5 Must-Have Cookware Pieces for Every Kitchen

Here is Hope’s list of must-have cookware pieces. Between what you already have and what you might add, you’ll be in good shape in the kitchen with the following:

A 3-quart saucepan. “This size is big enough for making pasta for a family of four, but not so big that it takes forever to boil and eats up storage space.”

A 10- or 12-inch cast-iron fry pan. “Great for cooking steaks and searing. Cast iron can withstand high heat and holds heat well—you’re never going to damage it.”

A 10-inch nonstick fry pan. “Handy for cooking eggs, pancakes, and fish, which is more delicate than steak and doesn’t need high heat.”

A 5- or 6-quart Dutch oven. “Ideally porcelain over cast iron. Use it for braising or making stew. A Dutch oven, with its high sides and ability to retain heat, is also good for deep frying.”

A roasting pan. “The disposable ones are cheap and make cleanup easy, but a roasting pan with solid construction and sturdy handles makes it much easier to put a heavy turkey or roast in the oven, and take it out. Though it’s an essential for holiday cooking, a roasting pan is used infrequently, so no need to buy an expensive one.”

At CR, we don’t rate most of these pieces individually—though some pieces within the cookware sets we do rate are available for individual purchase. Here are the top three nonstick and uncoated sets from our cookware ratings.

A huge part of cooking is picking the right tool for the job. On the 'Consumer 101' TV show, Consumer Reports' expert Sara Morrow explains to host Jack Rico what type of cookware you should be using for your meals.