T-fal Ultimate: The Perfect Nonstick Cookware Set for All Kitchens

Specs:

Brand: T-fal

Cookware Body Material: Aluminum

Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Package Items: 5-quart Dutch oven with lid, 3-quart steamer insert, 3.5-quart deep sauté with lid, 11.5-inch fry pan with lid, 8 and 10-inch fry pans, 10.25-inch square griddle, 1 Egg Wonder fry pan; and 1, 2, and 3-quart saucepans with lid

Price:

Pros:

• Made of PFOA, lead, and cadmium-free materials.
• The cookware can handle up to 400°F oven temperatures.
• Best nonstick cookware set due to the thick nonstick coating that makes it dishwasher-safe. 
• Very affordable for such a big cookware set.
• The handles are huge to allow the use of potholders, but the handles don’t heat up too much and can still be touched safely with bare hands.
• The surfaces heat up fast and evenly.
• The handle rivets are also non-stick coated.

Full Review:

In every kitchen, nonstick cookware is always considered a necessity. Besides being additional pieces of beauty in your cooking area, they are the most functional cooking tool that can aid you in your daily kitchen tasks. However, hunting for the right set in the market can be very overwhelming. Determining a set’s value without personally testing it can lead you to the wrong choice. That being said, our SolidSmack Household Appliance and Tool Research Team collected 17 sets from the leading brands and tested each one. We used each one in the actual cooking setup by performing various cooking methods in them including sauteing, boiling, and frying. We also performed a quality control check to have a closer look at the build and ergonomic details of the cookware sets. Most of all, we gave points to the number of items included in the package to determine whether their prices are reasonable or not. With all these things, here is the best nonstick cookware set of 2021: The T-fal Ultimate 17-Piece Set.

During our test, we initially bet that pricier units would top our roundup. After all, they are the ones that commonly come with a reputation when it comes to excellent quality. Yet, the T-fal Ultimate set proves that wrong. This package comes with everything you need from breakfast to dinner preparation. This includes the 5-quart Dutch oven with lid, 3-quart steamer insert, 3.5-quart deep sauté with lid, 11.5-inch fry pan with lid, 8 and 10-inch fry pans, 10.25-inch square griddle, 1 Egg Wonder fry pan; and 1, 2, and 3-quart saucepans with lid. This gives you a total of 17 pieces of cookware that comes at a very reasonable price. However, the numbers aren’t the highlight of this 2021 best nonstick cookware set. It’s the quality that pleased our reviewers.

Upon our test, we felt a good heft in each piece included in the set. The cookwares are made of heavy-gauge, hard-anodized aluminum which makes them solid and thick. The edges of the cookware items are well polished and refined and we saw no sharp sections in any way. The lids also fit like gloves in their respective cookware and our test set came with no warps or bent rims. There are also venting holes to keep the visibility inside the cookware clear at all times while keeping a substantial amount of moisture and temperature.

Further, the riveted silicone handles also appealed to us. The reviewers noted how comfortable the handles are in hands. They have decent lengths to give your hands a safe distance from the hot surface and not too long to consume too much space on cooktops. 

The interior of the cookware is made of titanium-reinforced nonstick coating which surprised us. Since it is a general rule not to use metal on nonstick surfaces and not to put them in the dishwasher, we expected the same with this set. Yet, T-fal mentioned in its advertising materials that the Ultimate set is dishwasher-safe which is a big plus.

Further, in the latter portions of our tests, we decided to try at least 4 of the cookware items with metal spatulas and spoons which resulted in unexpected results. No scratches even after a series of intentional rubbing of metal materials on their surfaces. And although that part of our test amazed us, we still want to encourage our readers to refrain from doing such actions that might still result in premature wearing out of the items.

T-fal Ultimate set also scored high in our performance test. Besides the flat bottoms that can settle perfectly on cooktops, the surface heats up fast. We also fancy the remarkable Thermo Spot technology of the brand where the red center marks on the surfaces of cookwares turn solid red once they are fully heated. With this, there is less guesswork when to place your foods.

Moreover, all cookware items in the set seem to have equal quality as they all heat up evenly across the surface when we tested them with medium heat. Even on the 10.25 in. sq. griddle, we barely experienced hot spots. On the other hand, the 8 and 10-inch fry pans are true gems. They are among our favorites as we were able to sear, fry, and brown foods perfectly. When we tested them for pancakes and chicken parts, we got even heat all across the surface. All items were evenly cooked at the same rate and degree. On the other hand, the Egg Wonder fry pan made our cooking experience extremely enjoyable as it automatically gives you a perfectly rounded sunny side up and pancakes. The Dutch oven was also a great performer when we tried it for stew and baking bread. Everything came out perfectly cooked. Most of all, every cookware in the set is truly nonstick! It impressed us how the food slid out easily. There was almost no need for us to scrape the sauce in 1, 2, and 3-quart saucepans and the cleanup was incredible. With just a wipe of a paper towel or a sponge with soap under running water, food residue and oil were removed.

T-fal Ultimate Set FAQs:

Are the lids of the T-fal Ultimate oven safe?

• The lids of the T-fal Ultimate cookware can handle up to 350°F in the oven.

Can I use the T-fal Ultimate set at high heat?

• It is better to follow the 400°F limit of the cookware set to prevent damages to the products. Also, the uniform heating of the surface allows the cookware to conduct heat efficiently. Even at medium heat, you can boil water in the saucepan. 

Is the T-fal Ultimate set dishwasher safe?

• According to the brand, it is dishwasher-safe. However, we suggest hand washing everything to prolong the product life of the items. After all, food residue can be easily removed due to the nonstick coating.

Can you use metal utensils for the T-fal Ultimate Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set?

• The brand indicated that the cookware set can resist scratches from metals. Yet, we suggest using wooden or silicone utensils to prolong the life of the nonstick coating.