Best Direct-to-Consumer Cookware for 2024: Made In, Caraway, Field Company and More

Caraway's cookware features a ceramic coating that it's both nonstick and nontoxic. With Caraway's modern design and playful color palettes, it's pretty darn attractive, too. I've personally used these pans and they get significantly hotter and hold heat better than other traditional nonstick surfaces. If you sear a lot of steaks, chicken, pork chops and burgers but don't love clunky cast iron or hard-to-clean stainless, this ceramic cookware is a perfect pick. We're also digging the smart storage racks that come with each seven-piece cookware set as our pots-and-pans drawer often devolves into serious chaos and clutter. 

Caraway cookware can be purchased separately or as a complete set, which includes a 10.5-inch fry pan, 3-quart saucepan with lid, 6.5-quart Dutch oven, 4.5-quart sauté pan and four magnetic pan racks and canvas lid holder with hooks.

One of our favorite up-and-coming cookware brands is Goldilocks (formerly called "Potluck"), which launched in 2018 and is dedicated to bringing professional-quality kitchen tools to home cooks at affordable prices. Its high-quality cookware is made in the same factories as other high-end brands, but priced significantly lower, thanks to the direct-to-consumer business model.

Goldilocks sells a variety of full kitchen sets, including a seven-piece essential cookware set ($175), three-piece knife set ($80) and a striking kitchen tool set with all the things you forgot to get for $80. You can also buy the full line -- a 22-piece stainless steel cookware set of kitchen essentials -- for under $300. The cookware pieces -- which include 1.5- and 3-quart saucepans, a 10-inch skillet, an 8-quart stockpot and three lids -- are stainless steel, and the knives are stamped from high-carbon steel. 

Lighter cast-iron cookware? I'm listening. Cast-iron cookware is a favorite among home cooks, and the Field Company has given classic cast iron a modern update. The American-made cast-iron skillets are lighter and smoother than the ones your parents used to cook in, but the pans are every bit as long-lasting and versatile. If you're new to cast iron, know that few other cookware materials get and stay as hot, so if you want a tight sear on your steaks and burgers or crispy crust on your breakfast potatoes, you need to get yourself some cast iron and fast.

Read more: What Is the Difference Between a Dutch Oven and Cast Iron?

The Field Company offers five different cast-iron skillet sizes, ranging from 6.75 inches all the way up to an enormous 13-inch frying pan (you probably don't need one that big FYI). You can buy them individually or in sets, and there are a number of accessories available, as well. These cast-iron skillets have hundreds of great reviews citing how Field Company's cookware is all well-made and worth the investment.

This cookware brand is an offshoot of food website Food52 and sources much of its design and product innovation from actual chefs. That means it's user-friendly with lots of clever detail, but it all looks pretty great too. Five Two sells full cookware sets as well as individual pieces, including stainless steel and nonstick. There's also tons of gadgets, accessories and tableware to choose from, like this handsome roasting pan or these nifty silicone spoons, making it a great place to turn if you just need a piece here or there or want to add some accessories to your collection.

If you're partial to stainless steel cookware, you'll love the stainless pots and pans from Brigade Kitchen. It offers four core cookware products, called The Hardware, that are made from premium materials and are ideal for home cooks in smaller households. (If you frequently cook for five or more people, this stainless steel pan set might not be big enough for you, sadly.)

The lineup from Brigade Kitchen includes a stainless steel skillet, saucepan and saute pan, all of which are naturally nonstick and designed for fast and even heating. Knife options include a paring knife and Santoku knife. The cookware brand offers a 60-day trial period with free returns, but based on the stellar reviews, we don't think you'll need to take the company up on that offer. People swear these perfectly sized stainless steel pans perform flawlessly and are easy to clean.

Founded by three brothers, this stainless steel cookware has drawn the praise of big-name chefs like Bobby Flay. It has a simple, streamlined design similar to All-Clad's, and uses five-ply construction like other high-end stainless steel cookware but at a more approachable price tag.

All the Sardel cookware is made in Italy and the direct-to-consumer brand sells a range of fry pans, saucepans and stockpots starting at just $75. Or you can snag the entire eight-piece set for $595, which includes a nonstick fry pan in addition to the stainless steel wares.

No kitchen is complete without a Dutch oven, and if you don't want to shell out big bucks for storied French brands, one of the best is Milo. This consumer cookware brand offers high-end enameled cast iron cookware, including two Dutch oven sizes, but the prices are less than half of what you'd pay for other popular brands. And if you're still balking at the price, remember that a good Dutch oven can also double as bakeware and make delicious baked goods.

The cookware company sells a 5.5-quart Dutch oven as well as a smaller 3.5-quart model. Both sizes come in either white or black enamel, and they're dishwasher- and oven-safe up to 500 degrees. Plus, Milo products come with a lifetime guarantee, and reviewers say the quality is unbeatable given the affordable price.