Blue Diamond 14 Piece Cookware Set, Diamond Infused PFAS & PFOA-Free Ceramic Nonstick Pots and Pans, Durable, Non Toxic, Metal Utensil Safe & Scratch Resistant, Dishwasher & Oven Safe, Blue

Why it's worth it

Blue Diamond's 14-piece set uses a diamond-infused ceramic coating that the company rates as metal-utensil safe, and it's dishwasher and oven safe. You also get a steamer insert and three nylon tools, which makes it a reasonable first kitchen in one purchase.

This is the set to buy when a fork is going to end up in the pan. Blue Diamond rates the diamond-infused coating as metal-utensil safe, and CNET's scratch-resistance reviewing found it held onto its nonstick performance better than several pricier competitors after six months of daily cooking. That's unusual for ceramic, and it's the single most common way these pans die.

The box covers a starter kitchen: 7-inch and 9.5-inch frying pans, 2-quart and 3-quart saucepans with lids, a 5-quart stock pot with a lid, a 2.5-quart sauté pan with a lid, a stainless steamer insert, and nylon turner, spoon and ladle. For a first apartment or a housewarming gift, you're not shopping for gaps afterward.

From our review of 8 ceramic cookware sets

What we like

• +This is the set to buy when a fork is going to end up in the pan
• +The box covers a starter kitchen: 7-inch and 9.5-inch frying pans, 2-quart and 3-quart saucepans with lids, a 5-quart stock pot…
• +The coating is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium
• +You give up some polish

What to know

• –The listing doesn't state an oven-safe temperature, only that the pans are oven safe
• –It also doesn't claim induction compatibility
• –Metal-utensil safe is a claim about survival, not immortality