefines “nonstick” altogether. Available in a selection of beautiful hues and boasting a safe, PTFE-free coating, this pretty piece cooked fluffy omelets and pasta sauce. The long, slim handle keeps hands away from a hot cooktop while making it easy to carry the heavier pan from the stovetop to the sink or tabletop. This piece is even oven-safe, which isn’t always the case with nonstick cookware — it’s a nice bonus if you ask us. 

Material: Non-stick ceramic, aluminum core, stainless steel handles | Oven safe temperature: 550°F

If you’re starting your cookware collection from scratch and looking t for an inexpensive yet functional line, look no further than this 10-piece set from Tramontina. Named the number one spot on our list of the best stainless steel cookware sets, we recommend this comprehensive assortment as the best cookware set for glass stoves. It has everything you need to outfit your kitchen, including a Dutch oven, three saucepans, two frying pans, and corresponding lids.  

While testing this line, we were impressed by the collection’s tri-ply clad construction. The pans conducted heat quickly and evenly and had a relatively high oven-safe temperature. Each piece comes outfitted with easy-to-hold handles, and the lids offer a seamless, snug fit. The pieces were relatively lightweight, save for the pot, which was on the heavier side. These pots and pans were a cinch to clean, requiring just a touch of soap and a sponge to return to their sparkling original state. 

Material: 3-ply clad stainless steel with aluminum | Oven safe temperature: 500°F | Piece count: 10

If you want a full nonstick set that is aesthetically pleasing and functional, look no further than Caraway. A top-ranking design in many of our cookware tests, this comprehensive collection includes four versatile pieces — a 10.5-inch frying pan, a 3-quart saucepan, a 4.5-quart sauté pan, and a 6.5-quart Dutch oven — plus plenty of accessories (like a canvas lid holder and pan organizer) to ensure your pots and pans stay organized and in tip-top shape. 

While testing these pieces, we fell hard from Caraway’s effective nonstick coating, which allows for mess-free meals whether you’re making a vegetable stir fry, sticky teriyaki chicken, or grilled cheese. The smooth bottom means you won’t risk damaging your glass cooktop. We love that this collection gives you a good bang for your buck — three pieces come with a lid. The shape of each is versatile enough to serve multiple purposes. These straight-sided pieces can even be stacked neatly within your cabinetry so they take up minimal space. 

Material: Ceramic, aluminum core, stainless steel handles | Oven safe temperature: 550°F | Piece count: 12 | Accessories included: Canvas lid holder, pan organizer

A wok may seem a bit like an off-beat choice for the average home kitchen, but the unique design can be a surprisingly useful addition, especially if you frequently cook up stir-fries or sautés. The deep sides allow the pan to hold ample food, while the carbon steel material conducts heat quickly and thoroughly, ensuring no hot spots. A flat-bottomed wok like this one also works nicely with glass stoves and induction cooktops, since it makes direct contact with the burner. 

When on the hunt for the best woks, Yosukata’s version earned high praise, thanks to a stay-cool wooden handle, deep shape, and its ability to perfectly crisp the contents within. While the carbon steel pan is not inherently nonstick, we found that food didn’t generally stick to the sides all that often — and those pieces that did were easily removed with a bit of water and a wipe of the sponge. 

Material: Carbon steel | Oven safe temperature: 600°F

A pan dedicated to making eggs may seem unnecessary, but we promise you this: Once you spring for an egg pan, you’ll never regret it. Zwilling’s 8-inch frying pan is the perfect size for whipping up a morning omelet or pair of fried eggs, and the nonstick granite coating guarantees your next batch of scrambled eggs will slide off the plate effortlessly.

In our tests, we were bowled over by this pan’s effective nonstick coating. Not a single bit of food was left behind after any cook, and the slick surface seemed to keep its coating even through numerous cooking sessions and hand washings. The coating on this piece means it’s only oven-safe up to 300°F, so this is not the piece to use when finishing off pork chops in the oven. 

Material: Aluminum, nonstick granite coating | Oven safe temperature: 399°F

Whether you’re a big soup household or make multiple pounds of pasta a week, a stockpot is a must-have addition to a well-rounded cookware collection. When cooking atop a glass stove, you’ll want to shop for a stockpot on the lighter end of the spectrum. We like All-Clad’s tri-ply stainless steel version, which made our list of the best stockpots thanks to its generous capacity and luxurious touches. 

