My daughter will be moving into a new nyc apt and has asked for a cookware set. She is a good cook but leads a busy life and I’m not sure how well she’ll care for the set.
this wirecutter article suggests a 12 peice, tri-ply tromontina set, $230 at costco.
other suggestions?
best,
Sunshine had a girlfriend who escaped an abusive situation and we went to IKEA and bought her a set of pans/pots for $10 (now $20) IKEA Pot set
And a skillet was $5 (now $6.99) IKEA skillet
We got her a bunch of other stuff at IKEA, but the pots, pans and skillet did a surprisingly good job (for the price) and she was able to cook her meals. Moreover, if she ruined a pot or skillet – no major loss.
I’m generally opposed to sets, since it seems like you always get a few pieces that you’ll never use, but at least 20 years ago and probably more, we purchased a set from Costco that was pretty close in composition to this: https://www.costco.com/p/-/tramontina-ceramic-non-stick-12-piece-cookware-set-with-utensils/4000277532?DM_PersistentCookieCreated=true&langId=-1
I can’t vouch for dishwasher compatibility because I handwash all cookware, but we still have and use most of the pieces from the set. And if your daughter doesn’t like it, you/she can take advantage of Costco’s generous return policy. I don’t regret the purchase.
multi-ply stainless/aluminum performs quite well for the buck.
a 12 piece set? thats overkill on steroids.
small+large ‘pot’ - lids required! (1 qt / 2 qt size)
10" fry pan
(ceramic) casserole dish with lid . . .
about covers it . . .
if she likes 2-3 vegetables at a meal, add additional 1 qt pot(s)
unless she’s going to be throwing dinner parties for x people…
like (mebets) most others here, I have bunches and piles of pots&pans.
most of which sit unused except for ‘special’ dishes/needs.
Tramontina has a good rep for reasonable cost and good quality.
if you want to go upscale, I have some of the Zwilling Aurora line - which has definitely impressed me for performance.
I agree with others that a 12-pc set might be overkill — unless her kitchen is larger than most NYC apts I’ve been to 
A couple of pots, a couple of pans of good quality might do her for now.
Another vote against a ready set vs assembling it for her, based on how and what she cooks.
I’d go with stainless steel tri ply / multi ply. Calphalon has a couple of inexpensive lines that are very sturdy and last well, also Tramontina and several others — they’re often available at home goods / TJX / marshalls, Amazon, Macy’s, etc. Macy’s has good deals this time of year.
1-1.5qt, 2.5-3qt chefs pan / sauteuse, and maybe one larger pot (though if she gets an instant pot, a stand-alone bigger pot may not be necessary). She can add more pieces later, once she figures out what’s missing.
Add a nonstick pan or two (Oxo is excellent and not expensive), a carbon steel crepe pan (multi use, and I prefer it it cast iron for many reasons), and a 3 or 6qt instant pot.
A good, compact countertop oven is also a great tool (though not breville — too large a footprint vs usable inside space for a small apt kitchen, and even inexpensive ones work almost as well).
A 15-piece set of Farberware Classic Stainless Steel set of pots and skillets - $139.99. You get 1-Quart, 2-Quart, and 3-Quart Saucepans with Lids, 4-Quart Saucepot with Lid, 8-Quart Stockpot with Lid, 8-Inch and 10-Inch Nonstick Frying Pans, 3 Nylon Kitchen Utensils. (The ONLY thing I’d think she’d not really need would be the 8-quart stockpot - so perhaps they make a smaller set? Yes, they do - I’ve linked that one below as well.)
I still have my Farberware set from the late 1980s (which I’ve since augmented with pots from my late Mom that I remember using while I was growing up, and stainless steel skillets from Calphalon. The only thing I had to replace was the 2-quart, because I put it on the stove-top thinking I was going to be steaming something…and forgot to put water in. 
Ended up melting it on the old coil stovetop I had at the time.
ETA: You might want to think about going to HomeGoods and looking at a few individual pieces there. Their pots/pans aisles always has a LOT (especially now) and they’re constantly refreshing with more skillets and various size pots with lids.
https://www.amazon.com/Farberware-Classic-Stainless-15-Piece-Cookware/dp/B00006IFQH/?th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Farberware-Classic-Stainless-15-Piece-Cookware/dp/B0FMGRQ6FD/
That’s a really nice set of cookware, especially because the lids are metal, not glass. If she’s a good cook and asked for cookware, this should cover all of her needs. She’ll discover over time what will or will not get regular use. I would have loved a set like this when I started out. Btw, I don’t think it’s overkill because they look like they will stack to take up less space. Lucky girl.
I am very, very happy with my two Tramontina tri-ply saucepans.
I would look for an open stock offering of a clad pan, be it Tramontina, Cuisnart, or something else, OR go to a restaurant supply store for EITHER clad or disc bottom. Any of these choices will serve well. Then I would get those pieces most likely to be used, probably a medium sized frying pan, a couple of saucepans, and a five to six quart casserole. I would also consider a carbon steel wok, pretty much any brand. Woks are so versatile.
