Our Rating:
Key Features:
Ultra-durable cookware for indoor and outdoor use.
Healthy and heavy duty stainless steel interior.
Versatile cookware for any heat source and dishwasher safe.
Comfortable and durable cast stainless steel handles.
Beautiful, Functional Cookware with Advantages Over Traditional Stainless Clad
Made from five layers of high-quality stainless steel and aluminum, the Legend Cookware 5-ply Stainless Cookware Set heats up quicker and cooks more evenly than standard stainless. The cooking surface was specially chosen for its easy-clean characteristics while the stove-contact surface is compatible with gas, electric, and induction, making these pans incredibly versatile and easy to clean.
With a lifetime warranty and exceptional durability, the Legend Cookware 5-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware Set is a worthwhile investment for passionate home chefs.
Pros
- Suitable for use on all types of cooktops, including induction
- Stainless steel material is durable and non-reactive
- Even heat distribution and excellent heat retention
- Dishwasher safe and easy to hand wash
- Comes with a lifetime warranty
Cons
- Stainless steel cooking surface prone to sticking if not properly oiled
- Somewhat expensive compared to other multi-ply stainless options
- Requires a lot of space to store
Should You Buy It?
These stainless steel-clad aluminum pans are more expensive than traditional multi-ply stainless sets, but they feature enough advantages to make them well worth the price.
Quality craftsmanship, high durability and versatility, and a gorgeous look make them a great buy for those looking to up their kitchen game.
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Legend 5 Ply Stainless Cookware Overview
Founded in 2015 in San Francisco, California, Legend Cookware has quickly gained a reputation for producing high-quality, durable, and versatile cookware products. With a focus on sustainable and ethical manufacturing practices, Legend uses innovative technology and advanced materials to create products designed to last a lifetime.
In this review, we’ll take a closer look at Legend’s 5-ply stainless steel cookware set and how it performed in my own kitchen.
Legend offers a variety of cookware sets, including 3-ply stainless sets, 5-ply copper-core sets, and hard anodized cookware sets. However, their 5-ply stainless steel pots and pans truly stand out due to their multi-layer construction. These sets feature a three-layer aluminum core for optimal heat retention, even heating, and conductivity. Plus, the cooking surface is made of 304 stainless steel for easy cleaning, while the stove contact surface is made of magnetic 430 stainless steel, making it suitable for all rangetop options.
The 14-piece 5-clad set comes with everything you need for a well-rounded kitchen collection:
- 8-inch frying pan
- 10-inch frying pan
- 12-inch frying pan
- 1.5-quart saucepan with lid
- 3-quart saucepan with lid
- 5-quart sauté pan with lid
- 5-quart Dutch oven with lid
- 8-quart stockpot with lid
- Steamer insert
For those just starting their cookware collection, Legend also offers a 5-piece starter set that includes a 2.5-quart saute pan with a lid, a 10-inch fry pan, and an 8-quart stockpot with a lid.
As a reviewer for Essential Home and Garden, I’ve had the opportunity to try out various cookware products. When I got my hands on the full 14-piece Legend 5-ply stainless steel cookset, I was eager to see how it would perform in my own kitchen.
Let’s take a look at what I found.
How Legend Cookware Performs: A Comprehensive Review
My 14-piece stainless-clad cookware set from Legend arrived in a large, heavy box, double-boxed and well-packaged. True to Legend’s sustainability pledge, no plastic was used, and all packaging materials were recyclable.
First Impressions
Having previously reviewed Legend’s copper core set, which was stunning, I had high expectations for this stainless-clad set. I was not disappointed. While not as flashy as the matte-black-handled copper core set, these pots and pans still boast an attractive design. Their 5-ply construction is evident in their thickness, and the rounded, ergonomic handles are substantial without adding excessive weight.
Key features include:
- Drip-free pouring rims
- Stamped bases
- Measurement markers inside pots
- Hollow pan handles that stay cool during stovetop cooking
Though some users find the rounded handles difficult to grip, I found them comfortable and appreciated how they prevented my hand from cramping while handling the heaviest frying pan.
These pans look great, feel durable, and are not overly heavy. They make an excellent choice for those wanting to display their cookware on a pot rack. However, if you have limited storage space, consider the smaller 5-piece set, as this one does not stack or store easily in cupboards.
Cooking Performance
To assess the cooking performance of this Legend cook set, I tested it with various recipes and conducted focused performance tests to compare it to the competition. As long as I heated the pans and added sufficient oil, I experienced no problems with food sticking. Quick heating and even heat distribution made it easy to prepare these stainless steel pans, which lack natural non-stick characteristics.
