I've tested dozens of pans as a home economist – this Le Creuset set is the one that's made me want to transition to non-toxic stainless steel for good

A good quality saucepan set is one of the fundamentals of a cooks kitchen. And while Le Creuset is a trusted brand that’s well known for making some of the best cast iron cookware, it isn’t the brand that springs to my mind when thinking about stainless steel cookware.

Having recently replaced my own saucepans with stainless steel versions, I definitely fall into the camp of people worried about forever chemicals in cookware. But, when I made the shift to stainless steel, I wasn’t brave enough to ditch non-stick frying pans. I was worried frying in stainless steel frying pans was just going to be a disaster.

So while I’m reviewing this as a set, I am personally very interested in the frying pan in particular. Can a good quality stainless steel frying pan really be a practical everyday option? Or, is it just going to result in a lot of time at the sink scrubbing away stuck on food? I was quite shocked at the answer.

In a nutshell

The Le Creuset Essential 3-ply Stainless Steel 3-piece Cookware Set includes an 18cm saucepan with lid, a 20cm deep casserole pan with lid, and a 24cm frying pan. Everything in the set is stainless steel, and with no coatings, you don’t have to worry about harmful forever chemicals entering your foods.

The RRP of £429 is certainly steep, but at the time of writing, the set was available with a 30% discount. And unlike cookware with a non-stick coating, that will, over time, fail and need replacing, stainless steel cookware really should last you a lifetime.

Arguably non-stick coatings are somewhat redundant for most saucepans, it’s not really necessary to boil your pasta or vegetables in a pan with a non-stick coating. But, frying pans are another matter.

That said, more and more people are looking for frying pans without non-stick coatings, and with some research and patience, it’s possible to learn how to fry in a stainless steel saucepan, without welding your food to the pan in the process.

I was surprised by how quickly I mastered the art of frying in this stainless steel pan, from fried eggs to pancakes, nothing got stuck. And the high quality saucepans are up to the job too.

Who tested this pan set?

Helen McCue

After completing a Home Economics degree, Helen went on to work for the Good Housekeeping Institute and has been reviewing home appliances ever since. She lives in a small village in Buckinghamshire in the UK, where she reviews all sorts of home and garden appliances using her wealth of experience.

Helen tried this set at home on a gas hob for 10 days. She cooked a variety of everyday foods in the pans to test them out. She had the set on loan from Le Creuset and was sad to see them go. But she is inspired to try more frying in stainless steel frying pans.

Product specs

• Materials: 3 ply stainless steel
• Metal utensil safe? yes
• Dishwasher safe? yes
• Pan diameters: 18cm saucepan, 20cm deep casserole pan, and 24cm frying pan

Unboxing and first impressions

The set arrived nestled neatly into one compact box, and I was delighted to find everything in the set was protected with either card or paper, so all the packaging was easily recyclable.

My first impression of the pans is that they look and feel well made, the quality appears to be very good. The two saucepans have fill level markers on the inside. The larger pan has markers from 1 - 3.5 litres while the smaller one has markers between 1 - 2.5 litres.

The lids are also stainless steel, meaning they’re as robust as the pans, though if you’re a fan of a glass lid, you may miss the ability to peer in at your food during cooking. There aren’t any steam holes in the lids, so I’ll be watching to see if excess steam can easily escape without noisily bumping the lid around.

The large casserole pan has two smaller handles instead of a long handle. Not only does this make the pan easier to lift when full, but it also means it’s more compact and easier to store. What’s more, when it’s on a crowded hob, there’s one less long handle jostling for space.

The frying pan has no non-stick coating, it’s completely stainless steel. This makes it ideal for people looking to move away from cookware with non-stick coatings. And it’s worth noting that if you do your research about how to fry in a stainless steel saucepan, you can learn to cook with it in a way that minimises sticking.

In addition to washing all of the pans and lids, the instruction booklet advises seasoning the frying pan before use. This simply meant gently heating some oil in the pan and then allowing to cool, before wiping clean with some paper towels, so it was pretty quick and easy.

Cooking in the Le Creuset Stainless Steel cookware set

Deep casserole pan

This pan is a great size for a batch of soup. For a rich tomato and red pepper soup, I roasted tomatoes, red peppers, and red onions in my air fryer until lightly charred and caramelised. Then I added them to the deep casserole pan with vegetable stock and simmered gently for 30 minutes.

During cooking the lid allowed excess steam to escape and a little liquid bubbled over the side too, though this wasn’t a surprise given that it was filled up to the 3 litre mark. The lid handle stayed cool enough to touch, but the side handles did get hot and I needed oven gloves when lifting off the hob.

After cooking I allowed the soup to cool for a while and then blended it in the pan with a hand blender. The stainless steel meant that I didn’t have to worry about scratching any coatings with my hand blender.

When I ladled it out into portions, there was enough for eight servings of soup, so it’s an ample size for most families, as well as for batch cooking.

It was also great for mashed potato, I peeled a whole 2kg bag of potatoes and the whole lot fit comfortably into the casserole pan. The lack of a steam hole in the lid meant it did boil over at one point and I had to prop the lid at an angle to let the steam escape while it simmered.

