A good set of pans is rarely an investment that you’ll regret. And more and more, we’re scrutinising the materials that pans are made from. For a myriad of reasons there’s a lot of noise around at the moment about switching from non-stick to stainless steel versions of the best saucepan sets.
And while there are plenty of non-stick pans that claim to be non-toxic, mastering the art of cooking in stainless steel seems to be one of the trends of the moment. And trust me, if you’re used to non-stick, this can be a steep learning curve.
In a nutshell
The Ninja EverClad Stainless Steel 5-Piece Set includes three saucepans with lids, and two frying pans. So as a set, it covers most people’s needs. At around £400 it’s an investment. Alternatively, depending on your needs, you can buy the three saucepans as a bundle for £289.99, or the two frying pans bundled together for £179.99.
For me, what makes the price tag justifiable, is that provided you look after it, this stainless steel cookware should last a lifetime. The tri-ply construction consists of an aluminium core, with stainless steel on the interior as well as the exterior.
It’s suitable for all hob types and can withstand oven temperatures of up to 300C. The rub is that ideally it all needs to be handwashed. And while you’re learning how to cook without non-stick coatings, this could mean extra time at the kitchen sink.
The pans all feel well constructed, but with a weighty quality that will be on the heavy side for some people. That said, I found them responsive to heat, fast to cook with, and there were no obvious hot spots. I enjoyed using them, and if you’re looking to take the leap into stainless steel cookware, this is an excellent all-round set.
Who tested this cookware set?
Product specs
- Materials: Stainless steel with aluminium core
- Metal utensil safe? yes
- Dishwasher safe? No, hand washing is recommended
- Saucepan capacity: 1.4 litre, 2.4 litre and 3.3
- Pan diameter: 16cm, 18cm and 20cm saucepan/ 24cm and 28cm frying pan
- Suitable for all hob types: yes
Unboxing and first impressions
Thankfully there was nothing to worry about in terms of packaging, it was all paper and cardboard, so easily recyclable. Once out of the box, my first impression of the pans is that they appear to be lovely quality.
At first look, they seem super sturdy and well made. Compared to my current set of cheaper stainless steel pans, they’re much thicker, but with that comes more weight and they’re definitely a tad heavier than my current pans.
The handles are very straight, which gives the pans a very modern appearance, but isn’t necessarily the most ergonomic handle design.
There’s a quick start guide in the box that gives advice on use and care. It includes some helpful hints on how to preheat the frying pans to avoid food sticking. It also gives some recommended heat settings, as well as some tips on how to extend the life of the cookware.
I’m disappointed that the cleaning guide makes no mention of using a dishwasher to clean the pans. It doesn’t explicitly say they can’t be cleaned in a dishwasher, but it also doesn’t say they’re dishwasher friendly. And only hand washing advice is given, so it’s implied.
Cooking in the Ninja EverClad Stainless Steel 5-Piece Set
Saucepans
The three saucepans offer a good range of capacity options. The smallest was the one I reached for when I needed to heat a tin of baked beans. Likewise, it’s big enough for whisking up a couple of warming mugs of hot chocolate. And I also used it to make some Mexican refried beans.
Even this smaller saucepan feels heavy though. After emptying a tin of beans into it, I was so surprised by the weight when I lifted it onto the hob, that I popped it onto the scales out of interest. Given that it’s the smallest saucepan and only had a tin of beans in it, I was surprised that it weighed a hefty 1.3kg.
When making hot chocolate, I was impressed with how fast it heated. What’s more, when the milk started to bubble up the pan, threatening to boil over, it responded immediately when I turned the hob off.
The medium sized saucepan was a great choice for making two hearty portions of porridge. The inner rounded corners meant my wooden spoon could easily stir the porridge and there was no clumping or sticking.
When I wanted to boil some broccoli and asparagus, the medium size pan was roomy enough to cook a whole head of broccoli and a bunch of asparagus simultaneously. The lid kept the heat in, but steam could easily escape through the steam hole. The glass of the lid steamed up though, so I couldn’t clearly see what was going on inside.
