This 5-piece pan set from Zwilling is packed full of clever features – here's how I got on with it after using it for two weeks

I’ve always thought that premium stainless steel cookware should only be used by professional chefs and experienced cooks. After all, why should quality cooking utensils be wasted on such amateur meals?

Well, Zwilling is here to challenge my view that the best saucepan sets should be left to the experts. The global culinary brand has created a premium but novice-friendly pot set as part of their aptly-named Simplify series.

The five-piece set includes stockpots and stew pots, as well as a saucepan,and each come with an intuitive design that aims to make cooking 'easy, clean, and safe'. To see if the set lives up to its promise, I decided to use the cookware to whip up three different recipes.

So, did using this cookware make preparing meals simple, safe, and spotless? Here’s how the process went – from unboxing to cooking to clean-up.

In a nutshell

The Zwilling Simplify Pot Set is a top-quality and intuitive kit for seasoned chefs and amateur cooks alike, with each pot featuring a clever design to make preparing meals simple.

Standouts include cool-touch handles that double as lid holders to prevent countertop clutter if you're storing pots in a small kitchen, an integrated sieve that makes draining easier, and helpful markings that guide you through cooking.

The glass lids are also helpful as they allow you to peek inside to check on how your ingredients are doing, though they can be a little bulky sometimes (which is why the lid-holding handles are such a welcomed feature).

The pots and pan are all made of dishwasher-safe 18/10 stainless steel, with silicone handles to avoid any hot surprises, and are compatible on all hob types. But the set is also only ovenproof up to 180°C, which is disappointingly low.

The set includes three stock pots of different sizes, a saucepan, and a stew pot, so a range of meals are covered. This quantity may not be ideal for those with limited storage or small kitchens (I struggled to find a place for the set in my shared kitchen), and the £349 price-tag will be off-putting for those looking for a more budget-friendly option. However, if you want to invest in a high-quality pot set that will help you to both improve and streamline your cooking, I recommend you make it this one.

Product specs

• Materials: Stainless steel; silicone handles
• Metal utensil safe? Yes (but not recommended)
• Dishwasher safe? Yes
• Stockpot diameters: 16cm, 20cm, 24cm
• Saucepan diameter: 16cm
• Stew pot diameter: 20cm
• Warranty: Lifetime
• RRP: £349

Who tested this pan set?

Frances Daniels

I’m a freelance reviewer for Ideal Home, with a focus on kitchen appliances, and I’ve tested everything from sandwich makers to multicookers. My favorite products to try are ones that aim to make cooking easier and quicker, which is why I was looking forward to trying the Zwilling Simplify Pot Set. I tested the set for over a week, preparing pescetarian-friendly meals for myself (including recipes I’ve never tried before) to see if the Simplify series should earn a permanent place in my kitchen.

Unboxing

Let me begin by saying one thing: I vastly underestimated how heavy the box would be. I naively had the box delivered to a collection point a few streets away, and when I collected it (on foot), I had to take frequent respite stops while carrying it to my building and up two flights of stairs. So, my advice is to have it delivered to your doorstep.

Once I managed to heave the shipping box onto my kitchen table and pry it open, I was greeted by a bright red-and-white box that boasted about the set’s three unique selling points: the integrated strainer, stay-cool handles, and hands-free function.

This list of features meant nothing to me in writing — until I started the unboxing process and got to see the features for myself. Once I unwrapped each item, I immediately tried the hands-free lid holders and searched for features such as the integrated strainer and the little X marking that tells you when the lid is placed on correctly. I noticed that all the pots had measuring marks, and I will admit it took me a good five minutes of searching for the saucepan’s lid for me to realise it didn’t come with one.

I really liked the various sizes and the overall look of the set, especially the stylish glass lids. In terms of weight, even the larger stockpots were easy to lift and move around. As for packaging, I did find it to be a little plastic-heavy, with each pot and lid individually wrapped.Although the plastic wrap (along with some cardboard and polystyrene inserts) did mean the set arrived intact, the amount of plastic used did feel a bit excessive.

Cooking

Before I began cooking, I decided to test-run each function to see how easy they were to navigate. I found each feature, such as the integrated sieve, pretty intuitive and easy to apply when I began the actual cooking.

As the set contained three different types of pots, I decided to make three meals to showcase each type. As there are three stockpots, I decided to use only the largest, which has a diameter of 24cm and a 6L capacity. The other two meals were prepared with the 3L stewpot and the 1.5L saucepan.

Stockpot

The first piece I used was the 6L stockpot. There had been a vegetarian-friendly french onion soup recipe I’d been wanting to try for a while, so I was eager to use the large stockpot to finally tackle it.