To objectively evaluate the cookware’s performance, I conducted a standard boiling test, measuring the time to boil and the temperature of the pan at various intervals after removal from heat. This helped determine reactivity and heat retention.
Legend Cookware 5-Ply Stainless 12” Fry Pan | Ceramic 12” Saute Pan | 3-Ply Stainless Steel 12” Saute Pan | Cast Iron 12” Fry Pan | |
Time to Boil | 6 minutes 18 seconds | 6 minutes 30 seconds | 8 minutes 8 seconds | 13 minutes 41 seconds |
Temperature After 5 Minutes (Reactivity) | 128 degrees | 145 degrees | 125 degrees | 131 degrees |
Temperature After 10 Minutes (Heat Retention) | 107 degrees (drop of 21 degrees) | 121 degrees (drop of 24 degrees) | 109 degrees (drop of 16 degrees) | 105 degrees (drop of 26 degrees) |
Weight | 3 lbs 7.4 ounces | 4 lbs 1.6 ounces | 3 lbs 5.6 ounces | 7 lbs 2.8 ounces |
The 5-ply Legend stainless steel pan outperformed my other pans in terms of heating speed and temperature reactivity. This allows for more precise cooking and faster cooking times due to rapid heating. In terms of heat retention, these pans performed about average.
Overall, I was very satisfied with the performance of these pots and pans. With proper preparation, food sticking was not an issue. If you’re familiar with stainless steel cookware and know how to prepare and care for it, this set is a fantastic choice. However, if you’re not a fan of stainless steel, these pans may not be for you, as they still require careful handling to perform at their best.
Clean Up
When using the right techniques, cleaning stainless steel pans can be a breeze. I found that heating the pans and using enough oil before cooking made cleanup simple, requiring only warm soapy water. However, be prepared for these pans to show some wear and tear over time. After just one use on my gas range, the bottoms had scratches from the metal grills. Although the pans are rated for use with metal utensils, this may cause wear on the cooking surface over time.
As with most stainless steel cookware, users report some discoloration with repeated use. Proper stainless steel cleaning can reduce this, but don’t expect them to look new forever. Despite these cosmetic blemishes, they don’t affect the cookware’s performance or ease of cleaning. Considering I cleaned these pots and pans with soapy water most of the time, and they’re dishwasher safe, I give this cookware set high marks for being easy to clean.
If you’re familiar with using stainless steel, these pans are an excellent, easy-clean option. If not, you may have to soak and scrub a bit more than you’d like.
Alternatives to Legend 5-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware
Legend Cookware’s 5-ply aluminum-clad stainless steel cook set performs impressively well and looks great, but it may not be right for everyone.
If you’re looking for a non-stick option with exceptional performance, consider these alternatives:
• Caraway ceramic cookware: For all-natural non-stick cooking and effortless cleanup, Caraway ceramic cookware is a great choice. These pans feature an aluminum core for highly reactive cooking and faster heating. Unlike Legend’s stainless cook set, Caraway pans are naturally non-stick, require less oil, and clean up easily with soap and water every time. The downside? Ceramic can’t sear like stainless steel.
• Hexclad cookware: For a balance between Caraway and Legend, try Hexclad. Hexclad cookware is nearly as easy to clean as Caraway but offers similar searing ability as Legend’s stainless steel set. The secret lies in Hexclad’s unique hybrid surface, which combines natural nonstick valleys and areas of raised stainless steel. This versatile surface can sear like Legend pans while remaining impressively easy to keep clean.
Legend Cookware | Caraway Cookware | Hexclad Cookware | |
Material | 5-ply stainless steel clad aluminum | Ceramic clad aluminum | 3-ply stainless steel clad aluminum with hybrid cooking surface |
Set Options | 5 piece or 14 piece | 3 piece or 7 piece | 6 piece or 13 piece |
Best Feature | Heat up fast and look great | All-natural nonstick | Searing ability and easy to clean |
Price | $$ | $$$ | $$$$ |
The Verdict
Legend Cookware’s 5-Ply Stainless Cookware set is designed to look as good as it performs. With its aluminum core, the cookware heats quickly and reacts to temperature changes for precision cooking. While they clean up easier than many stainless steel pans I’ve tried, they still require careful preparation to prevent food from sticking.
Overall, I think these pots and pans are worth the price and would highly recommend them to passionate home chefs seeking a high-performance stainless-clad aluminum cook set.
To learn more about Legend cookware or to purchase a cookware set for yourself, click here.