During testing, All-Clad’s stockpot rose to the top of the pack because of its durable tri-ply construction that conducts heat quickly and evenly, searing proteins to a beautiful brown and coaxing the flavor from vegetables and herbs. The generous 12-quart capacity makes this piece well-suited to family-style or batch cooking — it easily fits multiple pounds of pasta, whole chickens for stock, and big batches of chili. Luxe details like riveted handles and a mirror-like shine ensure it feels worthy of its high-end price tag.

Material: Stainless steel | Oven safe temperature: 600°F | Piece count: 2

Any home cook worth their weight in salt will be immediately impressed by the Mauviel name — the brand is synonymous with high-quality, timeless cookware. While the French company is most typically associated with copper cookware, their carbon offerings are just as impressive and are some of the best cookware for glass stoves. Copper can stain the glass, so its use is often discouraged. This do-it-all frying pan earned a spot on our list of the best carbon steel pans due to its superior heat conduction and versatile shape.

In our testing, we put this pan through the paces, cooking chicken breasts and crepes. It took a bit of effort to remove the initial beeswax coating on the surface (meant to prevent rust and prepare for seasoning), but the resulting nonstick surface was worth the effort. The pan came to temperature quickly and evenly, leaving an impressive sear on proteins while releasing most other foods without effort. An important note: If food gets stuck on the surface of the pan, it takes a bit more effort to clean than most, and you may need to reseason the surface, a process which is similar to that done with cast iron pieces. 

Material: Steel carbon | Oven safe temperature: 680°F

If you’re short on space — or just don’t want to splash out on a 10-piece cookware set — finding an all-in-one piece that can carry you from breakfast to dinner (and is compatible with your glass stove) should be your goal. Our Place’s Home Cook Duo may look bare bones, but these two unassuming pans will replace up to 18 pieces of traditional cookware. This may explain why the brand became a quick favorite of apartment dwellers and minimalists everywhere. We even named this dynamic duo to our list of the best cookware sets due to their smart design features and ingenious accessories.

While testing the two pans in this set — the Always Pan 2.0 and the Perfect Pot — we appreciated how reliable they were no matter what recipe was on the lineup for dinner that week. Each piece features a non-toxic nonstick coating, with a lightweight aluminum body that makes maneuvering around your kitchen a breeze. We put each feature through the paces, using the pans to roast, steam, sauté, and sear. We like that this set includes two sets of cooking utensils. They’re designed to nest seamlessly on the panhandle and keep your glass stovetop mess-free. 

Material: Heavy-gauge aluminum with ceramic coating | Oven safe temperature: 450°F | Piece count: 5 | Accessories included: Steam basket, spatula, spoon

We recommend using a dedicated saucepan for modest cooking tasks that don’t necessitate an oversized stockpot. This 4-quart version from Tramontina has the same redeeming qualities as the brand’s stainless steel cookware set above, including superior heat conduction (thanks to tri-ply clad construction) and a relatively high oven-safe temperature. There’s even a lid included, so sauce splatters all over your backsplash are a thing of the past. 

Tramontina’s saucepan is a top pick for many reasons, but chief among them is its helper handle, an ingenious feature that (surprisingly) isn’t standard across all offerings. It will help you stabilize the pan while you’re whisking or stirring on the stove, but it will also help you carry the pot safely, whether pouring soup into a bowl or draining pasta water into the sink.

Material: Stainless steel | Oven safe temperature: 600°F | Piece count: 2

A sauté pan is another cookware essential, whether you’re whipping up recipes on a gas burner or a glass stove top. Carway’s nonstick ceramic pan is a great option, thanks to its durable design and induction-friendly construction. The generous 11.8-inch design grants you enough room to cook up family-sized portions (or enough leftovers for the week!), while the included lid boasts a steam hole to lessen excess moisture while cooking.  

Like all Caraway pieces, this pan is coated with the brand’s effective nontoxic nonstick ceramic material, with an aluminum core for ample heat conduction. During testing, we loved that this pan had a helper handle, which can be useful in distributing the weight when it’s full to the brim.

Material: Ceramic, aluminum core, stainless steel handles | Oven safe temperature: 550°F | Piece count: 2