Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel Review (2023)

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Anolon Copper Core Stainless Steel cookware is high-performing durable cookware.

I used to have a hard time choosing between durability and even heat distribution when choosing between copper and stainless steel cookware. I ended up with cookware that would scratch easily or have cold spots all over the pan.

But with a copper bottom stainless steel cookware set, you can now have the best of both worlds.

This article includes my Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel review.

But first, let’s go through my guide to choosing copper bottom cookware.

Things To Consider Before Buying a Copper Bottom Stainless Steel Cookware Set

If you’re looking for a high-performing cookware set with great heat transfer combined with a durable cooking surface, a copper bottom stainless steel cookware is for you. It’s also great if you want to avoid using a non-stick coating with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE.) PTFE is the active ingredient of Teflon, which is present in many non-stick pans.

But cooking with stainless steel has a learning curve, and more novice home chefs might find that food sticks to these pans easily. Buying a whole cookware set might also be unnecessary if you’re only going to use one or two pans most of the time.

If you’re not sure, a large skillet is a good place to start. Anolon offers a decent 12-inch copper core skillet. It’s large enough to even use as a small saucepan, and certainly appropriate for sautéing.

Anolon Nouvelle Stainless Stainless Steel Frying Pan / Fry Pan / Stainless Steel Skillet with Lid - 12 Inch, Silver

Before reviewing the Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel Cookware set, let’s have a look at some things you should consider when buying a copper bottom stainless steel cookware set.

Usability

Consider how many pots and pans you actually need in your day-to-day cooking.

You should also make sure the cookware size you buy is right for your cooking needs. 

If you tend to cook one chicken breast for one person, you might not need a huge crockpot. On the other hand, this might still be something you want if you like to batch-cook stews, for example.

Also, consider if you need lids for all cookware items and if you want glass lids that allow you to get a better oversight into the cooking process.

Materials

This type of cookware set consists of two materials: copper and stainless steel. Let’s have a closer look at their characteristics.

Copper

Copper is an excellent conductor of heat, and copper cookware performs well on the stove. It adjusts to changes in temperature quickly and heats up evenly. You won’t experience cold spots on your copper pans.

Copper Pan hanging

But copper can react badly with acidic ingredients, which can leach copper into the food. When ingested for extended periods, copper can be toxic. This is why cookware with copper bottoms have a cooking surface made of steel to prevent this reaction.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a very durable material due to its high corrosion resistance and is often used as the outermost layer of pots and pans, as in these cookware sets. Stainless steel is metal utensil-safe, as long as you’re careful and use spoons over forks or knives.

But since this material isn’t as great at heat transfer, it performs well when mixed with a copper layer.

Safety

Copper bottom stainless steel cookware sets are safe from copper poisoning since the layers that actually touch the food are stainless steel.

Be on the lookout for non-stick Teflon, which contains PTFE and can release toxic chemicals.

If you want to put your cookware in a dishwasher or oven, make sure that it’s safe to do so. Most stainless steel cookware is oven-safe, but not all of it is dishwasher-safe.

Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel Reviews

The Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel 10-piece cookware set includes two saucepans with lids, one stockpot with a lid, two frying pans, and one sauté pan with a lid.

All Anolon copper bottom cookware pieces are constructed with 5-ply technology that uses a copper core, a layer of aluminum, and outer layers of stainless steel.

The copper an aluminum layers offer fantastic heat distribution and combining them gives you the advantages of both.

The stainless steel handles are long and dual-riveted.

All pots and pans in the Anolon Nouvelle Copper set are dishwasher-safe and oven-safe.

Anolon Nouvelle Stainless Steel Cookware Pots and Pans Set, 10 Piece

Customers like that it’s an affordable alternative to the market leader—All Clad Copper Core—and that they’re great at evenly distributing heat. They’re also beautifully designed and have a shining steel exterior with a copper ring.

But some customers feel like the material isn’t very high-quality. There are reports of the exterior scratching even though it’s supposed to be durable. Some users claim that the copper band becomes discolored after just a few washes.

