I’ve Been Using Made In Cookware for a Year Now

It’s no secret how much I love my All-Clad cookware; I’ve been pretty loyal to the brand for more than 15 years. So when I got my hands on some pieces from Made In, a new-ish direct-to-consumer cookware brand, I wasn’t exactly sure how my test drives would go. Tasked with reviewing the brand, I tried out their Sous Chef cookware set … and then I kept it all. (Usually, I’ll donate my extra kitchen stuff to a friend or a charity in need.)

Yup, I’ve officially added Made In’s pots and pans to my cookware cabinet. I’ve been using this collection for about a year now so I’ve got some thoughts. Here’s how it’s held up to a year of cooking and cleaning by a pro-home cook — plus, I’ll tell you what I reach for the most and how these pans compare to my beloved All-Clad pans.

My Honest Review of Made In Cookware, a Year Later

Made In’s Sous Chef set includes seven pots and pans in various sizes with lids as well as a tin of their Carbon Steel Seasoning Wax. It comes with three 10-inch frying pans in various materials, which even when it arrived seemed a little excessive. Over the last year I have found myself reaching for the nonstick pan the most often. It gets used regularly for scrambled and fried eggs, pancakes, and more. After a year of daily use, it doesn’t have a single scratch or ding in the coating — the same can not be said for a cheaper nonstick skillets I’ve bought over the years.

The carbon steel pan takes a little bit of work to season and care for (much like cast iron), but is now my favorite stovetop-to-oven pan. My least-used pan from the set? The stainless-clad 10-inch skillet. I blame my All-Clad collection; I have a similar pan in a 12-inch size that does a better job of cooking large batches of food on the stovetop for my family, so I just reach for that instead. (Of course, Made In does make a 12-inch option — it’s just not included in the Sous Chef set.)

Made In’s pots filled some gaps in my own existing cookware collection. The 8-quart stockpot actually replaced a similar stockpot from All-Clad. (My older All-Clad pot had a narrower design but was missing a lid and the Made In stock pot has a tight-fitting lid in a wider design, making it ideal for making triple batches of Rice Krispies treats, ragù, and more.) I admit that the three smaller pots — a 2-quart, 4-quart, and 6-quart pot all with lids — see much less use. Their quality certainly matches their All-Clad counterparts — I just already had comparable pans in my cookware cabinet. That said, I’m still keeping them because I will use them from time to time.

I’m even more impressed with Made In’s quality a year later than I was the day my set arrived. Every single piece of cookware has stood up to a year of heavy cooking and cleaning without staining or wearing. I can’t even say that about all my All-Clad cookware!

If you’re starting from scratch, I definitely recommend buying one of their sets (Tip: The Sous Chef set is the most popular). If you already have some pieces and aren’t looking to replace them, I suggest filling in any gaps with Made In pieces (they’re a bargain compared to All-Clad!). And definitely check out their carbon steel skillet and carbon steel roasting pan, which I’ve reviewed here and here.

Note: While the Sous Chef set is no longer available, you can shop a similar set below.

Buy: The Stainless Set – 10 Piece, $779 (normally $934)