What is actually in a 17 piece cookware set?

Researched from published material properties and manufacturer specifications · Convention

Quick answer

A 17 piece cookware set typically contains about 7 actual pans, 5 lids and 5 filler items such as utensils or a steamer insert. Only 41 percent of the advertised count is cookware you can cook in.

Counted from how manufacturers describe their own sets. Individual sets vary, and the direction of the variation is consistent.

How advertised piece counts typically decompose
AdvertisedPansLidsFillerPercent that is a pan
7 piece43057%
8 piece53063%
10 piece64060%
11 piece65055%
12 piece64250%
14 piece75250%
15 piece65440%
17 piece75541%
20 piece75835%
What this usually means buying

Cuisinart 17-Piece Pots and Pans Set, Non Stick Hard Anodized Cookware Set, Compatible with Electric, Gas Cooktops, Dishwasher Safe, Oven Safe Pot Set, Cool Grip Handles, Aluminum Core for Even Heat

17 pieces
$244.99Check pricePrices change often

Why the number on the box is not the number of pans

Cookware sets are priced, compared and shelved on their piece count, so every maker has an incentive to make that number as large as it can honestly be. A lid is a piece. A steamer insert is a piece. In some sets a plastic spoon is a piece. None of those are things you cook in, and a set advertised at 17 typically contains around 7 vessels.

The useful habit is to count vessels rather than pieces when comparing two sets. A ten piece set with six pans is a better buy than a twenty piece set with seven, and the sticker on the box points the other way.

What an honest set looks like

All-Clad D3 Stainless 10-Piece Set is a good reference point, because the maker publishes the full contents: 8 inch fry pan, 10 inch fry pan, 2 quart saucepan with lid, 3 quart saucepan with lid, 3 quart saute pan with lid, 8 quart stockpot with lid. That is 6 vessels and 4 lids making up ten pieces, with nothing padding it out. Ten advertised pieces, six of which are pans. That is an honest set: nothing in it is a utensil or a plastic insert, and the ratio is about as good as a set gets.

The rule of thumb that holds up across the category: above about twelve advertised pieces, the extra numbers are rarely pans. A jump from ten pieces to twenty almost never means twice the cookware.

Which pieces in a set actually get used

The pans that earn their space are the 10 and 12 inch skillets, a 2 or 3 quart saucepan, a saute pan with a lid, and a stockpot. Those cover the overwhelming majority of home cooking. The pieces that tend to sit unused are the 1 quart saucepan, the 8 inch skillet once you own a 10 inch, the steamer insert, and any included utensils.

This is why an honest set of eight or ten pieces frequently beats a padded set of twenty at a similar price. You are not saving money by acquiring things you will not use, even when the per-piece arithmetic looks favourable.

Should you buy a set at all?

A set is genuinely cheaper per pan, and that advantage only materialises if the vessel list matches how you cook. Where it usually fails is in material: a set forces one construction on every job, and no single material is good at searing, at eggs, at long acidic braises and at boiling water. Buying a small honest set and adding a cast iron pan and one nonstick pan tends to produce a better kitchen than buying a large set.

Cookware sets, cheapest first

Common questions

How many pans are in a 17 piece cookware set?

Typically about 7. The rest of the advertised count is made up of 5 lids and 5 filler items such as a steamer insert or utensils. Count vessels rather than pieces when comparing sets, because the headline number is designed to be large rather than informative.

Do lids really count as pieces?

Yes, universally, and that is not considered deceptive by the industry. A lid is a component you receive. The problem is only that shoppers read the piece count as a count of pans, which is what makes a twenty piece set look like twice a ten piece set when the difference in actual cookware is usually much smaller.

Is a bigger set better value?

Per piece it looks that way, and per useful pan it often is not. The extra pieces in a large set are disproportionately lids, small saucepans and inserts, which are the items most likely to sit unused. Value comes from how many of the vessels you actually reach for, which is a question about your cooking rather than about the set.

What is the best piece count to buy?

Somewhere between eight and twelve advertised pieces suits most households, because that range usually means five or six real vessels covering the common jobs. Beyond that, the additional pieces have a low chance of earning their cupboard space, and below it you are likely to be missing either a large skillet or a lidded pan.

What should I add to a set?

A cast iron or carbon steel skillet and one nonstick pan, neither of which a stainless set includes. Those two cover the jobs a clad or disc-base set is worst at: holding heat for a hard sear, and releasing eggs and delicate fish. Together they cost far less than upgrading to a larger set.

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