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In my two person household, I must admit, I got more use from the two smaller saucepans, than the biggest one. That said, the larger pan was a great size for making up a batch of broccoli and stilton soup.
I first softened two finely diced onions, then added diced broccoli stalks, before the stock and the rest of the broccoli. For context, I used 1.5 litres of stock, two onions, and two whole heads of broccoli. In total it made enough for 5-6 portions of soup, so it’s a decent size pan.
The soup was cooking for about 30 minutes in total. During this time the handle on the lid became quite hot. So you’ll need to be mindful of that when cooking for longer periods. The handle on the pan itself stayed cool enough to touch. The bit closest to the Ninja logo was warm, which you may need to keep in mind if using both hands to lift something heavy.
I blended the soup directly in the pan with my stick blender, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do if it had a non-stick coating. The pan also worked well for a big batch of mashed potato and I was able to use my stainless steel masher without worrying about scratching any coatings.
Frying pans
Before using a stainless steel frying pan, I’d urge you to learn about the ‘leidenfrost effect’. It’s crucial to know about this before using the pans. It’s a way of testing if a stainless steel pan is hot enough to cook with.
You judge it by adding a small amount of water to the hot pan, and if it clumps up and dances round the pan in a ball, it’s spot on. I’d suggest watching some videos online to see what it should look like.
Halloumi proved to cook really well in this pan. I heated the empty pan on a medium heat for a few minutes until it was hot enough to make water bead, then I added a glug of oil, which I swirled around the pan to ensure the surface was fully covered.
The halloumi browned really nicely and I managed to get the heat level just right so that it didn’t overcook. It did show signs of sticking when I initially tried to turn it, so I just left it a bit longer and then went in quite firmly with a metal spatula, which did the trick. All in all, a great result.
Due to its delicate nature, fish was slightly trickier. I tried sea bass and salmon on separate occasions. I cooked them in the same way as the halloumi, but left skin side down for most of the cooking time.
The sea bass and the salmon fillets cooked evenly and had a great texture overall. But there was some sticking, and I didn’t get the skin as crisp as I would like, so there’s some room for improvement.
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I’ve since researched this a bit more and discovered that you have to be diligent about patting the fish dry before frying, as well as removing from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. So fingers crossed it’ll be perfect next time when I add in these steps.
I have a favourite chilli paneer dish that I usually make in my non-stick wok, but decided to try in the large frying pan. When the pan was hot enough to make water bead, I added oil then diced onion and pepper.
Once the onion and pepper had started to soften I added paneer cubes and some sliced chilli and garlic. By this point I’d turned the heat down too low and the paneer wasn’t browning, so I turned up the gas in the hope of browning it before adding the sticky sauce.
This ended up being a bit of a reminder that frying in stainless steel requires more care and attention than my usual casual approach to cooking! I got slightly distracted cleaning up the kitchen and some of the paneer and onion burnt onto the pan. It was rescuable and perfectly edible but the washing up was not fun!
I made pancakes in some stainless steel pans I recently reviewed and had surprising success. So I wasn’t too intimidated by doing it in these pans. I decided to follow the method that worked for me before (which I found after going down a bit of a YouTube rabbit hole).
This method involves gently heating the pan for just 30 seconds on a medium heat before adding a teaspoon of oil. You then have to allow the oil to heat for a further 60 seconds. I used a pastry brush to ensure it coated the full base of the pan.
I added my batter and turned the heat to low. However, after a few minutes, it was evident that the thin pancake was sticking. I did manage to coax it off the base of the pan with some firm persuasion from a spatula. And it actually came away in one piece, so I was able to turn it and salvage it.
In hindsight, I realised that when initially heating the pan, my hob was on a medium low rather than a medium heat, which probably led to the sticking. So once I’d removed the stuck residues from the pan, I added more oil and popped it back on a medium heat.
