The Best Made In Products, After Many Years of Testing

Around here, we test a lot of different cookware. From woks to skillets to stockpots, we’re always on the lookout for the best versions of the products in question, and we don’t take these decisions lightly. We choose our favorite pieces through a process of rigorous testing, research, and comparing price with performance and quality.

Time and time again, Made In outshines its competition, earning a rightful place on our “best of” lists. We’ve rounded up our favorite pieces from Made In, including a saucepan, a saucier, flatware, and even a set of cookware (which is a rare thing for us to recommend!). And no, this isn't sponsored: we've gathered up our favorite products from brands like OXO and Breville before, too.

The Best Small Saucepan

Made In Stainless Clad Saucepan

$149 $139 at Amazon $149 at Madeincookware.com

Two quarts is an ideal size saucepan for tasks like melting butter or chocolate, but it’s also a perfectly serviceable size for reheating soup, poaching eggs, or cooking a smaller portion of grains. 

Made In’s 2-quart stainless steel version is our favorite small saucepan. It aced our tests with its high sides that kept boilovers to a minimum, and the five layers of cladding (alternating layers of stainless steel and aluminum) means this saucepan retains heat nicely and distributes heat evenly around the pot. We love how the ergonomically indented handle stays cool while cooking, and you can always sign us up for a rolled rim that helps us avoid drips while pouring. Factor in the snugly fitting lid and we’re sold on this saucepan all day long.

Key Specs 

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Capacity: 2 quarts
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, oven-safe to 800°F
  

The Best Overall Saucier

Made In Stainless Clad Saucier

$159 at Amazon $159 at Madeincookware.com

The main difference between a saucepan and a saucier is that the latter has lower, slightly flared sides, which eliminates the pesky “corner” edge that food can get stuck along while whisking or stirring in a straight-sided saucepan. Basically, a saucier can do everything a saucepan can do, but kind of better? And when we tested a bunch of different sauciers, Made In made our favorite. 

Made In’s 3-quart saucier found its way to the top of our list thanks to its fantastic heat conduction, wide surface area for cooking (that’s a 7-inch diameter at the base and a 10-inch diameter lip-to-lip, for those keeping score at home), and a comfortable handle that made the whole pan feel well-balanced and pleasant to work with. Basically, this saucier did it all for us and looked great while doing it. 

Key Specs 

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Capacity: 3 quarts
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, oven-safe to 800°F
  

The Best 12-Inch Stainless Steel Skillet

Made In 12-Inch Stainless Steel Skillet

$129 at Amazon $119 at Madeincookware.com

During our stainless steel skillet tests, Made In impressed us with both its 10- and 12-inch offerings. No surprise that these fry pans stood out with their incredibly effective, evenly distributed heating thanks to robust 5-ply construction. And once again, we love the handles, which are comfortable to grip and balance the weight of the skillet nicely. 

Made In’s stainless steel skillets turned out top-notch crêpes, perfectly seared chicken breasts, and rapidly heated and cooled water when we put them through their paces against loads of competitors—at price points both above and below. These are high-quality, high-performing skillets that are worth the investment. 

Key Specs 

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Size: 10 and 12 inches
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, oven-safe to 800°F
  

The Best Overall Sauté Pan

Made In Stainless Clad Saute Pan 3.5 QT

$169 at Amazon $159 at Madeincookware.com

We love a great sauté pan. The shallow depth and wide cooking surface are perfect for frying meatballs, braising pieces of chicken, wilting greens, or doing basically anything else where a Dutch oven feels like too much and a saucepan isn’t quite enough. 

Made In’s 3.5-quart sauté pan takes the cake for us with its reasonable weight, ergonomic handle, well-fitting lid, and excellent heat conduction. Our testers used this pan to crisp up chicken skin and braise cabbage to silky perfection, then found it easy to clean (you can put it in the dishwasher, though we recommend hand-washing instead). This pan is a solid value and a real pleasure to use.

Key Specs 

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Capacity: 3.5 quarts
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, oven-safe to 800°F
  

The Best Stainless Steel Starter Cookware Set

Made In Stainless Set 6-Piece Cookware Set

$529 at Walmart View on Madeincookware.com

We usually don’t recommend buying cookware sets because you’ll probably end up paying for pieces you won’t actually use. There are a few exceptions to this rule, and Made In’s 6-piece stainless steel set is one of them.

We appreciate how this set only comes with the essentials—including a nonstick pan, which is a must-have for delicates like eggs and fish—so you’ll only need to find space for four pieces of cookware and two lids. It’s a common refrain by now: we recommend these pieces for their even heating and ergonomic handles. We also love the flared poured rims. Oh, and the approachable price point doesn't hurt either.

