Anolon Advanced Review 2024 – Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

Although it’s only been in business for around 35 years, Anolon has made a solid name for itself by producing high quality, yet affordable cookware.

In my Anolon Advanced review, I’m taking a detailed look at one of its most popular 11 piece sets.

What are the pros and cons of kitting out your kitchen with this particular collection?

(No single cookware set is ideal for everyone. I’ve also included some alternatives to the Anolon Advanced towards the bottom of the page.)

About The Anolon Advanced Set

Anolon cookware sets are designed to give home cooks a durable and versatile set of cookware.

It features a non stick coating on both the interior and exterior surfaces. The former makes mess-free cooking very easy, while the latter is particularly helpful when it comes to the washing up!

It’s not the cheapest cookware on the market, but it’s built to last. Non stick surfaces typically only last a few years, but the triple layering on the Anolon Advanced set helps preserve the lifespan of these pots and pans considerably.

Who’s This Cookware Set For?

If you’re looking to kit out a new kitchen with a broad collection of pots and pans, I think the Anolon Advanced set is a really good option.

The non-stick surface makes cooking (and clean-up) pretty effortless, and the selection of pans covers all the most important bases.

The tempered glass lids help you view cooking progress at a glance, and the pan handles stay cool thanks to an insulating grip.

Who’s It NOT For?

If you own an induction cooktop, you won’t be able to use the Anolon Advanced cookware set.

It lacks the magnetic surface that’s necessary for this kind of heating element to work.

Consider a stainless steel set such as the Cuisinart Multiclad Pro for a great all-round alternative for induction cooking.

Pros

• A durable non stick surface on the interior and exterior.
• High lid handles keep the heat away from your hands.
• Metal utensil safe.
• Good value for money.
• Oven safe up to 400F / 205C.
• A smart, modern design with multiple color options.

Cons

• Not dishwasher safe and requires washing by hand.
• Handle rivets aren’t non-stick coated and require careful manual cleaning.
• Aluminum is not compatible with induction cooktops.

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Anolon Cookware Review

That’s a quick overview of the Anolon Advanced cookware set, and who it’s designed for.

In the next section of my review I’m going to take a closer look at the contents of the set, and how it performs.

(Head back to my massive cookware guide when you’re done for more help with this side of kitchen life!)

Overall Design & Set Contents

There’s nothing too remarkable about the design of the Anolon Advanced cookware set. It’s a classic design that will work well in just about any home kitchen.

There are a few color options to choose from if you want to brighten things up though. Not all are always available to purchase, but at the time of writing this review I could pick the set up in the following color options:

• Bronze
• Graphite
• Indigo
• Onyx

Nothing about this set is exactly breaking the mold when it comes to kitchen design! I do like the overall aesthetic of the collection though.

As for the actual pots and pans, here’s what you get out of the box:

• 1.5 Quart Saucepan + Lid
• 3 Quart Saucepan + Lid
• 8 Quart Stockpot + Lid
• 8 Inch French Skillet
• 12 Inch Deep Skillet + Lid + Helper Handle
• 3 Quart Saute Pan + Lid

I’ll talk more about the handles later on in my review, but the extra helper handle on the skillet is particularly welcome. It’s quite a large – and deep – piece of cookware, and the extra support when you’re transferring the contents is very helpful.

Overall I think this is a solid collection of pots and pans, which will cover the most common cooking jobs any home cook is likely to tackle.

Materials & Nonstick Surface

What does Anolon even mean by “anodized aluminum”, and what does that mean for the performance of the cookware?

Aluminum is a fantastic cooking material, but without treatment it’s considerably softer than stainless steel. That significantly reduces the lifespan of the various pots and pans in your collection.

The anodization process hardens the aluminum considerably. The end result is, in fact, often tougher than stainless steel cookware.

The big flipside of this material?

It’s not induction compatible. Induction cooktops require a magnetic surface in order to activate, and aluminum just doesn’t work that way.

It’s fine for use on any other stovetop though.

(Many aluminum sets feature a stainless steel wrapping layer to make them induction compatible, but that’s not the case here.)

The surface of each pan in this set is triple-coated with a nonstick layer, which allows for very easy release of whatever food you’re cooking in it.

Food doesn’t stick to the pan as it cooks, which means it doesn’t burn, and that in turn makes this a very easy cookware set to clean too. The non stick coating has actually been applied to the exterior as well, so any spillages clean up easily.

The Anolon Advanced set is advertised as being safe to use with metal utensils, but I’d still recommend grabbing a set of wooden or silicone utensils regardless.

We all make mistakes, or forget that we can’t use these utensils to cut through items in the pan. Do so and you’ll dramatically reduce the lifespan of that nonstick coating. Once that goes, you’re in the market for a new set of pots and pans!

Even the best of these non-metal utensil sets are pretty affordable, and I think the peace of mind is worth the extra cost.

Glass Lids & Pan Handles

Every domed lid in the Anolon Advanced cookware set is made from tempered glass. This makes them resistant to shattering, even at high temperatures.

