What we liked: Goldilocks has recently become our favorite among budget-friendly stainless-steel cookware sets. The brand’s pans are made from lightweight 3-ply stainless steel, which makes them responsive but not terribly volatile when subjected to changes in heat. Like the All-Clad, this pan has a broad cooking surface area and a curved edge that makes it easy to pour off excess oil without messy dribbles. In our testing, caramelizing onions and browning chicken thighs were easy, and there were no observable hot spots or curves to unbalance the cooking surface. For an affordable stainless-steel skillet, the Goldilocks skillet is a great choice.
What we’d leave: Certain things are unavoidable with budget cookware. The cooking surface isn’t quite as refined as higher-end options, so its subtle texture develops a bronzed patina over time with continued use (especially if you’re accustomed to cooking with high heat). Also, it is ever so slightly scorchy when adjusting your heat source, so just don’t walk away from the pan for too long. A couple of folks in the test kitchen weren’t crazy about the handle, though in fairness, I’ve yet to encounter a skillet handle that is universally beloved.
Frying an egg on the Goldilocks stainless-steel pan.
Wilder Davies
How we tested stainless-steel pans
Our test consisted of five steps.
We dusted the cooking surface of each pan with flour and then placed it over heat. As the flour begins to brown, it reveals inconsistencies in how the pans distribute heat.
We caramelized onions to get a general sense of the cooking experience each pan offered and how comfortable it was to use. It also showed us how easily food could scortch in the pan.
We pan-fried skin-on chicken thighs to test for potential sticking spots and heat distribution. We looked to see if a 12″ skillet could accommodate a minimum of four chicken thighs without too much crowding.
We made a pan sauce to see how easily fond released from the pans.
We hand-washed each pan, making note of hard-to-clean surfaces or gunked-up nooks and crannies.
What makes a good stainless-steel pan
Does the pan heat evenly?
We narrowed our focus to fully-clad stainless-steel pans for this test. These are pans that consist of two (or more) layers of stainless steel with a more thermally conductive metal, typically aluminum, sandwiched in the center. The aluminum core absorbs and retains heat well while the stainless-steel layers are more responsive to adjustments in temperature. A good stainless-steel pan should demonstrate consistent heat conduction across its cooking surface without any obvious hot or cold spots.
Is the pan comfortable to use?
Because your stainless-steel skillet will be in steady rotation, you want a piece of cookware that’s comfortable to wield and maneuver around your cooktop. Preferences for handle design can get pretty subjective, so we didn’t give it too much weight in our evaluations unless a majority of our team expressed their dislike for a particular design.