If you don’t want to buy the whole Anolon Nouvelle Copper set, you can also buy a single skillet with an accompanying lid for a cheaper price.

Pros

  • Evenly distributes heat
  • Beautiful design
  • A lot of bang for your buck
  • Dishwasher-safe and oven-safe

Cons

  • Not the most high-quality materials
  • Exteriors tend to scratch
  • Discoloration of the copper ring after a few washes

Features of Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel

Let’s have a closer look at the features of this cookware set as the next part of our Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel reviews.

Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel Review

Items

The Anolon Nouvelle Copper is a 10-piece cookware set including two frying pans. The smaller pan is 8 inches (20 cm), and the bigger pan is 10.5 inches (26.5 cm.)

The set also contains two saucepans. One is 1.25 quarts (1.18 liter), and one is 2.5 quarts (2.37 liters); they both come with lids. 

There’s also a 6.5-quart (6.15 liters) stockpot with a lid, and a 3-quart (2.84 liters) sauté pan and lid included.

All accompanying dome lids are made from polished stainless steel, which looks pretty but means that you can’t see how your food is cooking through the lid.

Cleaning Anolon Nouvelle Copper

Food tends to stick to the cooking surface of stainless steel pans quite easily, so it’ll take some time for you to learn how to avoid this.

But these pots are dishwasher-safe, so cleaning up shouldn’t be too much of a struggle.

Since the exterior layer is made from stainless steel, you should polish the cookware regularly after cleaning to keep its shine.

There’s also a copper ring that looks stylish, but it tends to discolor easily. Invest in some copper polish to prevent this.

You only have a ring to polish, not whole pan. Yet it’s the same idea–just less work. Check out this video on polishing copper:

Heat Distribution

Users really like how evenly these pans distribute heat. There are no cold spots when you cook with them, and they heat up quickly.

This is due to the 5-ply construction that uses a copper midlayer and aluminum inner layers, since they’re great at conducting heat. Stainless steel by itself is not great at heat control.

Stove & Oven Compatibility

The pans in the Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel set are compatible with all stovetops. They’re also induction cooktop compatible.

These pans are oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius.)

Value vs. Durability

This is a good cookware set for an affordable price, especially when compared with the All Clad market leader. Yet it offers similar heat-transfer performance. 

The downside is that it’s not as durable as All Clad and tends to both scratch and discolor easily, according to users. Avoid using metal utensils and store in a single layer to help prevent scratching.

Alternatives

So how does the Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel compare to the All Clad market leader? 

All-Clad Copper Core Cookware

The All Clad Copper Core is a pricier alternative to the Anolon Nouvelle Copper. All Clad is a famous brand that uses high-quality materials in its products. It’s also a 10-piece cookware set made from 5-ply technology with a copper core and exterior layers of durable stainless steel.

All-Clad Copper Core 5-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware Set 10 Piece Induction Oven Broiler Safe 600F Pots and Pans Silver

Customers praise the reliable heat distribution of these pans and the beautifully polished design. They also feel like the materials are high-quality, but the All Clad 10-piece set is expensive and very heavy to move around, which affects the comfort of using these pans.

  • Superb heat distribution.
  • High-quality materials.
  • Expensive.
  • Feels heavy in your hand.

If you’re looking for a high-end alternative to the Anolon Nouvelle Copper set, go for the All Clad Copper Core. Check it out for yourself!

If you like the look of the All Clad Copper Core set, then check out my review.

Other Copper Bottom Cookware

Do you want to read more about other copper bottom cookware sets? Then check out my article where I review the top five copper bottom cookware sets. Both the Anolon and All Clad sets are among these.

I also discuss the difference between copper bottom and copper core cookware.

Conclusion

Full copper cookware is not durable, and stainless steel pans aren’t great at transferring heat. Plus, non-stick pans can release toxins.

The Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel set is a great answer to these problems. With this set, you get high-performing, durable cookware that’s free from Teflon all at the same time.