The next pancake worked a treat, cooked evenly with no sticking whatsoever. And the third and fourth were perfect too. This larger frying pan is the perfect size for a thin crepe style pancake. And despite my hiccup with pancake number one, I was very pleased with the results and would happily call it a success.
Having always avoided omelettes, I’ve recently developed a newfound love of a cheese omelette. Admittedly though, having never made one in a stainless steel pan, the prospect of doing so was daunting.
So before diving in, I watched a few Youtube videos on how best to make it in a stainless steel pan. The general consensus seems to be that the pan should be heated over a medium heat until water beads on the surface of the pan.
Then the pan should be removed from the heat and a generous knob of butter as well as a splash of oil added. Once the butter has melted, the eggs get added to the pan and it goes back onto a low heat. You then make the omelette as you normally would.
I followed this method to the letter and the result was perfect. The omelette cooked gently and evenly, and slid around the pan without a hint of sticking. I was super pleased with the result.
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Despite being able to nail pancakes and omelette, I seem to struggle with fried eggs in a stainless steel pan. On my first attempt I tried heating the pan on medium until I achieved the leidenfrost effect of water dancing around.
I added a good glug of oil and then my eggs. I did manage to get both eggs out in one piece, but it took some firm persuasion to remove them from the base of the pan. And then there was a layer of stuck crispy egg white left behind.
I changed things up on my second attempt, this time going for a gentler approach mirroring what I did for the pancakes. The result was better, but they still wanted to stick, and I had to be a bit forceful with the spatula.
On both occasions, the eggs came away in one piece. I just feel like I need a bit more practice to get the best result.
Even though the idea of it made me a bit nervous, I successfully managed to dry fry a home made flatbread in the larger pan. It cooked brilliantly and my sticky yogurt based dough didn’t stick to the pan at all.
What are these pans like to clean?
As I’ve already mentioned, I was disappointed that Ninja makes no reference to cleaning in the dishwasher. By only listing hand washing instructions, it’s implied that they must be hand washed. But I’d rather know for definite if they can go in the dishwasher or not.
Washing the saucepans by hand wasn’t a bother. For things like porridge and hot chocolate I let them soak for 10 minutes or so, which made the job quick and easy. The frying pans were trickier though.
I had a few instances of foods sticking, which required a fair bit of elbow grease to remove. And after several uses, there were some stubborn fatty deposits around the sides of the larger pan. I followed the advice in the manual and tackled it with bicarb and vinegar, but it still demanded some effort to get it shifted.
The stainless steel can easily pick up water marks on the outside, and the inside can become somewhat marked/ discoloured from use. But in my experience that’s typical of a lot of stainless steel pans.
What are they like to store?
The pans nestle comfortably inside each other, so they can be stored quite neatly, with just the three lids to the side. Plus, the lack of any delicate non-stick coatings, means you don’t need to worry that storing them like this will cause damage or scratches.
How do they compare to similar sets from competitors?
In comparison to this Le Creuset 3 Piece Set I recently reviewed, the Ninja set starts to look like a good value option. Though Le Creuset’s stainless steel pans can go in the dishwasher, which is a big bonus.
Alternatively, if price is your major sticking point, you can still dip your toe into the world of stainless steel with the Ikea HEMKMOST Set which we’ve reviewed. The three saucepans are stainless steel, but you get the safety net of having a non-stick coating on the frying pan. Plus at under £100 it’s a steal.
Should you buy the Ninja EverClad Stainless Steel 5-Piece Set?
For me, the saucepans are great, but they are a tad weighty which will make them unsuitable for some people. The frying pans will take time to adjust to if you’re used to non-stick pans. That said, if you’re reading this, it’s probably a learning curve you’re willing to embrace. And if I can make pancakes and omelette successfully, then you can too.
Yes, the set is pricey in comparison to some other stainless steel sets on the market. But these pans are well made and it’s reasonable to assume that they should last way beyond the guaranteed life of 10 years, especially if you follow the guidance on cleaning and care. So over time, it’s an investment that could work out to be pretty cost effective.
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