Is it time to replace your cookware? If the handles are loose or broken, or the bottom of a pan is warped (creating hot spots that burn food), it’s time to shop. And of course, when the coating of a nonstick pan is flaking, it’s got to go.

Cookware is typically sold in sets consisting of about five to 15 pieces, or as individual pots and pans, referred to as open stock. But a 12-piece set won’t have a dozen pots and pans. “In boxed sets, manufacturers count a lid as a piece,” explains Marion Wilson-Spencer, CR’s market analyst for cookware. “Even utensils and a cookbook may be counted as pieces.”

We buy and test cookware sets ranging from less than $100 to $600 or more, from well-known brands such as All-Clad, Anolon, Calphalon, Cuisinart, and Zwilling J.A. Henckels, as well as sets sold under the names of celebrity cooks like Ayesha Curry, Rachel Ray, and The Pioneer Woman. Of course, you can also assemble your own set. If you go that route, here are the basic pieces you need, plus why you should consider a Dutch oven.

In our tests, we evaluate heating evenness, speed of heating, sauté performance, nonstick durability, handle sturdiness, and more. To evaluate various pieces, we cook pancakes, fry eggs, boil water, and simmer tomato sauce.

For more information, see our free cookware buying guide, which includes a primer on different types of cookware and the materials they’re made of. Below are the 10 best cookware sets from CR’s latest tests, both nonstick and stainless steel, listed alphabetically by type. CR members can jump to our cookware ratings for details on how each set performed, and even more options.