This 22-piece kitchenware set from a new online startup contains everything you need to cook well at home - and it costs less than $300

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• Potluck is a new online startup that sells home and professional cook-approved sets of cookware, knives, and utensils for half the cost of traditional retail.
• We tried its 22-piece Essentials Bundle ($270), which provides an easy way to upgrade your current collection of kitchen supplies in one buy.
• Not a single piece in the bundle will go to waste - you'll be using the tri-ply stainless steel cookware, sharp knives, and durable tools again and again regardless of your cooking level or experience, making the value of Potluck's products unbeatable.

If you could press a hard reset button and replace the pots, pans, knives, and cooking utensils in your kitchen with high-quality pieces, how much do you think it would all cost?

Have a number in your head?

Now halve it and you're closer to the surprisingly affordable number you would pay at new online kitchen company Potluck. $270 will get you its Essentials Bundle, a set that equips home cooks with the 22 pieces you'll need to cook basic ramen, the ambitious multi-ingredient seafood stew you've had marked in your cookbook for months, and everything in between.

Two former senior managers from Glossier, Minsuk Kim and Jessica Sheft-Ason are the founders behind Potluck who love cooking and don't think the tools you use should be complicated.

In developing Potluck's offerings, they consulted numerous cooks to understand how they cooked at home and in professional kitchens. The insights directly led to a thoughtful curation of the tools you're likely to need and to the product design decisions like opting for tri-ply stainless steel construction (which they favored over five-ply because a friend who cooked at Chez Panisse told them she only used tri-ply during her time there).

The Essentials Bundle combines the company's Cookware Set ($160), Knife Set ($60), and Utensil Set ($80) into an ultimate kit teeming with straightforward and durable pieces. It includes a 10-inch skillet, two saucepans, a large stock pot, two mixing bowls, three knives, two spatulas, tongs, a wooden spoon, and a ladle. Small tools like a peeler, grater, measuring cups, and measuring spoons round out the no-frills assortment.

For me, some highlights were the sturdy colander that didn't let a single strand of angel hair slip through, the versatile skillet that distributed heat quickly and evenly, and the light, flexible fish spatula that snuck under fillets with ease.

If you're looking for colorful or heavily branded cookware, you might want to look elsewhere because everything at Potluck is stripped of distractions. You never have to think twice about which tool to reach for or fiddle with unnecessary bells and whistles, which is the type of set-up that's really ideal for cooking because you can focus your energy on ingredients, tasting, and technique.

Creating an effective kitchen environment and cooking experience starts with the right cookware and tools, but all too often, we waste time shopping for and stumbling through poor experiences with them. Potluck removes these tensions by picking out the essential tools for you and offering them at a great price.

Shop the Essentials Bundle for $270 at Potluck here

Shop all kitchen sets at Potluck here