Our Honest Review of Made In's Stainless Clad Cookware
The new kid on the block, Made In Cookware, is a heavy hitter in the world of stainless steel pans.
Made In Cookware
The competition is fierce when it comes to stainless steel pans, with the top titles typically defended by heritage brands that have built a loyal fan base over decades on the market. The rise of direct-to-consumer brands in the home cookware space in recent years has shaken that up and introduced some newcomers to the playing field, with one notable company rising above the rest. Made In launched in 2017 and has quickly proven itself to be a quality brand that's here to stay. Now available on Amazon and Walmart (as well as directly through their own website), the brand is endorsed by big-name celebrity chefs, like Tom Colicchio and Grant Achatz of Alinea fame. With claims of "restaurant-grade" quality, the stainless steel pans are made in Italy by skilled craftsmen and have risen in popularity with seasoned and beginner cooks alike.
While Made In started with stainless steel pots and pans as their core products, the brand has since gone on to launch more materials, such as carbon steel, nonstick, copper and enameled cast iron, as well as drinkware, flatware, knives and so much more. Sure, the pans get rave reviews from satisfied customers, but could they pass our rigorous testing? We ordered a set to find out.
Taylor Murray
What We Tested
We ordered the 10-Piece Stainless Set to put through our in-house testing. The set comes with eight- and 10-inch frying pans, two- and four-quart saucepans with lids, a three-quart saucier with a lid and an eight-quart stock pot with a lid. All the pieces are made with the brand's signature five-ply construction and offer "stay-cool" handles as well as a lifetime warranty. The pans are induction-compatible along with your standard gas and electric.
- Material Premium 5-ply stainless clad
- Cooktop Compatibility Gas, electric and induction
- Warranty Lifetime warranty
- Dishwasher-Safe? Yes
What's Included in the Set
How We Tested
To test the pans, we put each through a series of tests designed to mimic what we would consider typical kitchen use. We made fried and scrambled eggs in the eight-inch fry pan as well as made a basic grilled cheese. In the 10-inch fry pan, we browned skin-on chicken thighs and made a batch of paper-thin French crepes. In the smaller two-quart saucepan, we heated up a jar of pasta sauce and boiled a couple of eggs, noting how long it took the pan to heat the liquid. In the four-quart saucepan, we made cheesy orzo, noting the performance and if anything stuck. We made a thick gravy in the three-quart saucier to see how we were able to maneuver a whisk into the rounded corners, and heated up a full pot of water in the stock pot to see how quickly it could come to a boil.
Taylor Murray
Our Key Takeaways from Testing
What We Liked in Testing
- Quick and Even Heating: Stainless steel pans are fairly simple by design, but the one thing they should have is efficient heating. Manufacturers face the challenge of crafting a pan that can come up to temperature quickly while still distributing it evenly enough to not create hotspots. We found that the pans all had this quality, with the stock pot coming to a rolling boil in just minutes and a standard jar of pasta sauce hitting a simmer in just over one minute.
- Stay-Cool Handles: During our testing, all of the handles of the various pots and pans stayed cool no matter how hot we got the pans. Now, we couldn't promise that would happen if you placed the pans in the oven, but it's a very nice feature to have when whipping up a quick dinner and will save you a burn or two.
What We Didn't Like in Testing
- Even Cooking Has Limitations: While most of the tests showed even heating across the pans' surfaces, when we placed the 10-inch pan over a six-inch burner, we noted some unevenness when using a high heat. Stainless steel is not like cast iron and can't maintain that same evenness of heat distribution but it will heat up in a fraction of the time. For best results, pair the pan you're using with a burner of an appropriate size, ideally not more than two to three inches wider than the pan you're using.
- Stainless Steel Isn't Foolproof: Those looking for the ease of nonstick cooking might be disappointed in this set, which doesn't offer a nonstick option (though Made In does offer other sets that do). Many home cooks rely on the simplicity of nonstick cookware to pull off basic recipes like scrambled eggs or pancakes, but stainless steel pans can offer the same properties with the proper steps. During our testing, we were able to pull off stick-free eggs and crepes with little effort once we had prepped the pan correctly. Likewise, stainless steel has microscopic pores in the surface that can develop heat staining if care isn't taken. There are ways to remedy it, but it isn't quite as simple as wiping off a nonstick pan (though it will last you decades longer).