Glass is naturally insulating as well, so these lids are great for keeping your food warm once you’ve finished cooking and are getting ready to serve up.

Another advantage of a glass lid is that it’s very easy to see the progress of your cooking at a glance. There are no vent holes for steam to escape though, and so they will steam up after a long period on the hob. A quick lift usually clears the fogging.

If you want to let a little of the heat escape, the lids on the Anolon Advanced set also balance pretty well on the edges of the pan. You can create quite a small gap here, and control the amount of steam that escapes.

As for the lid handles, they have a generous “hook” design that gives plenty of room for safe handling. No worries about scalding your knuckles on the hot lid surface here.

That extra height does mean you need a little more space to store them, but I think it’s a worthwhile tradeoff.

If you’re not hanging your pots and pans from a rack, you can invert the lids so the bulky handle hangs down into the pan (although this does mean you can’t stack the collection).

That brings us neatly onto the stainless steel handles on the actual pots and pans. These are dual-riveted, improving strength and durability. They also have generous hanging holes if you want to hook each one onto your cookware rack.

They’ve also got some very welcome non-slip grips. This not only makes them comfortable to hold, they also do a really good job of insulating against heat, even after quite a long time on the stovetop.

Cooking Performance

One of the benefits of cooking with aluminum cookware is that it heats up very quickly, but also cools down rapidly once you’ve finished.

It also reacts very quickly to any changes you make to your stovetop temperature too. If you like to have a lot of fine control over your cooking, it’s an excellent material to work with.

Each of these pots and pans are classed as being heavy gauge, which means they have thick bottoms and sides as well. You get really even heating across each item, without any hot or cool spots developing.

As for oven cooking, the Anolon Advanced set is oven safe to 400F / 205C. That’s pretty standard for most cookware sets, and is helpful when you want to quickly brown something before transferring it to the oven.

Cleaning & Maintenance

There’s one big disadvantage to working with the Anolon Advanced cookware set: it’s not dishwasher safe.

The good news, of course, is that the non stick surface – by its nature – makes each piece a lot easier to clean. The fact that both the interior and exterior have a nonstick coating is even better.

Once the pan’s cooled down, wash it right away and you won’t have too much work on your hands. Even under the worst circumstances a brief soak is usually enough to get it ready for wiping down.

Pay particular attention to the handle rivets here. They have no non stick coating at all, and so need proper cleaning. There’s nothing worse than letting old food grub up in these areas!

Alternatives To Anolon Advanced

There are some good alternatives to Anolon cookware on the market. I wanted to highlight a few here so you have some other options to explore.

T-fal Signature Nonstick 12 Piece Set

T-fal’s name is synonymous with non stick cookware, and this 12 piece set is the closest equivalent to Anolon’s.

Unlike Anolon’s cookware, the T-fal set is dishwasher safe, which may be of interest to you if you can’t stomach the thought of doing the washing up after a big cook.

It also features T-fal’s special “hot spot” technology, which glows in the center of each pan when it’s suitably warmed up.

It’s less heat-tolerant than Anolon’s set though, with a maximum oven safe temperature of 350F / 177C. That may or may not be a problem, depending on how much leeway you need on oven cooking.

It’s not all bad news! If you’re keen to get started with nonstick cookware but don’t have the budget for Anolon’s cookware, you can typically pick this set up at a more affordable price point.

12 Piece Set Contents

• 7.5 Inch Fry Pan
• 11 Inch Fry Pan
• 1 Quart Saucepan + Lid
• 2 Quart Saucepan + Lid
• 5.5 Quart Dutch Oven + Lid
• 10.25 Inch Griddle
• Assorted Utensils

Cuisinart Multiclad Pro 12 Piece Set

I came away impressed in my review of the Cuisinart Multiclad Pro earlier this year. If you’re more interested in a stainless steel set (and don’t mind losing a nonstick coating), it’s one of the best on the market.

It can also tolerate a higher oven temperature than the Anolon Advanced collection. If you’re oven cooking at very high temperatures, this set will withstand an intimidating 550F / 288C of heat.

As appealing as non-stick cookware is, a little bit of extra prep is all that’s required for mess free cooking with stainless steel. Have a look over that review I’ve linked if you’d like to find out more.

One thing to be aware of is that this cookware set features stainless steel lids. It’s not quite so easy to check on cooking progress as a result.

12 Piece Set Contents

• 1.5 Quart Saucepan + Lid
• 3 Quart Saucepan + Lid
• 8 Inch Skillet
• 10 Inch Skillet
• 3.5 Quart Saute Pan + Lid
• 8 Quart Stockpot + Lid
• Steamer Insert + Lid

Verdict On Anolon Advanced Cookware

I think there’s a lot to like about this Anolon cookware set.

It delivers on the promise of delivering truly durable nonstick cookware, thanks to that triple layering of the nonstick surface.

I also like that it’s applied to both the interior and the exterior, making both cooking and clean up a lot easier than it is with other brands.

Performance is excellent, and although it costs a fair bit more than other nonstick cookware sets, its longevity gives it value for money.

Click here to learn more about this high quality cookware set, and read more reviews.