There’s not too much to say about boiling potatoes in a saucepan, it’s a basic task. However, I do like to use a metal potato masher, which can damage saucepans with internal non-stick coatings. So I was happy to be able to use my metal masher without worrying about damaging the pan.

Saucepan

The smaller of the two saucepans is still a very generous size, arguably a bit too big for two portions of warming winter porridge. Nevertheless, my porridge cooked well to a creamy consistency and rich flavour. What’s more, the rounded corners inside the pan meant my wooden spoon could thoroughly stir the porridge and nothing got stuck in the corners.

Boiling up vegetables like broccoli was a breeze in this saucepan. And I was surprised when cooking six portions of brown rice that even this family sized portion seemed like a small amount in this pan.

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The rice cooked as expected and even after 20 minutes on the hob, the main saucepan handle was still cool enough to touch. The smaller helper handle does get a tad warm though, so I used a folded tea towel over that handle when lifting.

Frying pan

I might not have used a stainless steel frying pan before, but I vaguely knew there was a method of making it non-stick by using water to judge the temperature of the pan. So what I did, and what I would advise you to do, is to watch some videos on YouTube to learn what this entails.

Essentially, you have to heat the empty pan for longer than you might think, then add a splash of water, if it turns to balls of water that dance around the pan (instead of immediately sizzling and evaporating) then the pan is ready to go.

I used this method when heating the pan to cook raw prawns. Once the pan was hot enough, I added a splash of oil, swirled it around to ensure the pan was fully coated, and shortly after that I added the raw prawns. I cooked them on a medium heat and to my surprise, they didn’t stick. They cooked beautifully.

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I used the same method to cook halloumi, and again, it didn’t stick. You just have to let it sear for a minute or two before attempting to turn it. But since this method requires the pan to be quite hot before you start cooking, I wondered what I would need to do to cook something more delicate.

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This led me back to YouTube to watch more videos, this time I wanted to see how people are frying eggs in their stainless steel pans. And I found out that you don’t always need to get the pan super hot before cooking. So I heated the frying pan on a medium heat for 30 seconds, added a generous glug of oil before leaving to heat up for another 60 seconds.

I cracked my eggs into the warm pan and they gently started to fry. Once I could see that they were cooked through, I eased a spatula under them and they slid out as if it was a non-stick pan. I was quite surprised if I’m honest.

Admittedly, I used more oil than I would have in a non-stick pan, but most of it gets left behind in the pan anyway. And I personally feel that if I’m using a good quality healthier oil, then it’s okay to use more than usual. It is a fried egg after all, if I don’t want any fat, I’ll make a poached egg!

By this point I was feeling emboldened by my success with the fried eggs, so I tried the ultimate test; pancakes. You can read more about that in this standalone article, but the long and short of it is this pan is just the ticket for that job.

Only you can decide whether your priority is to cook with little-to-no oil, or you’d prefer to avoid cookware with non-stick coatings. All I can tell you is that if you don’t mind a splash of oil here and there, it is easier than you might think to cook in a stainless steel frying pan.

What's this set like to clean?

I had no qualms about throwing this cookware in the dishwasher. and it cleaned up a treat. The saucepans clean up easily and though I didn’t need to scrub them clean, it’s reassuring to know I can if they need it.

I did occasionally wash the frying pan by hand, especially when it wasn’t too dirty, since the dishwasher will strip it of any seasoned oily coating. But because I mastered the art of cooking in it, I never had to scrub too hard.

After a few uses oil residues can build up in the frying pan, often up the sides, but with a lightly abrasive product like Barkeepers Friend, or bicarbonate of soda, it doesn’t take much elbow grease to get it looking like new again.

What's it like to store?

Because they’re made from robust stainless steel, these pans can be stacked for neat storage, without the worry of damaging or scratching delicate non-stick coatings. They stack together really neatly, so that they only take up the footprint of the frying pan.

How does this set compare to competitors?

If you’re not quite ready to ditch the non-stick coating on your frying pan, Le Creuset also offers the same two saucepans as part of a four piece set. It includes one extra saucepan, and crucially, the frying pan included with this set has a non-stick coating. It’s more expensive though, in part due to the extra saucepan in the set; the RRP is a whopping £559 (via Le Creuset).

If budget is your priority, Ikea offers a seven piece stainless steel pan set for under £100. We have reviewed both the aforementioned Le Creuset set and the Ikea set, with the latter earning a stellar review rating. The Ikea HEMKOMST set includes three stainless steel saucepans with lids as well as a non-stick frying pan, so it’s great value for money.

Should you buy the Le Creuset Stainless Steel Cookware Set?

As I’ve already mentioned, the price of this set will be a hurdle for many people. That aside, there’s a lot to like about these pans. And in my opinion, if you’re looking for longevity combined with a move away from non-stick coatings, I really don’t think you can go wrong with this set.

Le Creuset is a trusted cookware brand, and it offers a lifetime guarantee on all 3-ply stainless steel, so while it’s an investment, there really should be no need to ever replace these pans if you treat them well. The only thing I would say, is that I personally would want to complete the set with an additional smaller saucepan.