Stainless steel is the best! I have All Clad, which is very expensive. To me, it is worth every penny since I do allot of cooking. When I bought them, I didn't buy a whole set of pots and pans because the sets never have the size of "ware "I want. I bought one piece at a time....over time. I love my pots and pans. They heat and cook very evenly. I have an all clad asparagus steamer that is great! Fresh asparagus, corn, broccoli, etc. tastes fabulous in the steamer!! But beware, not all, All Clad are the same. I believe the Emerial Ware is a different grade of stainless steel even though it is all clad. I bought one pot of Emerial ware a few years back with a gift certificate given to me from work. It is a nice pot, however, the steel is different.