I’m collecting these heirloom pans one at a time — they’re the best I’ve ever used

I trust Miele with a lot of tasks in my kitchen — my oven, my fridge, my freezer, my hob — so when they launched a collection of stainless steel pans, it was inevitable that they would end up in my kitchen.

Having tested some of the best induction pans and stainless steel pans on the market, I’ve ended up with pretty high standards, but Miele’s cooks up quite the selection.

Substantial without being weighty, designed to absolute perfection, I have started setting aside funds to kit out my kitchen with these heirloom-worthy pans.

The Miele Stainless Steel Pan SetSpecifications

Unboxing the Miele Stainless Steel Pan Set

As expected, the packaging for Miele’s Stainless Steel Pans is impeccable. The robust cardboard box is a relative Russian doll of smaller cardboard boxes, each containing different pans to form the complete set. They’re mostly protected by cardboard, which gets a big tick in my sustainability box, except for the frying pan, which has some soft plastic wrapped around it, but it meant that the pan arrived scratch-free, so I can’t complain.

I gave all the pans a precautionary rinse before using them. Miele recommends it because there might be some factory dust that settles inside them somewhere along the line. They dry and clean really easily. I instantly got a good feeling about these Miele pans.

Who would the Miele Stainless Steel Pan Set suit?

Thoughtfully designed, robust pans suit a lot of people, so one of the key deciders will be price. You can invest in the set together, or buy them individually, which is what I will do because I can’t drop £125 per pan at once. If you want quality pans that will last for a lifetime, these are a brilliant investment. I have no doubt that you’ll be handing them down through generations.

All of the pans are stainless steel, which makes them compatible for all hob types and, importantly keeps them free from any of the chemicals that have had a lot of bad press in the last few years.

There are other nice touches that will suit very specific people. For example, the lid has a mini lip for drainage — very helpful. And the lids are all clear, so you can keep an eye on what’s cooking inside without letting all of the steam out. They’re very easy to love.

What is the Miele Stainless Steel Pan Set like to use?

All of the handles are nice and roomy, I could get a hand through them with an oven glove on, which is nice. They also didn’t get hot, even after long periods of boiling and frying and the lids stacked neatly on top of the pans. There are also small gaps in the lids for draining the water. See what I mean? They are a great set that have clearly been designed by people who use them a lot.

I tested all the pans in the set to check that they all covered my pre-set tasks well. Here are the results.

Test 1: frying pan

These are often sold separately, so to have the Miele frying pan in with all of the others suggests to me that Miele think a lot of it. I have a few tests that I run through on frying pans: splashing water for a heat test, frying onions for speed, cooking pancakes for even heat coverage, and making a chocolate sauce for a test of low and slower cooking.

The Miele frying pan made droplets of water dance around the pan in actual seconds. I couldn’t even start the timer to check it. The fried onions were soft and tender in two minutes, which is also an impressive result. So it’s all really down to the pancake test to see how perfect this pan is.

Some non-stick pans can make pancakes look perfect without butter, but this definitely needed some greasing. With a light smear, I got a really nice, even colour across my pancake. It took 30 seconds longer than my other pans, which I was surprised at because this was spot on for onions and very quick for my water droplet test, but the end results were good. I can’t argue with a tasty pancake.

Test 2: saucepans and stock pots

This test covers the same points as the frying pan. I boil a litre of water in the pans, cook potatoes, make soup, stews, and generally use them in my kitchen for a week.

The first test that I ran was boiling water in the main saucepan. It took just over two minutes to boil 1 litre of water on my top heat, which is actually really quick, even though it doesn’t sound it. I could see steam and bubbles in the water almost instantly, which suggests that these pans don’t mess around when it comes to heat. Then, the lid kept the heat in right up to the boiling point.

I used the stainless steel milk pan to make porridge, as well as warming up milk and single portions of soup. The handle is really nice to hold, it doesn't get hot, and my porridge didn't get stuck on any of the edges of the pan either. It's a really great little one to have. When I start collecting the set, this will be the first one that I buy.

The clear lids came in really handy for boiling potatoes and when I wanted to warm up soup. This took just over a minute and they were generally brilliant at speedily and evenly warming all the dishes I threw at them over the month that I used these.

All of the pans have fluid measurements engraved on the side, which makes pastas and broths and stews really simple, because you can fill them up from the tap.

Cleaning the Miele Stainless Steel Pan Set

Time in my kitchen is never without a little burning and mess, so I got a good test of what these are like to clean. In theory, they’re all dishwasher safe, so if you like to keep clear of the sink, you can. I plan on keeping these pans for life, so hand washed them, which is really easy. There aren’t any books where food gets stuck and even the remnants of my burnt pancake didn’t stick around on the pan for long. There is a perfect way to clean stainless steel, which you can read about here if you want.

How does the Miele Stainless Steel Pan Set compare?

These aren’t the most expensive pans I’ve ever tested (those are from Made In and they are fabulous) and yet the Miele Stainless Steel Set are contains some of my favourites. They’re really nice to use, a wonderful build quality, and I am relieved that they’re sold separately, because it means I can save up for each one.

The Miele collection remind me a lot of the Zwilling set. The only difference is that Zwilling has a few more size offerings and the handles are a little smaller. If you want really lightweight pans, you might be better with Miele, or even M&S’ pan set, but if you’re saving money and looking for diversity, Zwilling makes a great alternative.

Should you buy the Miele Stainless Steel Pan Set?

If, like me, you want quality in your kitchen, I can’t fault these. They’re neatly designed, well-made, and a true delight to use. I’m just buying them one by one to save some money.

How we test

When you read a review of stainless steel pans at woman&home you're getting a great insight into everything that goes on behind the scenes when we are choosing the products that we recommend to you. Our pans have tests on speed, heat transfer, style, and cleaning. I also look at value and I compare them to other sets on the market. By the end of a review, you should know everything you need to before making a purchase. If you want to find out more, you can visit our page for how we test stainless steel pans.