The Bottom Line
The 10-piece stainless steel set is a great buy for anyone looking for a complete overhaul of their cookware or wanting to start off on the right foot in a new home. While the price tag on the whole set can seem a bit steep, the set is designed to last a lifetime and includes most everything you need to cook on the stove. It's a worthy investment that will pay off for years to come. Each piece performed well in our testing, offering supreme caramelization, and suffered no lasting damage from a week of routine use. Overall, this is a set that you'll be happy to reach for time and time again.
Taylor Murray
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Made In cookware so good?
The quality of this cookware comes down to craftsmanship. The stainless steel pans are made in Italy and the brand has gone to great lengths to formulate a composition of metal that hits the sweet spot between even heating and durability. There are smaller considerations, too, like the brushed metal look that repels smudges and fingerprints and handles that stay cool no matter what you have cooking in the pan.
How do you clean and maintain Made In Stainless Clad cookware?
Even though the brand does claim that the set is dishwasher-safe, they still recommend hand washing to lengthen the life of your pan. Always let the pan cool down completely before starting with dish soap and a soft sponge. Tougher stains should be released with a mix of vinegar and baking soda or the brand’s own stainless steel cleaner.
What is the Made In Stainless Clad cookware made of?
The stainless steel line from Made In is made of a "five-ply construction," but what does that mean exactly? According to the brand's website, it starts with an aluminum alloy core that's surrounded by a variety of different metals, including high-grade ferritic 403 and 304-grade 18/10 stainless steel.
Other Made In Kitchen Products We've Tested
The Made In pan outperformed all pans we previously tested when it came to consistent cooking and nonstick slickness. It not only cooked perfect, evenly brown pancakes; fish and frittatas came out of the pan without any added effort and left barely a crumb behind to clean. The pan is PFOA-free, oven-safe up to 500 degrees F, and, unlike our original top choice, is suitable for all stove tops including induction. The company also works with top chefs to help design their pans for both form and function. Overall, it's a beautiful pan that performs like a dream! Read the full review here.
We loved the Made In 8-Inch Chef Knife for its sturdy construction and ability to tackle any cutting task with excellent results. Hardly any effort was required for tasks like slicing tomatoes and cutting through an unpeeled onion and slicing it. This knife required a little more elbow grease for cutting denser foods like sweet potatoes. It feels sturdy yet not too heavy in the hand, weighing in at .5 pounds, and the handle provides a comfortable grip that's conducive to a rhythmic rocking motion for slicing. It washed up easily by hand with warm, soapy water, though it needed extra scrubbing after dicing sweet potatoes. We appreciated that it came with a sheath for storing the knife and liked the polished packaging, complete with a branded bandage (just in case!). Read the full review here.
Made In's stainless steel pan is designed to mimic that of a restaurant kitchen without you needing to spend a ton to get pro-level gear. They're also sold exclusively by the company. This means instead of squandering money on resellers, distributors and retailers, Made In can dedicate funds towards sourcing premium materials (anything unused gets recycled) and collaborating with top-quality makers. And, oh yeah, these five-ply pans are killer conductors too, reaching a sweltering 195 degrees F (over low heat) after five minutes, and turning out perfectly browned crepes. Read the full review here.
Made In is known for making professional-quality cookware, and this Dutch oven is no different. Made from enameled cast iron, this versatile pot is meant for braising, deep-frying, baking or roasting, and does each task perfectly. We were thrilled to see that it excelled in our testing process. It heated up quickly and brought water to a rolling boil in just 13 minutes, and it was easy to clean by hand. The oval shape means that it can accommodate larger cuts of meat, and the extra space in the corners of the pan is perfect for adding in extra vegetables, too. We were impressed to see that, unlike the Le Creuset, this pan heated extremely evenly throughout. Read the full review here.
If you’re in the market for a butcher block, the Made In Butcher Block wins out. You've probably seen a lot of legacy butcher block brands that tend to run more expensive, but we found that this more budget-friendly board (it retails for $129), works just as well, if not better. Because of its size — it measures 12 inches by 18 inches and is 1.5 inches tall — it offered plenty of surface area along with a generous juice groove. But its not-too-huge size, plus convenient carrying handles, also means it's easier to clean and easier to transport and maneuver when hand washing. Wooden boards tend to stain easily, and we liked that this brand acknowledged that up front, giving us a helpful remedy for using baking soda to clean and remove stains. And with its beautiful finish and design, we can totally envision using it to serve a party-ready charcuterie board. Read the full review here.
