17-Piece and 12-Piece Granite Nonstick Cookware Sets Compared

Start with what is in the box. The 8-inch and 11-inch fry pans are the daily workers. A 9.5-inch wok with lid and two square fry pans, 9.5 and 11.4 inches, cover stir-fry and grilled cheese.

A 1.5-quart saucepan with lid, plus 3-quart and 5-quart casseroles with lids, handle soup and pasta. Then come the extras: a 5-quart steamer, a 14 by 9.2-inch baking form, a 14.6 by 9.8-inch baking tray and two silicone utensils.

Kitchen Academy describes an aluminum core with an enlarged magnetic stainless steel base, which is what lets the set run on induction. The spec sheet lists electric, gas and induction. Handles are Bakelite and the lids are glass.

One reviewer points out that there are no rivets inside the pots to trap sauce. Another says the handles feel soft and look like wood.

The whole box weighs 11.88 kg, so there is a lot of aluminum here. The spec sheet gives no weight for single pans.

Reviewers call the pans light enough to handle and sturdy enough to trust. One reviewer in the UK likes the heft on a gas hob, neither flimsy nor tiring to lift.

The praise is steady. Buyers in Canada, the UK and the US write about easy cleanup, even heating and a surface that releases food. One reviewer says the surface feels like ceramic, with no rough spots.

Another reaches for the flat fry pan for grilled cheese and pancakes. About 78 percent of ratings are five stars.

The complaints are fewer but heavier. One UK reviewer found that four items wobbled on a flat counter: the 11.4-inch and 9.45-inch square fry pans, the 8-inch fry pan and the wok. Support gave a partial refund and the reviewer kept the pans.

Another UK reviewer says a grill pan buckled after two uses. The spec sheet lists no grill pan, so we can't say which piece that was. A Canadian reviewer says the finish came off after nine months and half the set went in the bin.

That review carries five stars, though the text is a complaint.

Care is simple on paper. Kitchen Academy recommends hand washing to protect the coating.

Whether gentler washing would have saved the pans in those complaints, the reviews don't say. No oven temperature and no dishwasher rating appear on the product page, so read the printed instructions before the baking tray goes near a hot oven.

One more limit: the largest fry pan is 11 inches. A US reviewer who bought the set for an induction stove found the biggest skillet a little smaller than the old one. If you cook for a crowd in one pan, that matters.

Think about how the pieces map to a week. The two fry pans and the saucepan do most of the work on a busy night. The wok handles stir-fry, and the 5-quart casserole is the pot for soup or a big pasta night.

The steamer and the baking tray come out less often, and that is fine.

The color range is a small plus. One reviewer notes the set comes in a few other colors, and the reviews mention green and black. If your cookware lives on an open shelf, that matters more than any spec.

Value is the other theme. Several reviewers say the set is worth the money, and one says it does not feel cheap. The price is $179.99 today, and since prices move, check it before you buy.

Skip it if you want removable handles. An Italian reviewer wished for them to save cupboard space, and seventeen pieces take room. Skip it too if you cook for one: the steamer and the baking pieces will sit unused.

The SODAY box is plain and practical. You get a 1.5-quart saucepan with lid, a 4.3-quart saucepan with lid, an 11-inch sauté pan that holds 4.5 quarts, and fry pans at 9 and 11 inches. Four pan protectors come along.

Count the pans and you get five. The rest of the 12 pieces are protectors and lids.

SODAY says each piece is die-cast aluminum under a granite nonstick coating. The spec sheet gives Bakelite handles, and the product text describes tempered glass lids and heat-resistant handles.

It lists induction, gas and electric coil cooktops, and the text adds ceramic and glass tops.

The whole box weighs 5.94 kg, half the weight of the larger set.

Care, per the brand: a sponge wipe or a rinse is enough. That is SODAY talking.

The product page gives no dishwasher rating and no oven temperature. One US reviewer says to use silicone or wooden utensils and avoid excessive heat to protect the coating, which is the advice any nonstick pan gets.

The four reviews we read are all from US buyers, and all give four or five stars. They mention easy cleanup, even cooking, lids that fit well and a comfortable grip. One calls the pieces lightweight but sturdy.

Another likes having several sizes, so you are not cooking everything in one giant pan. About 76 percent of ratings are five stars and 10 percent are four.

The negative reviews we could read for this set were few. About 6 percent of ratings are one star, so some buyers were unhappy, and we would not call the set flawless.

What it doesn't do is plain. No wok, no steamer, no baking pieces. The largest pan is 11 inches, and the largest pot is 4.3 quarts.

Pasta for a crowd or a big batch of stock is not what this box is built for. If your household grows past two or three people, you will outgrow it.

What it does well is stay small. At $65.98 it is the cheaper box, and 6,542 ratings average 4.4.

The shape of the set suits a small stovetop. The two saucepans cover rice, sauce and a bowl of soup. The 11-inch sauté pan holds 4.5 quarts, deep enough for a one-pan dinner.

The two fry pans split eggs from bigger jobs.

Handles matter on a busy night. SODAY calls them ergonomic and heat-resistant, and one reviewer calls the grip comfortable. Heat-resistant is the brand's word, so keep a mitt close when a pan has sat on the burner for a while.

The four protectors are a small extra. SODAY doesn't say how to use them, but stacked coated pans are what they are for. Slide one between pans and the coating has less to rub against in the cupboard.

It suits a first apartment, a rental or a second set for a weeknight cook who fries and simmers. Skip it if you bake in pans, steam, or want a skillet over 11 inches.