The recipe called for a huge amount of chopped onions, and I was afraid that even the biggest stockpot wouldn’t be deep or wide enough to caramelise them all. I was happily proved wrong, with the multi-layered, energy-efficient sandwich base softening the onions in no time .And, even though the pot isn’t non-stick, the onions didn’t stick to the base.

The pot’s heat distribution helped the vegetable broth to deglaze the pot nicely, and the hands-free lid holder helped when I needed to oscillate between stirring and covering the mixture.

The recipe made four generous servings but there was still plenty of room in the pot for more, making this roomy stewpot ideal for large families or dinner parties with a large number of guests.

Stewpot

As the set contained a stew pot, it was a no-brainer that I should try my hand at a vegetable stew. The stew pot seemed a little smaller than I had imagined, but I decided to try a five-serving recipe nonetheless.

The pot sauteed the onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes in under five minutes, and the glass lid tightly trapped the steam to stew the vegetables and broth into thick, creamy helpings. Once again, the lid holder came in handy for the covering and re-covering.

Rice

For the saucepan testing, I decided to keep it simple by making some easy-cook rice. Plus I’ve never liked cooking rice as I always end up overcooking it, so I wanted to see if these pans really were failproof.

I added water to the saucepan first and brought it to a boil. After soaking and rinsing the rice in water to remove the starch, I placed 75g into the saucepan of boiling water and then reduced it to a simmer. I then covered it and left it for 15 minutes

My main complaint about the saucepan is that it (intentionally) doesn't come with a lid, which doesn’t really make sense when a lot of saucepan recipes, such as rice, call for the ingredients to be covered. However, I found the lid for the 16cm stockpot fit perfectly onto the 16cm saucepan, so I used this lid when preparing rice.

After 15 minutes, I was so glad to see that the rice was fluffy and not too soft or too hard. I can now safely say that this saucepan helped me to finally get rice right.

What are they like to clean?

Stainless steel cookware isn't the easiest to clean, as it doesn’t have non-stick coating and stains easily. The Zwilling Simplify set is no exception.

The set comes with a small leaflet of cleaning and safety instructions, which advised me to wash the set in hot, soapy water before use and to always allow the pots to cool down after cooking before I clean them. While the set is dishwasher-safe, it’s always best to handwash.

While I found the pots to be easy to clean with hot water, washing up liquid, and a non-abrasive sponge or soft tea towel, I did find that they stained easily. After cooking rice in the saucepan, there was expectedly some starchy debris and, while it was easy to remove after soaking and washing, it left the once shiny base slightly discoloured.

How does it compare to similar sets?

Most cookware sets usually have three or four pieces, so the 5-piece Zwilling Simplifying set is already ahead of the curve in terms of quantity. The addition of stockpots also make it stand out, as saucepan sets rarely include even one.

As for value, its £349 price tag may be off-putting, but it is expected from a premium brand like Zwilling. While there are cheaper sets out there, such as the ProCook Soho Cookware Set which is just £99, the Zwilling Simplify set is reasonably priced for a 5-piece set in the premium category. The 4-piece Le Creuset 3-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware Set, for instance, has an RRP of £539. That said, it does have a higher oven-safe temperature of 260°C, compared to Zwilling’s pretty low 180°C.

You also argue that the set is missing a frying pan or wok, as most cookware sets usually contain one in addition to pots and saucepans, and you could again argue that three stockpots is a little excessive. If you want a more varied set, you could try Samuel Groves 3-Piece Classic Set, which contains a stainless steel stockpot and saucepan, and a non-stick frying pan. Yes, it’s lower in quantity, but all bases are covered.

The Simplify Set’s stainless steel design offers durability and even heat distribution, but if you’re more comfortable with non-stick sets then you can take a look at our easy-to-store Joseph Joseph Folding Handle Ceramic Non-Stick Saucepan set review.

Should you buy the Zwilling Simplify Pot Set?

The Zwilling Simplify set definitely lives up to its name, boasting clever designs that streamline and guide your cooking. The intuitive features means the set is friendly to novice cooks, but its premium, durable quality earns a place in professional kitchens, too. However, the $349 price tag may mean beginner chefs will need some convincing to invest, and those with smaller kitchens may also want to avoid the bulky set.

But if you do decide to invest in this set, you really won’t be disappointed with the features it has to offer. Its voluminous stockpots mean the set is great for large families or dinner party hosts who want to create big meals with hearty helpings all at once, and the saucepan is great for speedy lunches. While there were some drawbacks, such as the low oven safe temperature and its susceptibility to stains, these definitely don’t eclipse the top-of-the-range features of this easy-to-use set.