The best hard-anodized cookware sets

• More and more people are ditching traditional pots and pans in favor of hard-anodized cookware, thanks to its durability, nonstick performance, and easy to clean surfaces.
• There are a lot of options, but the Circulon Symmetry Hard-Anodized Nonstick 11-Piece Cookware Set is the best you can buy.

Considered the go-to option for home cooks, and even professional chefs, hard- anodized cookware is easy to use and clean.

So, what does "hard-anodized" actually mean? It's essentially a way of hardening a soft aluminum surface electrochemically so it becomes twice as hard as stainless steel and has an oxidized layer that is nonstick, scratch resistant, and non-reactive to food. Hard-anodized aluminum cookware is easy to clean, non-toxic, and requires little or no oil.

Thanks to highly durable surfaces, it can withstand high temperatures, so it can go in the oven. Plus, its nonstick layer lasts up to three times as long as a regular nonstick pan. It does a great job of preventing scratches and can't chip or peel away.

You'll need a variety of pots and pans for your kitchen depending on how keen a cook you are. Buying individual pieces can be very expensive, so to keep things simple, we focused on 10 to 12-piece sets. In boxed sets, lids are considered as pieces and some manufacturers even count extras such utensils, so that's something to bear in mind.

We've spent hours researching and putting a variety of hard-anodized cookware sets to the test, making scrambled eggs and sticky sauces, and flipping pancakes, to come up with our top choices.

To be included, sets had to be PFOA-free. Some manufacturers state it is okay to use metal utensils with hard-anodized cookware, but in our experience, it is still better to use silicone ones to keep surfaces in good condition.

• Best overall: Circulon Symmetry Hard Anodized Nonstick 11-Piece Cookware Set
• Best high-end: All-Clad Hard-Anodized 10-Piece Cookware Set

Updated on 8/26/2020. We updated prices and links and added a selection of relevant buying guides. We also removed the best mid-range and best under $100 categories, as we stand by our current picks for best overall and best on a budget offering the best value.