Key Specs 

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Includes: 10-inch nonstick frying pan, 10-inch stainless steel frying pan, 2-quart stainless steel saucepan with lid, 8-quart stainless steel stockpot with lid
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, oven-safe to 800°F (nonstick pan is hand-wash only and oven safe to 500°F)
  

The Best Flatware Set

Made In Flatware 4 Place Settings Set

$199 at Amazon $199 at Walmart View on Madeincookware.com

Good flatware isn’t just about appearance—it should also feel nice in your hand and be durable enough to stand up to frequent use and cleaning. Made In nailed it for us with their flatware set, which has a timeless design, a pleasing weight, and a knife that cuts through food. The 20-piece set is dishwasher-safe and includes essentials like dinner and salad forks, soup and dessert spoons, and a dinner knife. Our minor complaint is that the price point is a bit steep and you can only buy their flatware in this set for four, but the quality is certainly worth it.

Key Specs 

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Includes: 20 pieces; 4 salad forks, 4 dinner forks, 4 knives, 4 dinner spoons, 4 dessert spoons
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe
  

The Best Small Platter

Made In Serving Platter

$89 at Amazon View on Madeincookware.com

While a serving platter may seem like a simple piece, we still decided to test them because you can never be too careful. Made In was an easy choice for us here too thanks to its minimalist design, flared edges that help keep spills at bay, and its versatility—you can put this thing in the oven, the freezer, the microwave, and the dishwasher. While it’s on the smaller side at just 13.25 inches in length, that means it’s perfect for serving salads, sliced meats, cheeses, or anything else that doesn’t need a huge footprint on the table. 

Key Specs 

• Materials: Ceramic
• Size: 13 inches
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, oven-safe to 580°F
  

The Best All-Purpose Wine Decanter

Made In Decanter

$99 at Walmart View on Madeincookware.com

Yep, even wine decanters need testing, and we loved the one from Made In for its elegant shape, easy-pour design, and the fact that it leaves enough room for the wine to properly breathe once you’ve poured in the whole bottle. It’s a little pricey, but we think this decanter is worth it for how nicely it pours (drips are minimal and you can easily stop the flow before any sediment tips out) and how good it looks.

As of April 2024, it appears the decanter is sold out. We have reached out to Made In and will update this story once we learn about a restock date.

Key Specs 

• Materials: Glass
• Capacity: 1500mL
• Care instructions: Dishwasher safe
  

The Best Stoneware Pie Plate

Made In Pie Dish

$59 at Amazon View on Madeincookware.com

It’s hard work baking a bunch of pies, but someone has to test pie dishes and it may as well be us. This classic pie dish baked evenly golden crusts, which we were able to crimp and shape to our liking thanks to the flat rim. This stoneware dish doesn’t conduct heat as well as a stainless steel dish we put it up against, but our pies turned out great and we liked being able to toss the Made In dish into the dishwasher for easy clean-up.

Key Specs 

• Materials: Porcelain
• Size: 10.5-inch diameter
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, oven-safe to 650°F
  

The Best Dinnerware Set If You Want It All

Made In The Tabletop Set Complete

$399 at Amazon View on Madeincookware.com

Dinnerware sets are ultimately a personal choice, but if you’re looking for a set that comes with everything you need and looks great while doing it, Made In has you covered. We love the glossy finish and how comprehensive the set is—you get appetizer and dinner plates, bread and butter plates, side bowls, entree bowls, flatware, and a serving platter. You get everything you need, and you can even choose between a white, red, or navy rim to spice things up.

Key Specs 

• Materials: Porcelain, stainless steel
• Includes: 4x dinner plates, appetizer plates, bread and butter plates, entree bowls, side bowls; 1x serving platter, 4x dinner forks, salad forks, table spoons, dessert spoons, dinner knives
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, oven-safe to 580°F
  

The Best Grill Press with a Cover

Made In Grill Press

$69 at Amazon $69 at Walmart View on Madeincookware.com

The almost-square shape of this grill press made it a winner in our review, owing to its roomy dimensions that could completely cover a burger or four slices of bacon. It's $69—not cheap for a grill press—but the leather sheath was a worthy upgrade (it looks sharp and kept out hands cool during testing). We especially liked the height of the handle: At two inches, it was tall enough to keep our hands free from the cooking surface, but not so tall that using it became unwieldy. It's not quite two pounds, but if you put some oomph into it, there isn't much this grill press can't handle.

Key Specs

• Materials: Stainless steel, leather
• Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Dimensions: 5.5 x 5 inches
• Care instructions: Dishwasher safe (excluding leather portion)
  

FAQs

Where is Made In cookware made?

Made In produces in the United States, Italy, France, England, and Hungary. You can see a breakdown of where which products are produced here.

Is Made In cookware any good?

We think Made In cookware is great! The products are thoughtfully designed, made of high-quality materials, and perform consistently well in our tests. Dollar for dollar, Made In cookware is a great value. 

How much is Made In cookware?

Pricing depends on what you’re buying. Made In cookware ranges in price from $19 for a quarter sheet pan to $1,199 for a 7-piece copper set. The average price of the pieces we’ve recommended here is $185.

Why We're the Experts

• Summer Rylander is a freelance writer based in Nuremberg, Germany.
• Summer has been reviewing kitchen equipment for Serious Eats since 2022, including portable charcoal grills and microwaves.
• In writing this story, Summer combed through data from past reviews, comparing results and compiling this comprehensive list of winning products.